We Vote for People Not Issues (or we should)

Our democracy encourages, and it’s critical that we have, a vigorous debate about the issues of the day during the campaign and before the election.  The candidates can and should tell us what their plans are for the future, and what their positions are on the issues.  However, after the election, candidates need to remember that they represent and serve not just the voters who voted for them, but also the voters who didn’t.  In many ways the hardest work begins after the election.

VOTE FOR THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON. 

My post on July 29, 2014, “Quality and Qualified” listed the following personal attributes that we should look for in legislative and congressional candidates

“Problem solver and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builder, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.”

That same post listed listed the following personal attributes for President.  The same list would apply to governors of the various states.

“Vision, charisma, pragmatism, consensus building, trust or credibility.”

Whether it’s Washington DC or in the various states, we need the best and the brightest working for us solving the toughest problems in history.  Let’s elect the “cream of the crop.”

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

QUALITY AND QUALIFIED

It matters little how any of us feel about specific issues, if the people we elect don’t have certain important and key personal attributes and skills.  This is true whether we’re electing a new President or members of Congress.  We need to also remember that the attributes and skills required to be an effective President are different (but complimentary) from the attributes and skills possessed by a successful Congressperson.

In my post on January 11th of this year, I highlighted Robert Dallek’s course, TO LEAD A NATION, The Presidency in the Twentieth Century, in which he discusses the reasons why some of the Presidents of the Twentieth Century (Theodore Roosevelt through Ronald Reagan) rose to greatness, while most of us can’t remember who the others were.  

Mr. Dallek identifies several things that the “great Presidents” consistently score high in.  This list of six items includes:  Vision, charisma, pragmatism, consensus building, trust or credibility, and luck.

Before we vote in November this year, and elect a new House of Representatives and one third of the Senate, what if we identify the attributes and skills that a member of Congress should bring to the job.  I propose that the list for a Congressperson includes items in five areas:  Problem solver and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builder, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.  This list also complements Mr. Dallek’s list for Presidents.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the President and Congress could work together no matter what party they might belong to?  Aren’t personal attributes and skills a good place to start so that at a basic level they will all feel like they want to work together.  

All of us have jobs where our personal attributes and skills were the first things considered when we were hired.  Why would we want to do anything different when we vote (hire) for the people we are asking to do the work that needs to be done for America?

No matter how we feel on the issues, let’s elect quality people who can govern, and want to do the difficult work of governing. As voters, our goal should be to elect a Congress that we can give an approval rating above 20%.  If we elect quality and qualified people to represent us, they will know how to help us sort out the issues.

Remember, when we step into the voting booth in November, lets vote for people who are problem solvers and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builders, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

TO LEAD A NATION

In his course, TO LEAD A NATION, The Presidency in the Twentieth Century, Robert Dallek discusses the reasons why some of the Presidents of the Twentieth Century (Theodore Roosevelt through Ronald Reagan) rose to greatness, while most of us can’t remember who the others were. 

Mr. Dallek identifies several things that the “great Presidents” consistently score high in.  This list of items includes:  Vision, charisma, pragmatism, consensus building, trust or credibility, and luck.

These are personal attributes that we as voters can use to identify who we might vote for, right?  They are key characteristics we can identify for ourselves by listening to what the candidates say and by knowing a little about their track records.  By the way, aren’t these attributes of “Presidential greatness” also qualities we’d like to see more of in all of our public servants and representatives?

The 2014 elections are around the corner, and the 2016 elections not to long after that.  Maybe we should start asking ourselves how the current crop of public servants and representatives “measure up” using this list. 

NOTE:  This list of presidents examined by Mr. Dallek included:  Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kenney, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.

After Ronald Reagan, the Presidents have been George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barak Obama

For practice, we can also think about how the Presidents since Ronald Reagan measured up.  What do you think?

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2013 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved. 

Our greatest Presidents all had the same six qualities!

Robert Dahlek is an American historian who is considered an expert on American Presidents.  Before retiring, he most recently taught at Boston University, and earlier served at Columbia University, UCLA, and Oxford.  He has won the Bancroft Prize and numerous other awards for his scholarship and teaching.

In a series of lectures on the Presidents of the 20th Century, Mr. Dahlek identified which were the most effective Presidents, and the impact they had on the Office of the President itself.  He found six qualities that these Presidents all brought to the job.  While each President faced unique challenges while in office, the same qualities emerged and were visible in each.

At the top of the list and considered most important of the qualities was vision.  Having a sense of direction and knowing what future success looks like.  All of these Presidents were charismatic.  They often had different styles of communication, but they were able to easily connect with the people they lead.  When it came to getting work done and finding a way to move forward they were pragmatic, not dogmatic.  They knew how to get results while keeping the vision in view.  Using their charismatic and pragmatic qualities, they could build a consensus.   In the people they lead, they evoked or created a sense of trust and credibility.  People saw these things in them because they were in fact trustworthy and credible.  The last quality they all seemed to possess was luck.  This could be seen as a “flip of the coin” which they won from one point of view, but it’s easy to wonder if they didn’t create their own luck.

Judge for yourself.

Think of a President who you think was the greatest in your opinion.  It doesn’t matter from what party or when they served.  Just think of your personal choice and also think about how many of the above six qualities they seemed to possess.  Only you will know, but I’d guess that the President you think most highly of had all six.

Now think about candidates Obama and Romney.  At this point in time, how would you grade them on these six qualities?  Write it down.  Then check back every week with the list and re-grade them based on what they’ve said or done in the campaign that week.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney you need to grade yourselves too.  No, don’t grade the other guy.  We’ll do that.

At this point in time, I would suggest that both of you are lacking with the first quality.  Start there.  What is your vision of success for America twenty five years from now?  Please forget the issues and go back to creating a vision.  Remember, issues will always divide and visions always unite.


. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2012 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.