For at least six years, the party out of power (POOP) has been
leaderless. That party has managed to
secure control of the House of Representatives and done little with that significant
power for the last four years. It has
lap dog followed the party in power (PIP) by behaving or misbehaving depending
on your view and begrudgingly or maybe not so by going along with their
budgets, their debt increases, their record levels of spending and their
various social programs, handouts and special interest arrangements (read: public money is traded for special interest
votes.) This is not leadership – it is
not a directed movement with a described philosophy or governing manner – it is
pure treading water hoping for an opportunity.
The party in power (PIP) chose a man who is self described
as not being a leader. He has variously
described himself as lazy; as a community organizer; as a “constitutional”
professor or some such thing; and as the past winner of two political positions
– state senator from Chicago meaning he clicked his heels and did the bidding
of the political machine because that is the only way you attain elected
positions in Chicago and Illinois and then as US senator from Illinois (ditto.) That is a very limited resume and it shows –
shows more and more each day that he occupies the white house. He has built no alliances – at home or abroad;
dealt with even one major issue he “inherited” or challenged even one special
interest that votes for his party’s candidates.
What he has gotten done is, using
the techniques of Chicago politics, one piece of legislation that is now deemed
his “signature legislation” and it stinks; his own party candidates are running
away from it even though they obediently supported it and voted for it. Mr. Obama does not grasp the concept of
national or international power – all he can do is read speeches written by
others that sound good but are now ignored by all except the captive American
media (we call this group of stooges – the Hollywood media.) The party in power does not have a leader –
it has a mouthpiece with no portfolio – no following – just a bunch of hack
politicians who don’t know where to go or what to do unless someone tells them
where to be; at what time; and how to vote when they get there.
On the sidelines, mostly, are more of the same; regardless
of PIP or POOP. There are a lot of bit
players on the sidelines. Any one of
whom could fill the occupant’s shoes – by which we mean, fill the vacuum with
their physical personage. We don’t see
one of them who can fill the decade’s long leadership vacuum that is now American
national politics. We don’t see one of
them grasping this fundamental of leadership – getting followers to do that
which they don’t want to do but what is needed given the times, the
circumstances and the consequences.
We so much wish to be wrong.
There is one simple need in the United States of America
today – we need leadership that grasps that leadership is not about what the rights of the followers are but what the responsibilities of the followers
are and speaks and leads and executes to that view and secures the acceptance
and enthusiasm of the followers in the process.
Anyone can buy votes or give away other people’s money or
add so much debt to the nation that our children and grandchildren will never
know independence much less freedom.
Their rights will be gone because the only way they would ever have been
able to secure those rights is if we, their moms and dads, grandpas and
grandmas, aunts and uncles, had fulfilled our responsibilities when it was our
time. We have not. We demand what we want, today – no one
demands that those wants are subordinated to what we must do for those who
follow. Instead we pretend that we are building a
better society.
We are leaderless in a changing and challenging America and world.
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