Comments on: Needed: Complex Minds http://www.youdontneedatitle.com/wordpress/?p=262 Difference Makers in Leadership & Life Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:18:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Tom Gray http://www.youdontneedatitle.com/wordpress/?p=262#comment-1550 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:42:46 +0000 http://www.youdontneedatitle.com/wordpress/?p=262#comment-1550 It has always surprised me that an individual can rise to the very heights of leadership and yet exhibit the most severe form of tunnel vision. Perhaps, however, it's not the failure of leadership that is most disturbing but, at least in our democracy, the failure of the electorate. Candidates tend to deliver sound bites because that is what the voters respond to; even demand. We require too little of our candidates in the way of substance; preferring, instead, the triteness of "it's the economy stupid" rather than an explanation of why "it's the economy" and, more importantly, why a particular candidate's approach to economic policy makes more sense than their opponents. At best we get sound-bited attacks along the line of "voodoo economics". It's the art of the rabble-rouser disguised as political discourse. When Jon Stewart has more credibility than Charles Gibson and Paris Hilton's jail house travails dominate the national dialogue then we really have to ask ourselves if we, as Americans, haven't accepted our own version of the 'bread and circuses' policy that Imperial Rome employed to placate (and sedate) the masses. Here's a simple test, ask 5 of your friends to contrast Obama's position on national health with Clinton's or McCain's stance on illegal immigration with Guiliani's and then ask them to discuss the merits of Sanjaya versus Doolittle. Which were they able to discuss with more passion and knowledge? The point is, that at the end of the day, we - meaning all Americans of voting age - have to look in the mirror and say it's not our leaders, it's us. Too often we get the leadership we deserve, not the leadership we need. Here's some fun facts to close with: in the 2000 election Bush lost the popular vote by more than 1/2 million but won in the electoral college. Democrats everywhere cried that they were robbed - and they were right, <a href="http://elections.gmu.edu/Voter_Turnout_2000.htm" rel="nofollow">they were robbed by the 87,000,000 (that's 87 million) voters who chose to sit out the election</a>. Nearly 45% of eligible voters took a powder on election day. So who's to blame? Really? It has always surprised me that an individual can rise to the very heights of leadership and yet exhibit the most severe form of tunnel vision. Perhaps, however, it’s not the failure of leadership that is most disturbing but, at least in our democracy, the failure of the electorate. Candidates tend to deliver sound bites because that is what the voters respond to; even demand. We require too little of our candidates in the way of substance; preferring, instead, the triteness of “it’s the economy stupid” rather than an explanation of why “it’s the economy” and, more importantly, why a particular candidate’s approach to economic policy makes more sense than their opponents. At best we get sound-bited attacks along the line of “voodoo economics”. It’s the art of the rabble-rouser disguised as political discourse. When Jon Stewart has more credibility than Charles Gibson and Paris Hilton’s jail house travails dominate the national dialogue then we really have to ask ourselves if we, as Americans, haven’t accepted our own version of the ‘bread and circuses’ policy that Imperial Rome employed to placate (and sedate) the masses.

Here’s a simple test, ask 5 of your friends to contrast Obama’s position on national health with Clinton’s or McCain’s stance on illegal immigration with Guiliani’s and then ask them to discuss the merits of Sanjaya versus Doolittle. Which were they able to discuss with more passion and knowledge?

The point is, that at the end of the day, we - meaning all Americans of voting age - have to look in the mirror and say it’s not our leaders, it’s us. Too often we get the leadership we deserve, not the leadership we need.

Here’s some fun facts to close with: in the 2000 election Bush lost the popular vote by more than 1/2 million but won in the electoral college. Democrats everywhere cried that they were robbed - and they were right, they were robbed by the 87,000,000 (that’s 87 million) voters who chose to sit out the election. Nearly 45% of eligible voters took a powder on election day. So who’s to blame? Really?

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