vote for sale

i really enjoy newsweek magazine. i particularly enjoy the social and political commentary of contributing editor, anna quindlen: a truly brilliant woman, in my opinion. and regardless of whether i agree with everything she says i am always forced to think when i read her articles. i love debate and thinking. in my friendships, i very rarely need to agree about political or social issues with someone, as long as we can have good and respectful discussion and enjoy our conversation over a refreshing adult beverage.

when i first started this blog site i had hoped it would spark similar conversations and thought. but i’m afraid it’s gotten tame. and an even scarier possibility is that i’ve gotten tame. however, i am unwilling to accept that, so today i start afresh with new thoughts for respectful debate and conversation. unfortunately, the electronic limitations of a blog site prevent us from enjoying that adult beverage together, at least at this moment.

in honor of the afore mentioned author who i so greatly respect, i’d like to reference her most recent article in newsweek in which she questioned the lack of leadership in the government of our fine country. reading her article touched a nerve in me that i’ve wanted to address for some time. now is that time.

i am ashamed of the leadership of our country and very concerned for our long-term future. before you think me unpatriotic, i assure you that i am not. i love america. i love the setup of our government into three distinct branches: legislative, executive and judicial. i love the separation of church and state and the freedom of religion. i love that all people are closer to equal than every before. i love grilling on my deck, the nfl and an afternoon at wrigley. i love america.

but that same governmental system that i so truly believe in, is failing us miserably. i’m not simply bashing our current president. i believe our problem is deeper than the current administration, and it’s a problem that i began to notice during the presidency of bill clinton. i can already see all of the republicans reading this, you’re excitedly anticipating a tirade against president clinton. sorry, wrong website. and i also won’t launch into a speech about president bush. though, as a democrat, it would be fun! instead i’d like to point out a trend that i’ve notice for the last two administrations, and a trend not that unlike a junior high playground.

when bill clinton was the president of our country the republican party did everything it could to usurp his authority. like vultures hovering above, they waited for any false move. i remember being so embarrassed that the leaders of our country were acting with such immaturity. then, a republican was elected as president. and for years now i have watched the democratic party do the exact same thing to president bush. and frankly i’m tired of paying people to spend their time and energy dismantling the credibility of another person. can you imagine if you tried this tactic in your workplace? your boss comes to you in the evening for a report of how you’ve spent your day. you proceed to inform her that you spent your entire day keeping track of everything bob, the i.t. guy, did wrong and you’ve been telling everyone else in the office about it. you’re hoping your work helps to ensure that he’s never voted employee of the month again.

of course that’s ridiculous, and yet politicians are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to do essentially that.

so i’ve decided to inform the political leaders of our country about how they could really do a great job and ensure reelection for the rest of their lives. one simple word: lead. in fact i’ve decided to give my vote only to people who i believe are more interested in leading our country than tattling on everyone else. so mrs. congresswoman, mr. representative or mrs./mr. presidential hopeful, my vote is up for grabs to the most inspiring person, regardless of political party. for a real leader, i will cross party lines and cast my vote. please notify me at this blog site if you have any vision for our country and i will confidently cast my vote for you.

Comments

[leigh]

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[mark s.]

There's always Liberaterian. God, guns, and guts. Peace out, friend. Hope all is well.

Sgt Skiles
USMC

[Jake]

I enjoyed reading your blog and I too am desiring a strong leader, regardless of party. While watching the presidential debates of the last election I was overwhelmed by the feeling of hopelessness. Although agruable, I think both candidates were incredibly intelligent, but completely lacking in the ability to inspire and motivate. I understand a country is no greater than the actions of its citizens, but I also believe that it may take a passionate leader to inspire that civil action. "Ask not what your country can do...but what you can do..." kind of thing. Again, I am not making any political alignment, but I wonder if you saw Obama's speech at the Dem. National Convention. That was the inspiration I was desiring. It almost brought me to tears. Charisma and great public speaking are not the sole characteristics of a great leader (see Hitler), but those attributes are desperately absent from today's political state.

In regards to your thoughts on the "immaturity" of washington politicians, I agree with that to a point. For a while I thought that politics were becoming more and more disgusting. It seemed that politicians were focusing more on slandering one another than on the issues of our country. But if you look back through our country's political history, I think you'll find that politics are not much different than it ever has been. In fact, it may have been worse at certain points in our history. Can you name a president who wasn't visciously attacked by an opposing party during his term? You may have heard of James Callender. He was a journalist bought by Jeffereson during his campaign against Adams. Callender relentlessly abused Adams in the newspapers at the insistence of Jeffereson. When Jeffereson would not pay Callender what he thought he deserved, Callender offered his services to Adams. Adams obliged and Callender then went to work on Jefferson. Was it the political issues of the times that Callender was reporting on? Not exactly. Callender was the journalist who exposed Jefferson's relationship to Sally Hemmings. Soon Callender's need ran out for both politicians and interestingly enough he was found drowned shortly after the election. There is no proof of foul play, but it is an interesting end to his story. All I am saying with all of this is that politics are politics. No matter how great or poor a president is, there will be opposition looking to expose anything in order to better push their own agenda.

I guess that's about it for me. If any historians are reading this, please correct my history (but I think I got the main ideas correct).

[Jeff DeLaere]

Jon, I would like to hear more what your specific concerns are for the leadership of this country.