Someone who refers to the law department of the whitehouse lacks knowledge of the basic structure of the federal executive. When asked Palin said the "office of Law" at the whitehouse would reject ethics compaints against the president. This statement was given in a video interview with andrea mitchell broadcast yesterday. The issue of Palin's lack of knowledge is not new, what I am curious about is the supported for Palin who either jsut as ingnorant or more and therefore doesn't see Palin's ingnorance, or the supporter who does not care. Well if you think you have enough information to cast a vote and you think Palin knows enough because she knows as much as you. Well can't argue with a rock. If you recognize she may not know a lot about "stuff" but you don't care. I ask... do you pick your doctor based on whether they express the anger you feel. Do you want your boss at work to feel she/he is a victim of powerful forces arrayed against the company because it is a real american company. Do you want help with your taxes from someone who is not aware of all they legal ways you can reduce your taxes ? What disturbs me most is the assumption by many of her supporters that the shares and expresses their anger, fear, frustration, victimization and that is reason enough to support her as a leader. Certainly a leader must understand and even better feel what her/his followers feel, but there is a level of competaqnce about the functions of leadership without which failure is almost certain.
You have to know how to staqrt a car, how to work the steering wheel , brakes, and gearshift, and you have to know the rules of the road or you will crash.. Sarah Palin does not know enough of that to bew effective and if elected her followers will either have to expend a great deal of energy explaining why her failures are not her fault or come to realize, leadership requires more than shares feelings with followers, a =whole lot more
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
advice to Sarah Palin
Roger Simon at Politico offers seven bits of advice Sarah Palin should follow to get the Republican nomination for President in 2012. All his advice focuses on creating an image which the hard conservative base would support. Unfortunately while simon's advice may be sound politically, wouldn't the country be better off if he gave her some adive on how to be a better chief executive. She seems to conduct herself in Alaska as a disorganized amateur who doesn't hve a clue how to organize or lead. We just had 8 years of both bad policiy and incompetant leadership. Didn't we learn the best intentions are useless if the leader doen't have a clue what leadership and management are all about?
Someone give this Woman advice how to lead than we can concern ourselves if her policies make any sense.
Someone give this Woman advice how to lead than we can concern ourselves if her policies make any sense.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Briilant, Typical, Typically Brilliant
Pres. Obama's speech made two fundemental philosophical points, one polictical, one religious. As a democracy we can move forward by identifying those areas of agreement and working on them. Whatever we feel about abortion almos t all of us would welcome better prenatal support, better options where adoption is in the picture, and better support for single woman who are parents and for their children. Those goals are supported by the vast majority of voters. There is enough to do here to occupy most of or energy and passion. He did not fudge the fundemnetal differences that exist amongst us, but encouraged a respectful debate. It is certainly easier to grant respect and earn respect when you have worked hand in hand with those you have a fundemental disagreement with. Many of us beleive in God. As our president has said, none of us can credibly claim we know the will of God to a certainty. But all of us who beleive can and should struggle to - do right as we are given the light to see what is right. While all of us must recognize we see as we can, and none of us can see the mind of God. Humility about what his will is for each of us is the sign of true acknowleddgement that God is above and beyond our poor ability to know and to understand.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Dinner
It must be the combination of the dead pan delivery and the self deprecating 1000 watt smile which comes about 3 beats after the comment which makes me laugh out loud, I feel as though I am shearing an inside joke with the President of the United States. It is as though he is saying with that swmile, just between us, I wasn't serious just now, I was kidding, I can't help but laugh cause what I said was funny. He is such a likable human being and that just comes straight thru the screen.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
sometimes the small things signify
This morning Pres. Obama, VP Biden and Sen. Arlen Spector held a joint news conference. In welcoming Sen Spector to the Democratic Party. Pres. Obama mentioned the significance to Sen Spector of the Senator's father. How his father had been a force driving Sen Spector to serve and achieve in the public arena. As the three were leaving the podium, an open mike caught the Senator thanking the President for mentioning the Senator's father. It is that kind of human sensitivity, caring and insite into the emotional construct of collegues which will greatly help the President move his agenda forward. The public also sees this. His personal "likability" is significantly greater than agreement with his policies, all the polls show. How completely different than a Pres. and VP who seemed to know very little about what others thought or felt, and did not care either. Is this a difference between Republicans and Democrats? Well Reagan was the last likable Republican, and Pres Clinton was famous for his ability to empathize. Maybe as the Rebpulican party becomes more and more rigid, racially homogenized, and separated from the real world it will also know and care little for what anyone feels, or thinks. If you beleive gay marriage is the end of our country. If you beleive the idea of free markets is more important to people than jobs and homes, if you beleive our place in the world is to bully allies and use the military against those we disagree with, perhaps the only people who will join you also do not know or care what anyone else thinks or feels.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
They still don't get it
Rebpulican concept of bipartisanship. Do most of what we would do if we were in power. they still do not realize the country has seen that cronycapitalism and the gutting of federal and state government regulatory and service work by contracting out to for profit companies only benefits the companies and those republicans who got campaign contributions and bribes. The people got weaker corrput regulatory actiion and degraded service. Ask anyolne you know who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Sorry Republicans the concept that the "Market knows best and is best for all when unregulated committed suicide. The idea that government services can be delivberied better and more efficiently by private contractors has died of incompetance and corruption.
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