Bully
I know some folks that are appalled by Donald Trump’s behavior. They watched the debate, and recognized a bully when they saw one. They also know that bullying is simply a way to avoid real discussion, perhaps because the bully is unable to have one. And yet, they continue to support him for President.
The argument they make is that, “I vote on policies, not personalities”. And I’m struggling to understand that perspective.
To me, electing a President of the United States is choosing the leader of this nation. And how someone leads is in large part about what kind of person he or she is, the “personality”, beyond policy recommendations. Policy is a “group” project, the President, the White House Staff, the Federal Bureaucracy, Congress, and even the Courts. Of course what the President wants is important. But even more important are the people that surround him. Look at the impact Stephen Miller has on this Presidency and our nation. He is the man that Donald Trump has chosen to listen to. Is that about policy, or personality?
Policies
So what do I want in a President? Well I certainly do want some policy objectives. I want a President who will help lead us towards improving the climate. I want a President who has compassion for those who are less fortunate. And I want a President who cares about the American people: about how they live and how they die. It is from there that we can determine what our nation needs to do better. And I find it difficult to believe that anyone is against those goals.
So is that all policy, or all personality?
I know there are specific policies that are Presidential issues. How the pandemic is being handled is policy. But isn’t it also personality? Maybe it’s just my perspective, but hasn’t President Trump simply “written off” the dead from COVID? And even more, hasn’t he failed to take responsibility for our actions against COVID, blaming the Chinese, or the Governors, or his own government agencies rather than saying here’s what happened and here’s what we need to do? Is that “policy”, or is that his personality dodging Presidential responsibility?
The President demands “Law and Order” (Richard Nixon lives!!). And he pays some lip service to the “right” of peaceful protest. But has he, in any way, tried to address the underlying concerns that are causing folks to protest? And it’s not just what’s happening to Black people in the streets today. What about mass shootings, and in particular school shootings? What has the President actually DONE about any of those things? He’s held meetings and banned “bump-stocks”. Is there anything else? President Obama at least proposed responses, though those policies were buried in the Congress. What has President Trump offered?
Compassion
I hear the response right now – Biden is a “liberal bleeding heart”. The “personality” I’m supporting is one that isn’t hardened to the “realities” of governing. We don’t want a “compassionate” leader; we want a George Patton, someone who doesn’t give a damn about anything else but achieving “victory”. But when we look at history, Patton was used by more compassionate men, men like Omar Bradley, and Dwight Eisenhower. They knew they had to sacrifice soldiers to win victories, but they also cared about the men they lost. Patton was a tool to be used briefly, then discarded. And he was.
I don’t think I agreed much with anything that George W. Bush wanted to do. But he was a leader of compassion, even if his policies weren’t very compassionate. Ronald Reagan was pretty much the same way. They cared about the American people. Isn’t it obvious that Donald Trump doesn’t?
If you are a Black American today (except for Candace Owens), or a Latino American today, or an LGTBQ American today, can you possibly feel compassion from this President? Or do you feel excluded from the American dream?
Common Goals
A leader finds a way to get those that he’s leading to accept common goals. That’s about personality, not policy. A leader brings people together to achieve, not divides to control. Think of George W. Bush standing at Ground Zero, or Barack Obama standing at the alter in Charleston, or Ronald Reagan telling us to reach out and touch the face of God. Where is Donald Trump’s moment of national unity? That’s all about personality, not policy.
I get it: we have been “made afraid”. We are told that “they” will burn our towns, destroy our traditions, and force us to change religious beliefs. We are in an era of division, demonstrating our worst “angels”. Americans needs to find a way to reunite, to heal, and to work together to improve the nation. And that is exactly about the personality of the next President.
