Is Leading From The Middle Possible?
I've been an observer of the ever changing political climate over the past five decades. I'm an odd person in that I spent the majority of my career in business, simply trying to do my best and excel, but my career was sandwiched - or book-ended - on either side with a political focus.
I began as a consumer advocate, literally working in a non-partisan organization on issues that today anyone could support. My job was to advocate and to get issues like the "bottle bill" legislation through the states that would promote recycling of bottles and cans and "motor voter" which would simply permit individuals to register to vote when they got their drivers licenses.
Today these are now just laws that make life healthier and simpler for Americans, but back then they were by no means easy tasks.
Here in the latter side of my career I am in Washington DC having worked as a Presidential appointee on policy and staying to affect change in the industry where I spent most of my life.
From both sides now I find myself wondering where the leaders of the future might come from. What seems so different today is a 24/7 media world were news comes from extremely biased sources that promote divisiveness and dissension whether if comes from the right or the left. There is no moderation allowed, you either subscribe to the extreme view or you are labeled a socialist, prejudiced, or un-American, or worse. If you try to be balanced, find the common ground, you get skewered from both sides.
Today the House of Representatives, with it's gerrymandered districts that draw the most unusual borders within states solely to protect the like thinking views of those within the respective borders make it all but impossible for anyone with a moderate, or perhaps more balanced set of views or policy positions to win election.
So, how then do the bulk of Americans, who truly are from the middle, ever get a President or elected official they truly support? Even more importantly, why would any balanced, thoughtful, even handed, leader ever set foot in the arena of public debate given the vile nature of the extremist attacks from both sides?
Mitt Romney's loss is in part blamed on the point that he had to go to the far right to win the party majority but in return doomed his presidential bid by alienating the middle. If that holds truth, looking ahead what happens to the true leader who we need to run our nation and bring the country together?
The question I ask is this: can America find the way to allow a candidate to lead the nation, one who can actually bridge divides and form a union of ideas, when the party debates require strict adherence to the more extreme ideology of it's supposed "base"?
Can the true majority - the middle - really be represented if the only way to get past the first round is to be an extremist? If so, how? If not, what does this mean for our future?
What are your thoughts? How serious do you think this is for our collective future?
Broadcast Media Professional
10 年where it mentions in the above towards the end about Unionsthey have those here in England UK they get teachers to go on strike postal workers to go on strike firefighters to go on strike wich would be firebrigade in England Uk maybe the President and Mitt could have had a joint coalition wich Conservativs and LIB Dems had over here in England UK Wales had Labor Plyed Cumry or how you would spell that in Welsh maybe the next US elections might have one of those
EHS Manager at Longwood Elastomers
11 年I like this article it is so ture. We are heading toward Socialism in this country very fast. Remember these words. My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Integration Specialist at SmartChurch.com
11 年We, the people, have allowed the federal government to have too much influence/ control in our lives, which is why it has been perpetuated. The only way out of this spiral down is a crisis managed by a good man. Prayer and faith is the beginning. This, of course, is a rather conservative position which brings us back to the problem you presented-how to place a President having the interests of the middle without promising allegiance to a right or left wing. History shows this problem of self-serving, political and financial interests has always been with us, which brings us back to prayer and faith that God will provide a good person.
Retired at Progress Energy
11 年The only glitch in this thinking is applying it to the current crop of politicians in the House and Senate (in fact in all the State Governors and legislatures too). They are extreme left (Democrats) and mildly Left (Republicans). None of them ever saw someone else's dollars that they didn't want to give to another somebody to buy their vote. The current President ( Chairman Obama) is nothing but a Middle Eastern dictator and his racist voter base is lazy and too used to getting hand outs (government charity --vote buying) to live. What/Where is this "middle" the author is talking about??
Professor Emeritus at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
11 年Absolute truth! I have long held the belief that politics is a noble profession. The more I see and live in my personal and professional life, the less I hold this belief.