If A Cowboy Were President with Bob Tallman

The Presidential campaign is currently underway and with such a diverse range of candidates fighting for the title it makes me wonder…what if a cowboy were President?

When faced with that question it’s easy for one’s mind to drift off to a sea of cowboy hats swarming the infamous hallways of the White House and set of longhorns mounted in oval room. But in all reality, if a cowboy were to take the reins of the United State of America; do you think there would be any differences from what we’ve already seen?

If you’ve grown up around rodeo or even just watched it on TV, there is no doubt that you have heard this man’s famous voice at some point. While the word “famous” may have many different meanings, Bob Tallman’s voice is undoubtedly one of the most recognized voices in the industry and surprisingly, he is one of the biggest political followers around. So who better to ask the question ‘what if a cowboy were President’ than someone who grew up a cowboy, has been around cowboys all his life, has studied cowboys and ultimately has become a “cowboy” we all look up to.

“I’m not sure America is ready for that much honesty, common sense and logic,” says Tallman. “The other thing is the shock and awe of having somebody who knows how to communicate. It would ruin the media because they wouldn’t have as many opportunities to tease headlines at 5 o’clock but make you watch the 11 o’clock news. Why? Because when a cowboy makes a decision at 4 o’clock by 11 o’clock there would already be something happening and it wouldn’t be as exciting to drag it out.”

While Tallman knows people typically relate to a cowboy in the visual sense, boots and a cowboy hat, he visualizes a cowboy in the White House by their character, morals and values. “A cowboy knows how to go out, get a job done and move on to the next one. You need to understand that being a cowboy is a way of life, a methodology, a mentality; it’s a call to action.” Explaining further, a cowboy’s mentality is to be challenged, act on your own, mend your mistakes; like building a fence. “If something is broke you go back and fix it and the cowboy mentality is a business like venture that’s based on survival; politics are based on dragging things out,” explains Tallman.

When faced with the question of laws he thinks a cowboy would pass or reinstate, he is quick to touch on a few points with no doubt in his voice. “A cowboy knows about the environment and our land and would let the ranchers take care of it; not the government. I believe he’d get the government out of the schools and let the teachers teach rather than have unions tell them when to show up, how many breaks to take etc. A cowboy is accountable and when he teaches you something it doesn’t take 12 months, 12 years or a lifetime, he’ll let you do it in a practical experience and guide you through it. Then when you’re ready to do it he’d then find someone else to teach.”

Staying on subject of education, Tallman explains a cowboy wouldn’t stand over you like an umbrella, checking to see what you’re going to do. He also believes a cowboy would encourage employers to hire people who are not only accountable but productive. “If you aren’t productive you’d fall out of the system. It’s a level of accomplishment. Job security by productivity not by political influence of what or who you know.”

Admitting he is a “FOX and CNN news junkie” who lives politics, Tallman is passionate about anything that creates a better life and security for our country. “A better life, security for our country and educational values are what will trickle down from generation to generation. I’m pro-life, for the fact that if you have any Christian values whatsoever, an embryo is a person. I know there are cases of incest and rape that you can’t control but if a government is going to have laws that protect the people then they need to be so strong that there would be less of those situations. But from a Christian based mind and faith based conversation, life is life and needs to be protected.”

While he has his own personal opinions on all aspects of politics, key elements he believes in, and believes a cowboy would implement, would without a doubt include education, strengthening our military and taking on challenges with a “survival” mindset. “If a cowboy were President they would build up our nation once again; survival rather than complacency. A cowboy is not entitled or waits for someone to give him a handout. You don’t survive in our industry on hand outs. Now a cowboy will take a hand up but no one survives on handouts; they survive on performance.”

At the end of the day, it doesn’t come down to the clothes a cowboy wears or the hat on his head, it’s the morals and values a cowboy is raised upon that Tallman believes would be great as a leader. “The greatest gift you can give a child is an education. It’s simply actually. No lengthy message needs to be delivered by you, me or anyone else; educate a child and he’ll learn how to feed himself.”

In closing…

“We take care of each other, we’re a family. Always remember the harder you work the luckier you get and more blessed you are. Then you’ll find you have more to pray over than to pray for. The less you ask for the more you’re going to get and praying for what you have and giving thanks is ten times as important. We’ve got to put more God back in America. Our founding fathers wrote the constitution on the amendments as we know them, rather than look for a reason to amend them; stand by them.”

A dear friend to Tallman and American history studier, Grant Kilber, who is a Canadian, sees it like this. “The average of the world’s great civilizations before the decline has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in this sequence; bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency and from dependency back again to bondage."

By Katie Dixon (Bartlett)