Unless you are in a sailboat by yourself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean without cell service, or several miles deep in an abandoned coal mine, you are probably aware the US presidential elections will take place on November 5, only 56 days from today.
As you can imagine, I get asked several times a day by students and executives my thoughts on the upcoming election. As always, I make it clear that I have very few answers and many opinions. That’s why I don’t do “Q&A;” I do a lot of “Q&O.”😁
But before I get into it — spoiler alert!!! I am not going to take sides, and that’s actually my point. We have become so polarized that many people have not only stopped talking to one another, they actually dislike and even hate people if they hold different views on a topic. I read recently that parents used to ask their children before they got married, “What is the religion of the person you are marrying?” That question has been replaced with, “What political party do they belong to?”
I really believe that in a democracy you have the right to believe whatever you want to believe and vote for whomever you want to vote for. All I ask is for all of us to be respectful of people who have different views. That is why I encourage people to have a balanced perspective, and as always, “seek to understand before you are understood.”
OK, here are a few opinions that attempt to put some balance in some of the extreme comments I hear every day:
- In response to statements along the lines of “our democracy is in peril,” I really don’t think so. The beauty of our system with three branches of government is that they keep one another in check, as has successfully been the case for the past 248 years. There are clearly times when we come close to the line (look at example of FDR trying to pack the Supreme Court in the 1930s), but in general, in my opinion, the threat of an end to democracy is greatly exaggerated.
- In response to, “We are in danger of becoming a socialist or communistic country,” again…I don’t think so. Just because some argue that we should increase services to the poor and under-privileged does not mean we are becoming a socialist or communistic country. However, there is a legitimate concern that we need to figure out how to pay for all of these services. Please don’t forget that despite the fact that the United States is the wealthiest country in the world, we currently have an accumulated deficit of more than $35 trillion dollars (and yes, I said TRILLION!!!). Another way to think of this is that a one percent increase in interest rates is $350 billion dollars!! (yes, this is real money, and it needs to come from somewhere)🤔
- In response to, “We need to shut down the borders and deport millions of immigrants,” again, I don’t think so. Clearly, we need to drastically improve our immigration system and make it very clear the requirements necessary to enter the United States and become legal citizens. How we accomplish this in a socially responsible way should be done by the legislative branch of our government.
- In response to, “Let’s make America great again,” my strong opinion is that America is ALREADY great. To be clear: We have many serious issues to address IN THE UNITED STATES. We can clearly get a lot better, and we must get a lot better. However, I find it interesting to note that if things are so bad in this country, why is it that people from all around the world are CONSTANTLY trying to immigrate to the United States? (Just a question, I’m not sure what the answer is.)🤔
Okay, so who should you, my fellow American citizens, vote for in the upcoming presidential election on November?
First opinion, PLEASE vote! It is a sacred privilege to vote in a democracy, and not one we should take for granted.
Many people I speak with don’t care for either candidate. That may be unfortunate, but these are the cards we’ve been dealt.
When I am asked what the characteristics that I personally take into account when I vote, I usually turn to the four principles I discuss in my first book, From Values to Action:
- Is the person self-reflective and self-aware? Do they clearly understand their values, purpose, and what really matters in their lives?
- Do they have a balanced perspective, and the ability to understand multiple perspectives? Do they seek to understand before they seek to be understood? Do they surround themselves with people brighter than they are and really listen to them?
- Do they have “true self-confidence?” Are they willing to admit what they don’t know, and are they willing to admit when they’re wrong? Do they realize they are a learning person, and can always get better every day they’re on this earth?
- Do they have “genuine humility,” realizing that every single person matters, and it isn’t all about them?
Good luck, and upward and onward!!✈️✈️
You are an optimist and I agree that democracy is fundamentally messy and that we are better off than we think (see the rest of the word). The great challenge is that it is very hard to know what most politicians actually believe, since their m.o. is to tell people what they think they want to hear. A career arc that can begin with narcissim doesn’t equip them to become Values Based Leaders. For one thing, there aren’t penalties for failure. Sure, you can lose an election but you can still walk away with gobs of money. Or a job that can’t be taken away from you.
All I want to know is “what are the five most critical issues facing us and how specifically are you going to address them”
These are really good questions we can ask ourselves as we make that essential voting decision. Thank you for presenting them. I’m curious as to whether you thinking has been influenced by the field of Action Learning? I am referring to the work originally of Reg Revans, re: https://wial.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Power_of_Learning_in_Action_Learning.pdf