The post High expectations vs low expectations in a Trump presidency: Let’s go high appeared first on Occasional Planet.
]]>By what standards should we judge our next president? Maybe there are more choices than what I’m about to propose, but so far, I see two main options: Go high, or go low.
We know what low looks like
We’ve already seen how the low-expectation game plays out, and it’s not pretty. Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, and on Election Day, voters gave Donald Trump a pass because he’s “not a traditional politician.” The bar was extremely low. He got away with statements, language and actions that would have sunk any other candidate’s ship in a single news cycle.
Judging from what we saw in the campaign, and in the early days of the transition, it’s clear to me that continuing to hold Trump to a lower set of standards—and giving him time to climb the steepest learning curve of any President ever—will inevitably lead to negative outcomes for Americans, for our reputation in the world community, and for the well-being of our planet. Early moves set the tone and the standard, and they’re hard to undo.
The only case that I can make for low expectations is this: If Trump is allowed to be a part-time president, with weekends off [as if that could even happen] in his New York tower, maybe he’ll do less damage. And maybe, if he continues to appoint inexperienced political hacks—on the basis of their loyalty to Trump—to the big jobs, there will be such internecine warfare and incompetence in the cabinet that nothing will get done.
That scenario, though, is probably just wishful thinking. It’s already clear that Republican Congressional leadership (and I use that term extremely loosely) are licking their chops. They know that Trump is a know-nothing guy with no interest in ideas or learning, who is easily manipulated—often by the last person who whispers in his ear. They are gleefully preparing for four years of enacting the right-wing agenda that they’ve been pushing for decades. All they have to do is to flatter Trump, feed his need for adulation,, and hand him a pen. His lack of knowledge, experience and diplomacy make him a perfect patsy.
Letting him off the hook because he’s a newbie—granting him immunity while he gets on-the-job training—is a terrible idea. There’s just too much damage that can be done if we’re not holding his—and Congress’s feet to the fire.
Going higher
The better strategy would be to hold him to the standards we have tried to apply to all previous presidents. While it’s very tempting to simply take to the streets to protest the man himself, I think we would do much better to make our protests specific to the policies he announces and the actions he takes, either on his own or at the urging [manipulation] of his advisers. Anyone who threatens to take away health insurance from 20 million people deserves a march on Washington. When potential puppet-master Paul Ryan introduces a bill to privatize Medicare, we must fight back.
But, in a subtler way, we should also hold the next president’s feet to the fire on some basic standards of behavior. So, in broader terms, I’d like to suggest the following 10 higher standards for presidential behavior. [In no particular order, and not intended to be comprehensive. Additional suggestions are welcome.]
1. A serious and engaged approach to the presidency. The willingness to put in the hours of study, serious [and even contentious] discussion, and overtime that it takes to make the highly impactful decisions that a president much make.
2. The willingness to appoint and listen to people who may not agree with you. The character to work with people based on their experience, knowledge and proven ability—rather than on their personal loyalty.
3. The self-awareness to know when you don’t have enough information to make an educated decision, and the willingness to seek counsel and help.
4. A commitment to governing for the common good. The understanding that being “the president for all Americans” is not just a slogan, it’s a mandate. The character to forego personal gain for the good of society as a whole, and to see your policies and actions in the context of how they will impact the greater society—now and in the future.
5. The temperament to slow down, to think before reflexively acting, and to wait until you have enough facts and context to make meaningful, carefully thought-out moves on the world stage or domestically.
6. The insight to see whose ideas and advice are the best for the country at-large, and to distinguish between advisors who have a broader vision for our country and those who are motivated by personal gain or ideology. The common sense to appreciate and reward ideas and policies that will improve life for as many people as possible.
7. The strength to say no—and to have people say “no” to you as well. The core strength to accept legitimate criticism from people close to you, from others in government, and from the press.
8. The humility to change course when a decision turns out to be detrimental to the country at-large, or to individuals. A sense of personal and professional accountability for actions and words, and the ability to take responsibility for mistakes.
9. A commitment to transparency and communication. The courage to face difficult questions from the press, and the patience to answer them thoughtfully. The willingness to share information about yourself—as other presidents have—with the people to whom you are accountable.
10. The grace to be a unifier and healer, through words and actions.
Gee, this sounds a lot like the “Serenity Prayer,” doesn’t it? The difference is, of course, that I don’t actually pray, and I’m not asking a deity to grant us these characteristics and behaviors in our next president. In fact, I recently saw a Facebook meme in which the writer parodied the Serenity Prayer by saying, “I’m no longer accepting the things I can’t change; I’m changing the things I can’t accept.”
I’m calling for Americans–and world leaders–to demand better from Trump that what we saw in the campaign. [I really don’t think he’s got it in him. We’ve seen “the real” Donald Trump. But crazy things can happen.] In any case, we have to make it clear that the behaviors and words that some people excused during the campaign are totally unacceptable for a President.
My list of presidential standards also sounds, to me, a lot like what we’ve experienced during the past eight years, as Barack Obama has served America with a level of intelligence and classiness that we’ve come to think of as the norm. Let’s do our best to hold the next president to those same standards of behavior. And cry foul—loudly and unashamedly– when he doesn’t.
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]]>The post “Draft Day” offers tips on what it takes to lead the country appeared first on Occasional Planet.
]]>It may be that the movie “Draft Day,” currently in theaters, is just a niche film for football fans. It’s for real fans who know the game; not those who go to the game and act as if it is an extension of a frat party.
Being engaged in this week’s actual NFL draft days (Thurs., May 8 – Sat., May 10) is of interest only to the fans who are curious about what is involved in building a team.
I had the pleasure of seeing the movie the day after watching the White House Correspondents Dinner on that big sports channel, C-SPAN. It may be surprising to some, but the skills that an NFL general managers and coaches need are remarkably similar to those needed by both top level government and media officials. For example:
Job openings:
Skills needed:
How far could a president go if he/she could not evaluate talent? John McCain flunked his first big test in 2008 when he selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Barack Obama hit the jackpot with Vice-President Joe Biden as well as most of his cabinet appointments and White House staff. The ability to judge talent, and to understand people, is of high value in most walks of life. We all make mistakes, but for some the stakes are higher than for others. For the general manager of an NFL team, failure means being shown the way to the exit door, in all likelihood never to rise to such an important position again. For the president of the United States, it can determine whether or not his/her agenda for the country succeeds and whether he will return for a second term.
In sports, there’s always the question of team chemistry. How well do the players get along with one another? Does everyone know what his or her role is and can each player come through so that others on the team can properly utilize their skills? Are they competitive enough with one another to bring out the best in each other without tearing others down?
The same is true for the president. In the words of historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the president frequently puts together a “team of rivals.” Can members of the team subdue their egos so that the decision-making process will result in desirable outcomes?
Many government officials work in the shadows of the decision-making process. The president may know a great deal about how they are doing their jobs, but the public is either clueless or possibly misled by rumors leaking out of the government.
Transparency is what makes most sports, particularly professional football, so interesting to watch. Along with the general managers and coaches, the public is aware of the players already on the team as well as the prospects that Draft Day will bring them. We can speculate about what a team should do with current players and how the draft should be used to improve the team. This can be quite enjoyable for fans, and beyond that, it can give fans an opportunity to test their judgment against the results of the future. This becomes excellent training for the lifetime skill of trying to “get a bead on others.
Like many, I abhor much of what goes on in football. The violence is not only extensive and regrettably essential to success. In many ways, the game is a substitute for war. It includes violence, demonizing, hype, excess, irresponsible behavior, “group think” and many other characteristics that are not helpful in trying to promote a just and fair society.
Like many people, I have a love/hate relationship with football. I love all the strategy that goes into making a team, putting together a game plan, and reacting to success and adversity. I love the athleticism but I hate the violence and the bravado that often accompanies it. But on draft day, there is no blocking and tackling, no cheap hits, only mental gymnastics. That’s good for our minds, and certainly good exercise for anyone who aspires to be a leader of our country.
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