Commonsense and Compromise

Well it’s Friday and my new goal this year is to blog on matters of a more personal nature on Friday. Furthermore, there are three subjects we know to stay away from when blogging … sex, religion, and politics. And today I venture somewhat into one of these areas, but not too deeply, I hope. Here goes …

I noticed a story the other day about Harry Truman when he was President. On leaving the White House after the 1952 election of Dwight Eisenhower, Truman made a prediction about the former military general and his presidency. Paraphrasing, Truman said Eisenhower would pick up the phone to say do this and do that, pull this lever, push that lever, and he will be shocked when nothing happens.

The point being that Ike was a 5-star general who was used to giving orders and the orders were executed. But Truman was noting that a government is made up of non-executing departments/cabinets that have to be leaned on every day, through and by talent earned by experience. Military generals can issue orders but federal agencies have to be gently guided, encouraged, threatened, pushed, and even clubbed on occasion … every day. It’s a process that sometimes includes the press … sometimes the press is in the way … and other times the press is nonexistent.

People who run big businesses learn these experiences of executive leadership early on in their careers through training and experience. So do leaders of small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

And here’s my point, most of the Obama administration people don’t have a background in executing. They have a strong background in communicating … not in doing. That’s where their talent is … that’s where their boss’s talent is … and it’s a good talent, but not one that will in itself force a government to work well. And, therefore, the real reason why our country is in a stalemate as far as the economy and outlook is concerned. A properly functioning government involves that old-fashioned thing called working it out. You don’t tell people you disagree with that they would be better off somewhere else … you don’t pit one side against the other … you execute by being a leader at commonsense and compromise for the good of the country.  And you don’t reduce your opponents to stereotypes; you address them as fully formed people worthy of respect. You try to persuade them. And, yes, this applies to both sides of the proverbial aisle.

The best government will provide us protection, safety, liberty, equal rights, and opportunity.

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