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Presidential Leadership |
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Copyright © 2001 by Dave Badtke |
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On February 15th, William Safire wrote in the New York Times that as Bush’s first month as President drew to a close, he had not yet held a press conference, which was bad because: “… an impending televised meeting with the whole press corps forces the White House staff to come up with ‘The President's Briefing Book.’ In it are the 80 or so questions to be ready for, with suggested answers hammered out among the press secretary and chiefs of departments and agencies. The whole bureaucracy convulses to come up with specific policy decisions lest the top man go off half-cocked.” President Bush may have allayed Safire’s concerns by finally holding his first news conference last Thursday, February 22, (on the 269th anniversary of George Washington’s birthday), but he made me increasingly nervous. While it can be entertaining to poke fun at a candidate running for political office, especially the presidency, when the election is over and the winner is installed, the business of running the country quickly turns serious—the President represents all of us—and we want our President to step up to the challenge and do a terrific job. Maybe Bush was relying heavily on his briefing book, and it certainly seemed as though his interaction with the press corps was scripted, but why did the presidential office seem to fit him like a poorly tailored suit? Bush’s answers to questions were frequently terse, tentative and awkwardly worded. I believe this and I believe that, he said again and again. As one who constantly stresses educational testing, he chronically set a bad example by mangling English, and at times he was so ill at ease that I muted the television, embarrassed for a new President struggling through his debut recital. I’d like to convince myself that his limitations are not terminal, for if he fails we all will do poorly during the next four years. He’s our President and no one will be served if he does a poor job. Though I certainly find his first month’s performance wanting—the appointment of Ashcroft as Attorney General, the denial of funds to international organizations that include abortion in family planning, his laissez-faire approach to an energy crisis in California—I would probably be able to stomach even some of these actions, or inactions, if he appeared to be a leader, even an inarticulate, somewhat bumbling leader. After all, not all past leaders have been mental giants. As Garry Wills points out in his excellent book Certain Trumpets: The Call of Leaders (1994), Franklin Delano Roosevelt was raised in privilege in the shadow of his cousin, Teddy Roosevelt. He was a poor student who was adored by a domineering mother who moved to be close to him at Harvard. He went to Columbia Law School but never finished. Until polio forced him to mature, Roosevelt was considered “…a genial glad-hander, an acceptable politician considered light-weight by the pros …, too anxious to please, clumsily ingratiating.” After his illness, FDR choreographed his public appearances, becoming a master political actor, allowing photographs only after he was properly positioned, and he learned to read and use the emotions of others, frequently controlling “…people by the use of nicknames (a familiarity not to be reciprocated).” To include the name of Bush in the same column as one of our greatest Presidents may seem absurd, especially to those who did not vote for him, but it is good to remember that the tortuous road to greatness is straightened by selective memory. On the other hand, Roosevelt was tested and found deserving before he became President, unlike Bush, and, perhaps most importantly, FDR met severe challenges as our chief executive by inspiring the people to make necessary sacrifices for long-term rewards. Bush’s programs promise a better life without demanding anything from us. He talks of a tax cut, which will put a little more money in our pockets, but he doesn’t create a vision of what we should do with the extra money. He could encourage us to invest it in our neighborhoods, for example, or to give it to charities or churches. Bush talks of increased educational testing but fails to create a vision of what our society would be like if our children were better educated, treating tests as a panacea for underpaid teachers, deteriorating school buildings, and inadequate support for the arts. He could use his office to constantly remind us that strong public education is essential to a strong democracy, but he instead paints a vision of tests as educational profit without defining what the product is. If Bush fails to create clear goals that engage and demand something from us, he will become yet another mediocre President, considerably less articulate than the last, who is less a leader than an administrator, who lacks vision, who thinks we’ll be happy and he’ll be reelected if he tells us what he thinks we want to hear. Additional comment posted at www.BeniciaNews.com on 2/28/2001: Since I wrote this, Bush talked to Congress, and I especially liked the following (taken from the text of his speech.) "Year after year in Washington, budget debates seem to come down to an old, tired argument: on one side, those who want more government, regardless of the cost; on the other, those who want less government, regardless of the need." Very intelligent comment, and his bi-partisanship is to be applauded. However, one wonders where we'd be today if Reagan had not quadrupled our debt, into the trillions. Would Reagan's optimism and charm have been enough to turn the Carter-Volker disaster around without slashing taxes, creating a greater financial rift between Americans? If he had taken a more prudent approach, would it not have been possible that our country would be even stronger today with fewer people---and especially children---below the poverty line? Having said that Bush did a good job as President with script, which is no small accomplishment given millions watching, we can now only hope that a divided Congress and a retrospective President and staff will conclude with a budget that is fiscally responsible and fair. |
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- Dave Badtke can be contacted at: www.CarquinezReview.com; Dave@Badtke.com; PO Box 763, Benicia, CA 94510; or by calling 707-745-5540.
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