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Lead, Follow Or Get In The Way
David Ignatius has an interesting column on President Bush and leadership in yesterday's Washington Post. Here is a direct link and a few paragraphs:
Are more people in this country possibly looking at President Bush through a different prism? Are they seeing an unclothed emperor? One who could rally citizens through a national tragedy but is lacking an 'outside' event such as the 9/11 terrorism to precipitate the 'cover' necessary for the furtive adoption of his domestic agenda?Behind Bush's Slump
"byline" By David Ignatius Friday, April 8, 2005; Page A25
It was less than three months ago that President Bush launched his second term with a soaring inaugural address and bold promises about how he would spend his new political capital. Today much of that momentum seems to have been lost, and analysts are puzzling over why...
So what has happened to the president and his political capital since Inauguration Day? Many analysts cite two obvious factors: the president's intervention in the Terri Schiavo case and his barnstorming for private Social Security accounts. Both stands seemed to have frightened voters, including many who had voted for Bush. An astonishing 82 percent of Americans believed that Congress and the president shouldn't have gotten involved in the Schiavo tragedy, according to a CBS poll released in late March. I can't remember the last time 82 percent of the nation agreed about anything.The public is also unhappy about Bush's handling of Social Security -- an issue on which he has raised public anxiety without offering a coherent solution. The president's road show for private accounts has actually increased public uneasiness about his handling of Social Security, with 57 percent disapproval today compared with 48 percent in February, according to USA Today/CNN/Gallup polling.
The president's political advisers argue that he's taking a hit because he's willing to provide leadership on unpopular and divisive issues. I would argue that the opposite is more nearly true. The public badly wants leadership; it wants a president who will govern wisely and confidently in ways that unite the country. The public is uneasy with a president who seems to be playing for political advantage on Social Security with his promises about private accounts, rather than offering a plan for making the system solvent...
Fear provided the necessary cloak in steamrolling any opposition to the Patriot Act--trepidation by politicians concerned about being framed as weak on national security and apprehension by the general public over personal safety.
Fear whipped up by the dire predictions of Vice President Cheney and others about a terroristic onslaught if John Kerry won the White House was certainly a factor in Bush's victory.
But the GOP hasn't been able to crank up such an atmosphere for the transformation of Social Security. Opponents have pulled back the curtain on the dog-and-pony show and unrobed the scripted actors and audiences. The 'crisis' message hasn't taken.
Simply put, to change one of the pillars of protection in our society requires absolute, above board truth. Anything else is venal.
To not directly address a problem that needs assistance, to camouflage a prescription such a private accounts that do not even address the future deficit, to not be front and center about the 'plan' requiring the borrowing of billions of dollars, well, it is a sin.
Leadership is accurately defining a problem and just as accurately laying out a solution. It isn't a traveling circus for pre-selected audiences with carefully screened and fawning questions. That is simply propaganda on the public dime.
President Bush should turn to James Kouzes and Barry Posner, in their book "Leadership: The Challenge," for an approach to honorable leadership:
- Model the Way
- Inspire a Shared Vision
- Challenge the Process
- Enable Others to Act
- Encourage the Heart
President Bush, stand up for what you truly believe, honestly define the problem and accurately provide your solution.
Jesus did.
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