As I watched the stilted Presidential non-town-hall town hall debate last night, I saw a number of opportunities for great leadership to happen, yet safe answers and swiping at each other ruled the evening.
Brokaw: “Are you saying to Mr. Clark (ph) and to the other members of the American television audience that the American economy is going to get much worse before it gets better and they ought to be prepared for that?”
A great leader might say: “Yes, Tom, it is going to get worse before it gets better, because all evidence points that way. It’s a hard truth, but one I feel the American people know in their hearts, and are ready to hear, and one that I will face head on as President.”
Another example: “How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got -- got us into this global economic crisis?:”
A great leader might say: “Thank you Theresa, for saying what’s on the minds of so many. I think a healthy distrust is warranted, particularly given our track record as sitting Senators in Washington. Part of this is my own responsibility. As taxpayers, skepticism is not only your right, but a necessity of citizenship in any great democracy. To a large extent, you, the people, are the final check and balance in our political system. So I say: maintain your skepticism, and use that to teach us, to speak the truth to us, and to help us be the best leaders we can be.”
Other than the stilted format of this non-event of a debate, my final comment is about the temporal aspect of leadership. Read the transcript of the debate, and you will find that the majority of statements were about the past. Leadership’s time frame is now and into the future. Both were spending more time on their records, and retaliating about statements and misstatements from the past than they were painting visions and practical plans for now going into the future.
That’s not change, it’s more of the same.
David Peck
