A Political Glimpse from Ireland

Global Political Podcast Episode 5

Well this podcast should have happened on the weekend but I have no idea where the time went so I recorded this last night and have posted it today. The 5th Podcast covers the Governor Eliot Spitzer, Robert Mugabe, EU pressuring Serbia, India prohibiting Tibetan Protests and the U.S Election.

Episode 5 [9:12m]

What I Want In A President

Well I have been a little lazy this past weekend because I am only starting to write my weekly entry on Sunday night when it should have been written on Friday night. I came up with this idea while I was watching CNN as usual and it occurred to me that many people want different things from leadership so I thought I would voice what I want. Every one of us wants different things based on our circumstances, goals and what we see in the future. This is by no means reflective on the American election but are merely qualities, traits or distinctions that I would expect in any leader, be it the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of the U.K.

Having discussed leadership in my Master’s Thesis, I have a wealth of books on the subject so I thought I would use some of that literature to discuss leadership as it relates to the three candidates coming up to the Presidential election. The first book I will reference is entitled:”The Wisdom of Alexander the Great” by Dr. Lance B. Kurke published by the American Association of Management. It is a great book and here are some valuable points from it:

1. Reframing problems is a cognitive tool that can change the world. This means that a good leader will look at a situation beyond partisan lines to see what the overall effect of an issue will be. Dr. Kurke gives a great example of the oil situation where the current administration gives the oil companies tax breaks which have not done the oil price any good. Dr. Kurke suggests a great emphasis on renewable energy and focusing on hydrogen powered cars etc… America needs a smart leader who can make intelligent decisions based on the now and the future rather than the past.
2. Building alliances is a common tool in a leader’s tool kit. This is a great point in today’s era of the “global village”, America needs a President that will work with the global community as well as the leader’s of the world we do not like. The greatest humanitarians of our time have been people who talk. America needs a leader who can communicate effectively and efficiently and look at a situation from both sides including the side that does not benefit America. The USA is one nation in a new global economy and once the right leader figures this out, I believe a lot of the problems with other nations can be solved.
3. Establishing identity is paramount to leadership. Every leader needs a distinct identity, the ability to establish an aura of charisma or inspiration. Someone who does things a different way while ensuring that the people understand his motives, thoughts and logic behind a decision. Leadership is often misunderstood as a quality that cannot be understood, I think every good leader comes from common roots, he or she understands what it is like at every level of society. This is good leadership.
4. Directing symbols, the final leadership process is probably the least consciously used and most misunderstood process. Dr. Kurke emphasizes the power of words and this is something that many people glaze over because they believe words are just a facade. Every good leader can put power behind his words, so much so that people do not need to see actions because they understand that such words will facilitate action.

My next discussion comes from the book entitled: “An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing: Leading Quietly” by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr published by the Harvard Business School Press.  The USA needs a quiet leader because he or she see’s the world as it is rather than  what the politics dictate, they are realists who see the world as a kaleidoscope rather than a fixed target or well-mapped terrain. Quiet leaders are idealists but realize that idealism is part of all society but it needs to be tempered with reality. Lastly Quiet leaders need three traits according to the author which is restraint, modesty and tenacity. This last trait is something that I think is critically important in a leader, because without tenacity we would have leaders who have no conviction in their actions would have be indecisive at best.

To round out the discussion, I would like to go over some famous quotes by people on the ideas of leadership:

1. Leadership is not rank, privileges title or money. It is responsibility - Peter Drucker
2. Leadership is the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations - James Kouzes and Barry Posner
3. Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other - John F. Kennedy
4. Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without strategy - General Norman Schwarzkopf
5. People ask the difference between a leader and a boss… The leader works in the open and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives. - President Theodore Roosevelt
6. It’s no exaggeration to say that a strong positive self-image is the best possible preparation for leadership in life. - Dr. Joyce Brothers
7. A Leader is someone who knows what they want to achieve and can communicate that. But you will only succeed if you know what you are doing is right and you know how to bring out the best in people - Margaret Thatcher
8. Take the course opposite to custom and you will always do well - Jean Jacques Rousseau
9. Coaches who outline plays on the blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who succeed are those who can get inside their players and motivate them. - Vince Lombardi
10. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams.

This is by no means the full list of leadership qualities but merely some results of some research I have done in the past as well as today. All I wish to say is that I urge people to consider what they want in a leader rather than what that person had done or said they will do. If you can figure out what you want than please vote accordingly but for myself, I know the kind of leader I want based on what I have read, researched and experienced in life. That person is Senator Obama, who is that person for you?

Massaging Supporters

Well the big day has come and passed with Hillary Clinton narrowly edging out Senator Obama in 3 out of the 4 States. I won’t go into delegate numbers because you can easily find that information at sites like dailykos.com. Additionally I will not talk about what Senator Obama needs to do next because that was comprehensively covered by a fellow blogger at Swimming Freestyle which you can find in my Blogroll. What I did want to mention is that I find Senator Clinton’s use of Fear despicable because if we look back at polls going back into the beginning of this year, the biggest issue facing the nation is the economy. I understand why Senator Clinton focuses on security because that is what Senator McCain will focus on but using Fear to convince people to support her is a…. I have sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of the right word but I just simply expected better of her as a Democrat. I actually like Senator Clinton as a person and think she is one smart woman who would not be bad as a President in another time but her recent tactics coming up to this past Tuesday were astonishing and desperate. I wish other people could see that, she was so cordial with Senator Obama until she realized she needed to play hardball to make some progress.

She has played hardball and progress has been made and I hope the rest of America and the Democratic Party will see past her gimmicks to the kind of President she would be. Senator Obama, I think it is time you took off the gloves and showed her why you are the better candidate. This win has done nothing but give Clinton supporters a false sense of hope that she can actually win the nomination when the truth of the matter is that she is still fighting an uphill battle. Only time will tell and I hope both candidates use this time to reflect on what the USA and the American people need.

Lastly I would like to address the speculation that Senator Clinton and Obama might appear on the same ticket. I actually like the idea but I prefer Senator Obama appear as the President and Clinton as the Vice-President because this would ensure maximum voter turnout come the general election and a sure formula for a democratic win.

Changing Tides

Ever since I woke up this morning here in Ireland I have had this feeling that Hillary Clinton was going to win both Texas and Ohio. I sincerely hope this is not the case because I believe the better candidate should win which is not Senator Clinton. My past few entries have endeavored to debunk Obama Myth’s while trying to show why he is the better candidate. This has not proven effective so I am going to try to lay it out on the line and explain to the people in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island why they should support Senator Obama.

1. I have never met Senator Obama (unfortunately) but I have read both his books and read all of the documentation on his campaign website and what the internet makes available. Though this documentation might be sparse, I think the best comment I have heard to date is from Marc Andreessen ( Netscape founder) who met the Senator and called him a regular guy. Let’s face it ladies and gentlemen, when was the last time you met a “regular politician”? I have met a few politicians around the world but none of them would fall under the envelope of regular. Is this not the person we want to run against Senator McCain in the general election? Wouldn’t it be great to have a President that all of us can associate with?
2. When electing a candidate for the general election, forget what the media has said. You need to elect someone who is going to provide for an America of the future rather than someone who is focused on present/past threats. America faces a new world where China and Russia are dominant forces. America needs to modernize the economy, make the schools more competitive and develop an effective global security force to fight terrorism.
3. Let’s face it, Senator Clinton is old school and I mean really old school. She is not going to be able to defeat Senator McCain come the general election because she polarizes the right too much. We need someone who can steal some candidates from the right while retaining the independents.
4. American needs to change its image to the rest of the world, as someone who is living outside of the USA I have seen the once beautiful image of the USA tarnished because of the current administration. That image is not going to change without the right Candidate. America is a great place and I would like to be able to stop fighting with some of my foreign friends here in Europe. America is a great place and we need a leader to show the world that once more. We need the media outside of America to speak of the USA as the great country it is and not what it was.
5. We cannot expect to know our candidates 100%, we cannot expect them to be perfect or the epitome of our beliefs but what the people of American can do is make the choice based on what is right for the country in the future and not what the media tells you. Listen to your heart as well as your head and make the choice for change.

So in summary, support Senator Obama because he is a regular person, he has a plan for the real future, will not let the Republicans win in November, will restore America as a great nation and is the best choice for the future of the United States of America. This is by no means the be all and end all of Senator Obama and I wish I had the time, the words and the ability to explain my point of view however I will instead hope that people will make the right choice.

Global Political Podcast Episode 4

Well this podcast should have happened on the weekend but since I have just recovered from the flu I have decided to post this today. The 4th Podcast covers the U.N Iran Resolution, Russian Election, President of Iran visiting Iraq, Somalia Terrorist Strike and the U.S Election.

Episode 4 [7:02m]

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