Those who most want to rule others are least suited to do so.
It’s an old adage but one that rings particularly true right now. That and maybe the one about how power corrupts.
We are currently enduring two of the least popular, least liked and least trusted candidates we have ever seen. One, seemingly corrupt and a congenital liar and the other childish, boorish and unpredictable (I’ll leave it to you to figure out which is which). It’s embarrassing. And scary. And ugly.
It’s this ugliness that has me thinking about the future – specifically our nation’s future. What if the nobility of times past is just that – the past? What if there will never again be a truly strong and moral leader in the mold of a Ronald Reagan?
What if this is the new normal?
What if these are the candidates of our future?
Why don’t we have better candidates? Simple. The really good ones want no part of the electoral process. They would much prefer to be off running a successful company or investment fund. And I don’t blame them. Who in their right mind would want to subject themselves to this process?
Think about it from this perspective. Imagine yourself as a highly successful individual who wanted to help change this country for the better. I mean truly help. Not just change careers. You ponder a presidential run. Would you do it?
I wouldn’t. I bet you wouldn’t either. I don’t want to be subjected to the fabrications, the media skewering, the gutter of political advertising – the gutter of politics in general. I wouldn’t want my family anywhere near that cesspool. In this digital era no matter who you are, someone can dig up something, somewhere. Information is everywhere. And this election is only going to cement that sentiment. I think the ugliness of this whole election may stay with us in some form. Maybe it’s not this bad next election cycle – but maybe it’s worse.
It didn’t used to be like this. But I think it’s going to stay this way.
And that’s worrying.
Welcome to the digital election. We got a taste of it when Obama was elected but this – this is something new. It seems the primary method to convey platforms has become a stream of late night “Tweets”. Policy messages are streaming sound bites. Catchy insults and hateful labels are more useful than real discussion. It seems to be more about ratings and entertainment than about a new president.
It seems to be more about personality than character.
Our Presidential Election feels like it’s become a cheap reality TV show – and in many ways, I think that’s exactly what it is.
Complete with cheap reality contestants.
We need some real help. We need some real leaders.
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