First of all, let me state that the unfettered and unorganized rant that was my last post helped me sort my thoughts a little and ease the transition back into regular blogging. As in exercise, once you cease doing something for an extended period it becomes more difficult to motivate yourself to resume it. The whole "where do I start" thing always comes into play. Well, I got the rants out of the way now it is time to actually create something of worth. An original thought.
It all started the other day as I was ranting to my best friend, in earshot of my wife, about how badly I dislike John Kerry. I wasn't coming down on the side of George either. I was truly perplexed about the lack of an attractive, moderate candidate. As much as I hated him as a liar and a fraud; politically speaking Bill Clinton was the exact middle ground between "Bring 'em on" Bush and "Can't we all just get along" Kerry. I continued to rant that "W" is way too far to the right and Kerry is a convoluted, hypocritical oaf who is truly incapable of original thought or strong conviction. The only thing he knows for sure is that he wants to be President.
So my wife laid me out right there by saying "well what would you do different if you were running for President?" I flatly stated that for starters I would run on the platform of being me and noone else. If you don't like me don't !@#$%&*vote for me.
"Well what the hell does that mean" she asked."Aren't those two just being themselves?"
"No, they're not. Well, George Bush is himself to the joy of his detractors"."But Kerry has absolutley no idea who he is." She gave me the here we go again with the substance bullshit look. She has heard me talk of this before.
It's all about substance. It's all about being genuine. It's all about character. And it's a lesson learned in life that fails to make it into the political arena. Any professional among us knows that to succeed in business your associates as well as your customers have to have faith in your character, to know what to expect from you. To have mutual respect even when you agree to disagree.
If I make a customer contact and he fails to recognize the benefit of my product it is because I failed to present it properly. Well why doesn't this apply to politics as well. If there ever was a business that is "all about people" it is politics. And as in business, if products are similar in cost and quality they are going to do business with the people they like the most.
OK enough with the business analogies. But this stems from an epiphany I was fortunate enough to go through several years ago. I realized that in my personal life I was confused, perhaps torn, as to what I really stand for. Some things are easy to stand up for. Hey, we all can want a "Free Tibet" and recycled toilet paper but when it really comes down to making a truly difficult decision was I capableof doing the right thing and believe in it after I have taken action? I did some soul-searching, dropped some facades, suppressed my pride and I found myself. I was looking for me and it turns out I was me all along! But the end result of this process (it is a long one indeed) is actually liking yourself. And not only is that not a bad thing but it is also not egocentric. The one person you have to like at the end of the day is yourself. And if you can accomplish that will people will like you. And even if they don't they will still respect you.
So where does John Kerry fit into this diatribe? (This is not really about Kerry in particular but about the difficulty I have in relating to people who fail to show me any real substance) John Kerry clearly does not know who he is and fails to show me anything. If he was to do my job he would fail to secure one contract because of his lack of presentation. But hey, what's the point of comparing candidates to our own selves, right? Maybe because they all claim to have your best interests in mind and in particular claim to be speaking on your behalf!
Please look for the traits you like in the people you meet everyday in those who aspire to positions of power.
Do you like them? If so why?
Do you think they share a passion for what is important to you?
Do you know their backgrounds and if so it evident in their demeanor and policies?
Do they understand what it is like to live your life?
If you work more than one job to pay the heating bills in winter. If you or someone you know has been "downsized", "outsourced", or been a victim of "early retirement". If you are battling it out with your own son for a 7.00 dollar an hour job because your own job has been eliminated at your plant. If any of these apply and a candidate says to you that he "feels your pain" and "will be a voice for you" if elected please check his voting record and look at his background before you vote for him or her.
If you lie at a Job Interview and are caught you are a disingenous, unemployed jackass.
If you lie to the people who elected you to your job and get caught, you are a former President.
Food for thought...that's all I can ask is to stimulate some minds out there.
macdaddy