I don’t care what anyone says: This is the most insider US election I can remember.
It’s party versus party, operative versus operative, surrogate versus surrogate, left-wing journalist versus right-wing journalist – and none of them enamored of the candidate at the top of their tickets. The entire machinery of both campaign machines has been openly on display in all of its pragmatic, dispassionate glory.
Sure, there are whisper campaigns, ads, interviews and editorials that seek to position one candidate or the other as “the greatest threat to America” or suggesting that “America’s future is in the balance,” or suggesting that one candidate or the other belongs in prison.
Here’s the thing – I don’t understand the hate for the Democratic candidate. I also don’t buy the idea that the Republican candidate will be the end of ice cream, puppies, children’s smiles, America and indeed the world.
The president is not a person.
Depending upon which grammar nerd you ask, the President is either a synecdoche or a metonym. Either way, it’s a person’s title, but more importantly, a term that refers to the executive branch of government. Loosely, it’s a management team there to run a branch of government, set the rhetorical tone for the US, represent us to foreign governments, appoint judges, serve as the final command for the military and press a legislative agenda through congress.
The only real conversation this election season has been about the tone-setting role or religious views or personality of the individual seeking the title of President. For this exercise, remove the individuals at the top of the ticket – we’ll assume they are either equally good or equally bad.
If I decide to vote, yes I will consider the leadership traits of the candidates and the tone they set for the country. However, some important questions I ask myself:
- Who are the people surrounding each candidate? That’s the management team you’re going to get, and it’s more than just the vice presidential pick. Does the candidate listen to the people around them?
- Which team sets a rhetorical tone that would make me proud as a citizen and bind us together as a community?
- Which campaign team demonstrates discipline and good management that when scaled up would make for a well-run executive branch?
- Which campaign demonstrates the diplomatic skills and trustworthiness foreign governments seek when dealing with the US?
- What type of judges would each campaign appoint and is it capable of moving those appointees through the confirmation process?
- Which campaign demonstrates the maturity to use our military responsibly, and sparingly?
- Which campaign demonstrates the understanding of Congress, productive relationships with Congress and the ability to develop and press a legislative agenda?
- What’s the party platform for each party? How does that manifest itself as a legislative agenda? What chance is there of that agenda succeeding?
Of course there are more questions, but these are the fundamental ones for evaluating which management team to back. Neither third party candidate comes into play when you go through these questions, so it’s truly a two-party election.
Rising above the nastiness, groundless accusations and wild-eyed, frothing fear surrounding this election, what questions do you ask yourself?