Bernie talks about rights – everyone has a right to, well, just about anything one might desire (he didn’t mention sex however – he is 76??). In the Declaration of Independence the revolutionaries wrote,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights – that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Any conflict here? I see a few. The drafters did not include a laundry list, just the highlights. Also, my understanding of a right is that there is a giver and a receiver. The receiver is clear in both cases, not so the giver. What is Bernie’s stand on religion? Is he an atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Calvinist – I have never heard him claim a leaning or affiliation – and he talks a lot. But, my point is not to pick on Bernie, we are, after all, both OWGs, and, although I disagree with most of his positions, I am clearly in a minority: he almost defeated the malevolent Hillary for the Democratic Presidential nomination. (I wasn’t really surprised, evil is usually the odds-on favorite here on earth).
I don’t hear religion or spirituality mentioned at all in the campaign. As a strategist I would caution my candidate to avoid the topic so as not to alienate any voting bloc unnecessarily. So, again, I am not surprised. But, to those candidates who say that the current state of political division must be ameliorated, I ask, on what basis? What is our commonality?
Some possibilities:
- We all want a good life for ourselves and our families (self-centered)
- We all want a strong economy, a strong military, and a dominant international presence (nationalistic)
- We all want global peace and prosperity (globalist)
There are other possible areas of common agreement and those items stated are not mutually exclusive. But, in my experience, individuals focus on one of these. Ultimately, it is “what’s in it for me?” I might desire fame and/or fortune – everyone else be damned. I might feel a strong need for community and reach out to help my neighbors. I might feel a deep connection with the oppressed and disadvantaged and work doggedly for charitable and eleemosynary causes. Those three passions are not usually found in the same person.
So, what kind of person do you want to lead your country? What is their character? What drives them? For whom are they working? Are their goals consistent with yours?
Democrats will need to answer those questions and make a choice beginning in March. That leaves you at least 6 months to get the answers. All of us will make the final decision in 14 months. If we haven’t done our homework by then we don’t have the right to vote, in my opinion.
So, who’s right, anyway? I don’t know at this point. There is no end to the words we hear from the candidates. But, I have not divined the source from which the words spring – it’s not spirituality. Is it humanity, ego gratification, altruism, something else?
Let’s try to find out, and pick a “good one” in 2020, even if it might not be the right one..
OttoPolitico 