[oregontim]

+1 to Goose and +1 to Lex24 on this. The larger causes of the lack of pandemic leadership. Not just the WH and enablers of this administration. I stand corrected.

I thought if we go back a few decades, we reach some common ground. Apparently not. I'm surprised and disappointed.

While there were bitter political rivalries and significant disagreements, politicians were expected to work out a consensus, not torpedo the other party no matter what. The public and the politicians both accepted that. Leaders like FDR, Churchill, and Lincoln had to make many compromises to get their programs adopted. They did that with good grace, at least in public. That was part of leadership. There were also a lot of things you didn't do. You may hate an opposition member, but in general you did not attack their character, only their position on an issue. In short, while there was unanimity on virtually nothing, these good leaders coupled with a rational public got it done.

In our society today, you need to "like" the leader, and the leader cultivates your friendship even if it means refusing to do what needs to be done. It is a cult of personality, not of ideas. We get random tweets from all sources attacking people personally. So and so  is "the worst". If someone disagrees with you, they are not just wrong, they are evil. You must oppose the other political party even if what they suggest is exactly what you supported last week, because they are "bad" and it is a zero sum game. Whatever you do, don't take a position that will piss off your "base", whatever you believe that base to be, even if you know it needs to be done. Don't try to change their minds, pander to them. If you don't, somebody will say you are "the worst" and game over. Whatever you do, don't compromise and make an agreement. Makes you look weak and not morally upright.

Nobody can be an effective leader in this climate. Even if a leader actually attempts to lead and is willing to take the heat, the public won't hear him because of the "noise" from the people who are about who, not what. This must change, or democracy won't survive. The curse of parties, while indeed bad, is nothing compared to the cult of personalities in which we find ourselves.

Well said. 



 I’ve used the “us” vs “them” quite a bit.  It goes beyond, imo, the “cult of personalities”. We are segregated ideologically.  Living in “bubbles.”  There has been a of immense proportions increase in “landslide districts” in the past couple decades. 



Indeed, I think there is a credible argument that the biggest prejudice in our country is ideological prejudice. In part because it’s not only “allowed”, it’s supported.  Add a press that is increasingly ideologically based, the ability, through internet to constantly feed ones ideological bias by only reading sources with which one is ideologically in sync and add the often poisonous influence of social media and ....  



I’m an optimist at heart. I continue to believe we will work through this.  I continue to believe that the vast majority of people in this country are sick and tired of the division that is being thrust upon us.  The change is going to have to occur from the bottom up.  Because there simply aren’t any leaders out there that are invested in bringing us together.

[oregontim]

+1 to Goose and +1 to Lex24 on this. The larger causes of the lack of pandemic leadership. Not just the WH and enablers of this administration. I stand corrected.

I thought if we go back a few decades, we reach some common ground. Apparently not. I'm surprised and disappointed.

While there were bitter political rivalries and significant disagreements, politicians were expected to work out a consensus, not torpedo the other party no matter what. The public and the politicians both accepted that. Leaders like FDR, Churchill, and Lincoln had to make many compromises to get their programs adopted. They did that with good grace, at least in public. That was part of leadership. There were also a lot of things you didn't do. You may hate an opposition member, but in general you did not attack their character, only their position on an issue. In short, while there was unanimity on virtually nothing, these good leaders coupled with a rational public got it done.

In our society today, you need to "like" the leader, and the leader cultivates your friendship even if it means refusing to do what needs to be done. It is a cult of personality, not of ideas. We get random tweets from all sources attacking people personally. So and so  is "the worst". If someone disagrees with you, they are not just wrong, they are evil. You must oppose the other political party even if what they suggest is exactly what you supported last week, because they are "bad" and it is a zero sum game. Whatever you do, don't take a position that will piss off your "base", whatever you believe that base to be, even if you know it needs to be done. Don't try to change their minds, pander to them. If you don't, somebody will say you are "the worst" and game over. Whatever you do, don't compromise and make an agreement. Makes you look weak and not morally upright.

Nobody can be an effective leader in this climate. Even if a leader actually attempts to lead and is willing to take the heat, the public won't hear him because of the "noise" from the people who are about who, not what. This must change, or democracy won't survive. The curse of parties, while indeed bad, is nothing compared to the cult of personalities in which we find ourselves.

Well said. 



 I’ve used the “us” vs “them” quite a bit.  It goes beyond, imo, the “cult of personalities”. We are segregated ideologically.  Living in “bubbles.”  There has been a of immense proportions increase in “landslide districts” in the past couple decades. 



Indeed, I think there is a credible argument that the biggest prejudice in our country is ideological prejudice. In part because it’s not only “allowed”, it’s supported.  Add a press that is increasingly ideologically based, the ability, through internet to constantly feed ones ideological bias by only reading sources with which one is ideologically in sync and add the often poisonous influence of social media and ....  



I’m an optimist at heart. I continue to believe we will work through this.  I continue to believe that the vast majority of people in this country are sick and tired of the division that is being thrust upon us.  The change is going to have to occur from the bottom up.  Because there simply aren’t any leaders out there that are invested in bringing us together.