yeah I know you did not ask!
In the middle of a global health crisis, in the middle of a pandemic, we are also having a crisis of leadership…no matter what Fox News and the MAGAs say.
For the most part the leadership in this country at all levels of government are politicians. A few cities and counties will employ professional managers, but they always report up to a politician.
So what are the qualifications to become a politician and by default a leader. Very little. You have to have an ability to run your mouth, act like you know what the solution is, and perhaps have a little charisma. I can think of very few other fields of endeavor in our society that require so little of their practitioners.
Then on the other hand I think of the Winston Churchill quote:
‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’
But I do think we should be electing folks to lead us that can do more than talk, obfuscate, and line their own pockets. I am not sure how you would implement some sort of basic screening but there must be a way. High on my list would a sanity test and a test of empathy.
We deserve better.