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Copyright 2008 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
The current stage of American politics for the Presidential election is still “up in the air.” On the Republican side, the sure candidate will be John McCain. The Democratic side is still a toss-up between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
In watching Climton and Obama compete for the Democratic nomination , I have to wonder. There is very little said on where they stand on key issues. Most of the rhetoric is on their competition with each other. That leads to the question: is this really nothing more than a pissing match between two great, big egos? Do they think we would rather hear their views on their competitors than hear where they stand on the state of the country?
I really don’t know. Actions speak louder than words, and the actions point to a slugging match instead of a serious debate.
The real key to victory is selecting a candidate who can win. The Democrats blew that when they ran Al Gore against George W. Bush. Al may be many things, but charismatic is not one of them. Why not run a candidate like Bill Bradley, who has tons of charisma? It’s the old boy politics as usual. The focus is on the “old school tie” rather than victory.
The second time around, it was another candidate who could not win. John Kerry not only had baggage from the Vietnam era. He was also a caricature. Charisma? A winning personality? Had they picked a person who could win, Bush’s silly tricks would never have been able to win him the election. Once again, in-house politics took the place of victory as the paramount concern.
The lesson is clear. If you are seeking victory, then you have the make everything work in that direction. You cannot diminish your effort by making concessions to politics, ego, or any other trite concern. Victory must be first. Normally I would use a military example for the subject of victory, but recent politics have shown one that is more current. When the criteria for victory is polluted with secondary nonsense, the chances of defeat increase. To win you must pick a winner.
A winner. The first concern has to be securing victory. Anything less makes it pointless.