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My turn to talk about the election

It’s my turn. I must talk about the reasons I think George Bush won the election this week.

1. George Bush is a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get). In uncertain/changing times people want all the certainty they can find.

These are uncertain/changing times. Bush is more black and white. Kerry is more grey. Even if you do not like the black or the white, at least you know what it means, and where you stand, if you stand with Bush. Kerry was too grey for these times. Now grey is not bad. Grey can put a lot of good ideas on the table. Grey can lead to new ways of thinking and acting. But WYSIWYGs do not tend to come in shades of grey, and uncertain/changing times call for more WYSIWYG leadership.

2. People of steady conviction will out-perform progressive pace setting people any day.

Strong-willed, progressive pace setters often appear to actually change the way the wind blows. But they don’t do that, what they do is tune in to the moods of the people, to trends, to unrest, etc. and then they step up and out and start to vocally and actively voice concerns, make suggestions, gripe, complain, etc.

On the other hand, people of conviction are the backbone of America. People who are willing to fight and die for what they believe has made America what it is and will continue to make America what it will become.

The reason Martin Luther King’s freedom movement was and is such a success was because he was one of the rare individuals who was both a person of conviction and an energetic and vocal pacesetter.

Now, let me elaborate. I believe that both Kerry and Edwards must have convictions. I just never could clearly see them. I believe that both men are progressive thinkers, but they are not pace setters. They are not pace-setters, cannot be, because they have not found/set their own pace yet.

I think many Americans still have a spirit of adventure. Courageous and adventurous people will listen to new thoughts, ideas and suggestions. If the person or persons behind those thoughts, ideas and suggestions is a man or woman of true, unwavering conviction then courageous and adventurous people will follow.

People did not buy into Franklin Roosevelt’s ideas because of the ideas. They bought into the man. History now tells us he was a man of strong conviction. Folks knew where he stood. He also was a progressive pacesetting thinker, or knew how to surround himself with such minds. So, you see, whether voters approved of his lifestyle or not, they knew where he stood, believed he had convictions, and in uncertain/changing times found it easy to trust him.

Oh, and that wheelchair did hurt a bit. In fact, the very visible symbol only helped a man who knew how to keep going and going and going in spite of a handicap.

3. And then there is that little word: trust. In uncertain/changing times we are all on the lookout for leaders we can trust. Agree with, and trust? No, not necessarily. Just trust.

In conclusion, the whole trust issue takes us back to black and white vs. grey. In times of prosperity and growth and when a generally good mood prevails, grey can accomplish much. Bill Clinton missed his chance. There was so much he could have done in his grey zone, but did not. He loved riding those waves of approval and popularity far too much.

There are those who say Clinton had such charisma and leadership ability that he made the good times we had under his watch. I suggest that he stepped onto the foundation that had already been laid for those good times, rode the current of public opinion and allowed that wind, and that wind alone, to dictate not only his actions, but his perceived convictions. Therefore he missed his opportunity to further strengthen the foundation he stood on.

I like to hope the whole Monica thing, and the exposure it brought to him, along with his recent health scare may serve to set Clinton on a higher road. I hope we will see good things from him in the future. He is a talented and charismatic man so I will hope, but I’m not holding my breath.

I suspect Bill Clinton set John Kerry and John Edwards up for failure. In uncertain/changing times America has grown increasingly tired of grey. In the grey fog many of us have lost sight of our own convictions. We need more black and white now as we seek to find our way again.

Feel free to tell me what you think at maryjaneholt@aol.com.