Actions Speak Louder Than Words
When Barack Obama was optimistically and whole-heartedly swept into office following wide-scale disaffection with the Bush administration, his reputation had been built on his rhetorical skill and an ability to captivate and inspire audiences.
Some went as far as to describe him as the greatest orator of his generation.
But when I was in New York a month ago the tide appeared to have turned. Suddenly there was a feeling that the President was too cerebral, too consensus-orientated, too aloof and strangely too professional. He was standing alone and swimming against the tide; fighting to pass the health reform legislation almost single-handedly, with the result being far from certain.
It seemed that so many of those that had supported him in the euphoric days leading up to his election, had fallen silent.
It is a sadly common occurrence.
Time and again, when leaders are isolated, swathes of their ‘followers’ wait to see if they are winning or not before jumping on the bandwagon and nailing their colours to the mast.
And sure enough when Congress passed the healthcare reform bill, those that had remained unconvinced on the sidelines jumped on to the pitch and celebrated like it had been them fighting the cause the whole way.
It is a metaphor for our own general election, with the legions of ‘swing voters’ sitting and waiting in the wings for the herd to move one way or another.
It is high time we stood for something, and stopped only backing the leaders we believe in when they have emerged from a crisis.
Leadership and personality are no longer separate entities; even the most sparkling strategy is a non-starter if we don’t like the leader themselves.
We all have choices and it is time to make them, otherwise we will spend the next four years moaning that the people we wanted in power aren’t there; let’s not follow the lead of the US, where ‘American Idol’ finals can draw more votes than those that have ever been cast for a President.
It’s said that we get the leaders we deserve. Now is not the time to be ambivalent.