If you want to know who will lead America and who has an agenda, note the reaction of Hillary Clinton to what happened in Charleston (see: Church Tragedy Will Be Dishonored by Politics). She twisted the situation to push her agenda forward and to stir up divisiveness. Her opponent Bernie Sanders took a similar approach, talking of racism and civil rights.1 Real leaders don’t act like that. Suffering and loss should not be turned into opportunities for exploitation.
Of course, we are talking politics and the quest for the ultimate political prize. Is this a leadership issue or an agenda issue? It depends on which side we are talking about.
Many want to lead, but only two are selling this agenda
I won’t try to put a number to the ranks of Republican wannabes. The field continues to swell. Some contenders seem serious, others likely have their sights on races far down the road and know this is a good chance to get noticed. What is curious is the difference between what the right and left are offering. The right is handing America a slate of people to lead America. The left is offering an agenda to control our lives and two personalities to enforce it.
Leftist giveaways or right wing take away?
Politics and the self-importance that comes with it have a way of making very simple things seem very complex. We can cut to the chase and sum up what 2016 is about with nine words: tax and spend or don’t spend and stop taxing?
Democrats are still smearing lipstick on the face of the same pig they trot out every four years. No matter how hard they try to reinvent their agenda the adage about what they want is still true. They are not selling leadership. They are looking for an enforcer who will help them get their hands on more money so they can bribe the people into keeping them in power. The bad news for the right is that a giveaway agenda works. Once it is in place it is hard to take away, as the GOP may discover to its detriment once SCOTUS hands down the decision on Obamacare.
Another truism comes from Lord Acton’s observation on how power corrupts. Power for the left is not based on leadership or character because not enough people demand those things before they buy in. We saw that with a nation that not only adored Bill Clinton but is willing to take a chance on his already-compromised spouse.
Leading means trusting America
If character is an issue and you don’t trust the principles America was founded on, you have a problem. It’s hard to lead what you don’t trust.
Achievement, success, materialism, freedom, and individualism are all on the list of what this country stands for. Since 2009 every one of these values has been criticized and even subverted. Achievement, success, and materialism have become goals that only have value if you endorse either giving wealth away or taking it by force. Freedom and individualism have been beaten down for the good of the many. Individual accomplishment, we are told, is something the government should moderate so everyone can prosper equally.
That’s what you call an agenda, folks. Leadership inspires. It speaks to honesty, trust, and character. People who lead persuade. They don’t have to bribe. Who on the long list of potential GOP candidates have what it takes to lead this nation remains to be seen, but we know one thing for certain. If we look to the left we know what we are buying and it is not leadership for America.
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