Why is Choosing a Leader so Hard on Us?
(disclaimer – this post is about process, not any party or political candidate)
It’s OK if you feel proud today. It’s OK if you feel disgusted today. It’s OK if you feel anxious today. It’s Election Day in the United States, and we’re anything but united.
I worked in radio for nearly 4 decades. I loved being a radio personality, loved working with news professionals who upheld standards of excellence that included using impartial languaging, no matter what their personal politics were, and especially loved the volume knob for the studio speakers during the political seasons. Turning the speakers down – way down! – during the political ads was how I stayed sane until each election season was over.
There have always been negative political ads. Why? Because it’s the wild west where lying is concerned, media outlets make a LOT of money on political advertising, and because negative political ads work.
Some negative ads are designed to make those who would vote for the opposition so di...
Leading Through a Turbulent Political Season
Every four years, we Americans forget who we are. We forget that we have power. We forget how to use that power. We forget to be civil as we use our voices and our fingertips, and sadly, sometimes fists and other weapons, in our attempts to move hearts and minds to our way of thinking.
You can make a leadership decision and make your corner of the world more peaceful – will you step into your leadership role this political season? The more people who choose to gently, quietly lead, the more civil this season will be.
It’s easy to blame social media, broadcast media, political ads, and journalists for the negativity and belligerence of the narrative, but the truth is, since the inception of our country, elections have been contentious, political advertising has been negative, and conversations have degenerated into heated arguments when politics was the topic.
Where does leadership come into play? It comes from you, not to you. In these next 105 days, will you step up and lead your f...
What Do You Want? When Do You Want It?
Welcome to Election Day 2023. Though the news today is largely about who’ll be which party’s candidate for Election Day 2024, did you know that what and whom you vote for today could be far more important to your daily life than the votes you cast a year from today?
What do you care about?
- The quality of schools for your children, grandchildren, and your property value?
- The quality of roads in your region?
- The speed limit in your neighborhood?
- The resources available for crime and fire prevention in your town?
- What you pay for electricity, water, gas, health insurance, car insurance, property insurance, and property taxes?
- If you live in a state that collects income tax, how your tax dollars are spent?
- The types of subjects that are and are not taught in your schools?
- The types of intoxicating substances that are allowed to be sold?
- What else is legal, illegal, and how the laws are enforced at a city, county, and state level?
- If you live in Virginia, Rhode Island, or Utah, ...
