Dear George...When you were President Mr. Washington - who else had influence? Whose judgement did you trust besides your own? Whose wisdom and advice did you respect?
We can assume George worked everyday with the other framers of our U.S. Constitution, but maybe not. Everyone has 'off' days.
Regardless of who is at the 'helm' [on a school board, running a small business, a major corporation or a nation] no one - not even dictators - make decisions entirely alone. There is a circle of influence that can be enriching and positive - or - exclusive and self serving...
I was tempted to title this Blog-Post; 'Royalty In America' - as there has been a strong tendency for many l-o-n-g term politicians [of two or more decades] to feel entitled...But I resisted. I'll let the actions of people elected [not born] to serve in public office speak instead. You'll be able to spot them - they're in the news often blaming others and/or arguing for what they need in order to justify their latest edict and/or deflecting responsibility in another direction.
With leadership-influence: experience and confidence is an asset, but pride and ego is a handicap.
Many, many, many citizens consider the 2020 election a letdown on several levels, but Donald J. Trump must also accept responsibility for his loss. DJT bungled his own campaign by playing into a playground style level of name calling and insult exchanges. For all three debates every major television network was required to offer him the complete attention he complained they denied him for most of his first term. Did Trump use the first debate opportunity to highlight Biden's lackluster 47 public years or to showcase his own accomplishments like the Opportunity Zones or Operation Warp Speed or peace between Israel and Arab States, etc? No. Instead Trump took open issue with the moderator and rambled down a rabbit hole about investigations and impeachments. Then his arrogance messed up his 2nd and third debate opportunities too.
As a registered Independent I have no favorites and happily take 'prisoners' from both major parties. For this discussion let's start at the 'top'...
**Why is Joseph Robinette Biden the 46th President of the United States? I'm serious--why? More importantly 'how'? Houdini would have been challenged to pull off such an illusion with the mathematical miracle that became the 2020 Democratic Primary. Even now, I'm still puzzled.
How did the two neck and neck [popular] front runners Bernie Saunders and Pete Buttigieg who were both a classic photo-finish in Iowa/Feb3 -and- New Hampshire/Feb11 -and- Nevada/Feb22 abruptly hit-a-South Carolina-wall Feb29? [Was it a Leap Year curse? The Iowa recount ballot issues might suggest 'something' like that...]
Glory hallelujah!
From that date on Biden votes flooded every primary all the way to August and as the weeks ticked away one by one the former front runners halted their bid to endorse only Joe Biden. [Is it a coincidence that former challengers who were not holding Federal Senate or Congressional seats were offered plum Cabinet Appointments? Just asking...] However, just as astonishing [in this underdog-Hollywood story] is Biden's selection for running mate who became Vice President...The [party] choice went to the 'only' person in the reduced Democratic field of 18 - who never rose higher than the bottom--Kamala Harris. Ta-Da!
Out of a vast herd [of thousands] of possible people our vote selection funnels down to only two choices - so - as a voter I want to know there isn't some form of electronic-slight-of-hand at the Party Primary level either...[In 2016 do we truly understand how Hilary Clinton suddenly emerged as the sole front runner? Bernie Sanders follower's felt so betrayed that Trump benefited from some hefty anti-Clinton vote.]
At seven months into the Biden-Harris First Term - how are we doing...
**Other 2020 Election head-shaking results brings me next to Republican Senate Minority Leader Addison Mitchell McConnell III. I don't know what Kentucky was thinking when they returned McConnell to a Senate seat he has held since 1984! The math on that is 37 years in public office [10 less than Biden]. Does McConnell have influence - you bet - big time in every dusty corner of The Hill and beyond. Besides knowing - what and where everything is hidden - McConnell has managed to accumulate a personal [updated 2020] net worth tipping over 30 million dollars, that we know of...
**Another disappointing 2020 election result was the return of Nancy Patricia Pelosi not just to her seat in Congress, but to her place as House Speaker. This erratic, highly excitable politician embarrassed the Office of Speaker during the Trump Administration when on camera she openly ripped up Trump's State of the Union Speech. That stunt would have been substandard behavior from a Middle Grade student - so to witness that level of immaturity from an elected Statesman is beyond troubling. Besides a double standard [getting her hair done during lock down] the personal conduct of this shrewd 34 year political survivor who is also second to the office of the Presidency - has managed to grow her 2013 net worth of 26.4 million - into a current net worth of 120 million...
How does anyone in any political office have the nerve to stand at a microphone and malign the "wealthy top 1%" with a straight face - when they are so privileged - at Main-Street's expense...
I'll tell you how - insider information and taxes that rarely - I mean rarely ever get audited. [How many contracts are awarded to companies owned in partnership with relatives, friends or spouses of people in public office??? I don't have enough space to even list just the 2021 side deals - that's how many.]
TERM LIMITS...Serve our country, serve your state, serve your district a maximum of three terms then return to private life...
Run for public office - get in - be ethical then get out before you're too tempted to feather your own nest. Of the 100 Senate seats and 435 seats in Congress - the vast majority of those politicians have clung to office between 59 and 20 years! Influence can become addictive and too much influence can risk that a politician starts to believe they 'still' make a difference.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_longevity_of_service]
*What are the options of a free people who have grown accustomed to individual rights and choice? Well, while we're teaching and expecting morals and honesty from our children and grandchildren we need to demand those same qualities from people in public office. The people in whom we trust our hard earned taxes.
None of the people in any public office should be maligning 'the whites' or 'the rich' or 'the corporations' or any group in an effort to divide the very nation they profess to serve or care about. The minute someone steps to a microphone to malign a specific group - should be a red-flag to any voter. It defines the character of the speaker as exclusive not inclusive.
We have time get to 'know' who is running for 're'election in our district or state in 2022. If anyone is running for a fourth term, you many want to vote for someone else. WeThePeople can create our own 'term-limits' and we need to exert our influence...
https://medium.com/@BraveNewFilms.org/heres-how-to-contact-all-535-members-of-united-states-congress-call-email-tweet-20b8a1c54195
Sherrie Todd-Beshore is a mystery-suspense novelist and former journalist...
Via amazon.com or patchworkpublishing.com
Romantic Suspense-Thriller: "Dream Gate...Grabbing Air"
Sequel: "Dream Gate II...Grabbing Time"
