Regarding the presumed presidential candidates. we Americans can do better. The parties have better, they can do better. America — the World — needs better.
I have this belief … a “belief” being a “personal truth.” A belief being personal, I am aware I could be wrong.
By observation, media studies (newspapers, radio, tv … no time on the computer), I perceive America’s two political parties select their presidential candidates first, foremost and almost always, on who their party can market best. I perceive that “who” of the party can do the best for America is, relative to marketing, a rather distant subordinate consideration in candidate selection.
By observation, reflecting on what the media reports and a better-than-average study of American history, I conclude it has been this way since maybe the second American election. A politics-as-usual kind of deal.
I believe the parties can do better for America regarding their presumptive candidates. Many people I listen to have offered this same belief indicating my belief may be not so much personal as it is popular. By “popular” I mean “common.”
I get no thought-or-feeling that the parties do much of any real work to examine their many members who know the science of politics, who understand world affairs, who know about the economy/business, who know and practice the multi-faceted art of leading, who know and respect the Constitution as it is expressed and intended. Hmmm…I wonder what kind and how fast of a response we Americans would get if we, this afternoon, requested from the parties, their list of attributes that defines the character they demand in their presidential candidate … AND … their party’s search-analysis-vetting process applied with selecting possible presidential candidates. I’m thinking the parties would appear to us Americans as a tree full of owls … quiet and unmoving.
That we are Ameri-cans and not Ameri-can’ts — It is not too late for both parties to give Americans their best American as a candidate — not their most marketable or most invested-in candidate. It’s not too late for the parties to give to Americans their best thinker, strongest heart … most noble. The word “noble?”… look it up. Study it. Apply it to candidate selection.
About party investments-to-date in the present presumptive candidates — (shrug) … So what?
We get marketed to enough on social media and television. Our leaders aren’t products on Amazon … though that is the concept the parties act on regarding elections.
Deciding to offer Americans your best American as a candidate requires a call to action … by the parties … by the people.
People — Act to think what attributes your ideal candidate must possess. Share your thinking and justification(s) for your thinking with others — share your thinking with this publication. Act to contact your party and/or individual representatives to share your thinking.
Parties — Act by listening to the thinking people. Act to respect the attributes desired by the people, the constitution, and nobleness to offer Americans your best…not your most marketable.
We Americans can do better. The parties have better and they can do better.
America — the World — Needs America’s best.
It’s not too late. Truly it’s not.
Nick A. Sottler
Alexandria