Emergent Leadership

Needed. Leadership. Now. On a national scale.

Recall the candidates for president in 2016. Republicans fielded 23 candidates. Many were weathered professionals capable of handling the job. Each had deficiencies. To be expected flaws. Yet no one emerged as a truly great candidate. Not one.

But one candidate did come out the winner in the primaries and at the republican national convention. It was donald trump. He went on to win the 2016 election but via truly odd circumstances. The results were not embraced by establishment or citizens in general. But the legal machinery of the government moved onward with him at the helm.

Democrats fielded at least 13 candidates. I forget the final number. They too were professionals in government and weathered. Proven leaders, each with flaws. The clear front runner was Hillary Clinton. She won the primaries and the nomination at her party’s convention. She went on to lose the electoral college to donald trump but did win the popular vote.

There are many who would argue that a Hillary presidency would have been better than the trump mess we have now. But many more would argue the opposite point of view, that Clinton was not presidential timber. I disagree with that view, but the numbers indicate I would be in the minority.

That was then. This is now.

The nation prepares its view of the 2020 presidential election. We all wonder who will step forward to lead each party into the future.

Democrats are searching for candidates now. They need to. Although they have favorites from the past, and a few new faces for the near term, the truth is no one individual is emerging as The One Leader. More work is to be done to make that happen. Beto O’Rourke is a possibility. He is young. He is attractive. He is outspoken. He is courageous and hard working. He has heavy campaign experience having lost a valiant effort to Ted Cruz. Beto’s campaign energy was legendary and marvelous to watch. Many hope he tries for the 2020 presidential ring.

There are other young fresh faces to consider as well. But they are not household words, yet. Yet.

Of course, there are many familiar faces wanting consideration for the race: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi. And others. But they all have one thing in common: age. 70 or close to it. Some nearer 80. Wrong for this time. Wrong for modern leadership.

Recent mid-term elections witnessed a fresh crop of new faces to take congressional seats. They are mostly young. Very young. With new ideas and experiences. Also a zestful vision of the future for the nation. They need to be mentored and nurtured.

And their presence should inform us that the national leader position should hearken to their message: new leadership, fresh ideas, not business-as-usual.

Both parties have this challenge. They both must yield to new realities.

Trump is a failure. The old guard will likely also fail.

Now is the time for Warren, Sanders and Biden to mentor the newbies so they will step forward and lead a brave new generation into the brave new world. A mentor group for strong new leadership.

Will they? If they don’t, we are all in deep doodoo.

December 17, 2018