[November 05, 2014] The U.S. mid-term elections for 2014 are complete. Today you will see experts providing insights into why the Republican Party did so well and conversely why the Democrat Party performed so poorly. They will tell you the election was about the rejection of Congressional gridlock, Obamacare, overspending, and immigration. Respectfully, I disagree. While these were big issues, I would like to provide a different opinion … a leader’s view on this election.
Many senior leaders that I’ve spoken with over the past few weeks see this election as one that relied predominantly upon driving a wedge between citizens. Was the election really about Republicans and Democrats, with their differing ideologies on “big government?” Or was the election about conservatives versus the liberal/progressive agenda? Certainly this played a part but it was much more than that.
I propose the election was over another issue and it is directly related to leadership. This election, like those before it, was about power – who has it and what can be controlled through its use. For example, the political party that is in the majority has the power to establish the subjects for debate and conditions for laws to be created. Prestige comes from the power and the ability to do as you please; within certain limits of course. People know that the best way to get power is by dividing people. Divide and conquer is a tactic as old as humankind.
Leadership means looking at those things that made the election for what it was. Ideology played a part certainly, but its overall affect on the outcome is questionable. The infusion of money played a role in the many advertisements that most Americans abhor. An estimated $4 billion was spent. Negative ads were common; whether from the politician or from an organization supporting that brand of politician. Who spent most is irrelevant to my point that the campaigns were about dividing Americans.
What mattered most is that the United States comes out of this election much more divided as a nation … and leadership is not about dividing people. I do not acknowledge that the leadership of politicians is different than others; the fundamentals are the same. Does this mean that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction as country, as some have proposed? When polled, most Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and the results of the election bear that out. However, I don’t think so.
The U.S. has gone through many tough times that divided it as a nation. This is highly destructive. What the political leaders of both political parties should be doing – to show superior leadership skills – is to work on bringing people back together. They can continue to pursue their ideological differences and that is to be both expected and commended. The U.S. is premised on working as a culture of immigrants, diverse as we have always been.
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