Take me to your leader

So, I read in a New York Times article today (found HERE) that some GOP candidates who are in the process of selecting running mates are looking for someone who gives a "strong conservative presence" since that is their best chance of overcoming a "weak, passive president."  I don't want to get political or partisan, but it made me wonder what men and women in general look for in a leader.

Let's start with strength.  Who among us, when asked "Do you prefer a weak leader?" would say, "Yes, that is what I am looking for.  Someone who crumbles under pressure.  Someone who will just kinda go with the flow.  When there's a tough decision to be made, I want my leader to just pretend that everything is okay and try to distract everybody from the real issue."  No.  People want a leader who can deliver.

However.  Sometimes having an extreme position on an issue appears as strength, but in reality, is just fear with a loudspeaker.  Just because I can rally a crowd by telling them what they want to hear doesn't mean I have the strength to stand upon real values- to resist the urge to sellout or to accept bribes... to stand up for justice, even when it means disagreeing with those who are approving your paycheck.

Some people also are looking for "conservative-ness."  I wonder if this is just the affiliation of being "Conservative" (I believe in blah, blah, and blah), or if this is conservative in behavior.  Dictionary.com defines conservative as: "disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc.,or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change."  Some people like it when their leaders "leave well enough alone."  Don't change things!  Don't tell me how to live my life!  If I want a non-efficient light bulb (see my article HERE), then let me buy one, dammit!  It's my life, and I like it just the way it is. I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a pickup truck that said, "I'll keep my money, guns, and freedom, and you can keep your 'change'!"  Things are great for some people, and they don't need a leader to change that.


But what if that same person who likes things the way they are were to look around and see things that weren't so great for other people?  Warren Buffet is a new hero of mine for doing this exact thing (read his recent article HERE).  He's got tons of money (being a brilliant business man), and the current tax system is helping to protect his fortune with lots of great tax cuts, but he looks around and sees 9% unemployment in the U.S., and that poverty is widespread and that the middle and lower class are getting taxed more severely than him.  He stands up and says, quote: "My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice."  Props.


I don't mean to attack conservatives- I guess I just naturally see a downside to that way of thinking (as I'm sure anyone can find the downside to my thinking).  When I look for a leader to follow, I don't look for someone who will coddle me by trying to appear strong and give me everything I want: I look for a leader who cares about true justice and one who's strength lies within him to stand up for the rights of all people, not just those in his rich circle.