I tend to shy away from posts on partisan political considerations, so this is not. But Richard Reeves’ syndicated newspaper column this week made, to my thinking, a salient observation – a reflection that was not even the main point of his writing.
Reeves, in addition to being a columnist, is also a biographer of Presidents. He is most known for his “trilogy” of presidential works – on Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan. His writing perspective as a columnist is usually from the left point of view, but he leans toward the moderate, rather than to the extreme left.
In his February 22 commentary, Reeves was discussing how, in his opinion, Sen. Clinton has been “getting it wrong” in 10 straight primary elections – at least when it comes to communicating. He pointed out that when it came to “words,” President Reagan, as an example, mostly got it right.
He summed up a concept that Reagan understood, and which many current candidates do not. It can be said two ways:
● The president’s job is not to run the country; it is to lead the nation.
● In that business, words are more important than deeds.
He went on to observe that, in choosing a president, we as citizens are assuming one of the most risky and dangerous responsibilities in the world. Anticipating future behavior is a gamble.
Drawing on his vast experience with and commentary about former presidents, he posited this: “The presidency is not about qualifications or experience; it is about judgment.” Saying it another way, who will best react to unpredictable crises that seem to hit a president almost every day? The answer probably is, it’s impossible to tell ahead of time.
The best we can hope for, he suggests, is to connect with a candidate who can use the right words to explain these things and to persuade us to follow.
A dozen years or so ago, a previous president had a different twist on a similar-sounding slogan, but I like the Reeves-prompted, nuanced version even better: “it’s judgment, stupid.”
Reeves, in addition to being a columnist, is also a biographer of Presidents. He is most known for his “trilogy” of presidential works – on Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan. His writing perspective as a columnist is usually from the left point of view, but he leans toward the moderate, rather than to the extreme left.
In his February 22 commentary, Reeves was discussing how, in his opinion, Sen. Clinton has been “getting it wrong” in 10 straight primary elections – at least when it comes to communicating. He pointed out that when it came to “words,” President Reagan, as an example, mostly got it right.
He summed up a concept that Reagan understood, and which many current candidates do not. It can be said two ways:
● The president’s job is not to run the country; it is to lead the nation.
● In that business, words are more important than deeds.
He went on to observe that, in choosing a president, we as citizens are assuming one of the most risky and dangerous responsibilities in the world. Anticipating future behavior is a gamble.
Drawing on his vast experience with and commentary about former presidents, he posited this: “The presidency is not about qualifications or experience; it is about judgment.” Saying it another way, who will best react to unpredictable crises that seem to hit a president almost every day? The answer probably is, it’s impossible to tell ahead of time.
The best we can hope for, he suggests, is to connect with a candidate who can use the right words to explain these things and to persuade us to follow.
A dozen years or so ago, a previous president had a different twist on a similar-sounding slogan, but I like the Reeves-prompted, nuanced version even better: “it’s judgment, stupid.”
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