Quit telling us what you think we want to hear. Tell us the truth. Don’t manipulate the truth in order to serve what you’ve determined is a greater purpose…
When Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) was asked by MSNBC this week if he “thinks the Obama administration has done an appropriate job in handling the Ebola crisis,” the November candidate fumbled the question — lots of “uh’s” and pregnant pauses before finally saying “it’s hard to know.” Pryor is running for re-election in a state where Pres. Obama’s approval rating is only, approximately 31%.
When Alison Lundergan Grimes (D-KY) was asked three times by local reporters last week if she voted for Obama in 2012, the November candidate repeatedly ignored the question and refused to answer. Obama’s approval rating is also only, approximately 31% in Kentucky.
Quit telling us what you think we want to hear. Quit dodging the questions. It’s ok to agree or disagree with Obama. It’s ok to have voted for him or not. Good people voted both “for” and “against” Obama in the last election — contrary to popular, partisan belief.
Pres. Obama, the Intramuralist would also like you to be transparent with the truth…
Just three weeks ago, the President, said the chances of Ebola making its way from Africa to America are “extremely low.” He said, “We’ve been taking the necessary precautions, including working with countries in West Africa to increase screening at airports so that someone with the virus doesn’t get on a plane for the United States. In the unlikely event that someone with Ebola does reach our shores, we’ve taken new measures so that we’re prepared here at home.” That was September 16th.
Two weeks later a Dallas man got on a plane after visiting Liberia, returned to the United States, and was diagnosed with Ebola. Before an accurate diagnosis, he went to a hospital, was sent home, and the measures taken were not effective nor substantial. He was diagnosed in the United States. “We” weren’t prepared. He sadly died this past Wednesday. More are probably infected.
Did Pres. Obama lie? Of course not.
I realize I aver such with emphatic certainty; truthfully, no one can opine with certainty the deceit within the heart of another. But there is nothing within the President’s statement that suggests any sense of falsehood.
My point is that while I do not believe for any reason that Pres. Obama lied to us regarding the potential spread of the Ebola virus, I do believe he again fell prey to what’s unfortunately been a consistent pattern throughout his tenure: Pres. Obama seems to tell us what he thinks we want to hear.
Pick the issue. Pick his public response. (Note: feel free to start with the IRS and being told there is no possible “smidgen” of corruption.)
He had no idea if the virus would reach our American shore. But that’s the point: he had no idea. While none of us would desire the spread of this potentially fatal infection, none of us — none of us — not even the President — could or can predict the expanse of the epidemic. And yet, the President did predict the expanse. He told us what we wanted to hear. Perhaps I’m wrong, but my strong sense is that a “politician-first” tells us what we want to hear (note the above campaign examples even of viable candidates). A “leader-first,” however, tells us the truth — acknowledging what we can do, what we can’t, what we know, what we don’t, and all the while he or she boldly but humbly shares a commitment to trudge forward together.
More important than what we want to hear is transparently telling the truth. Sometimes the truth is “I don’t know.”
Respectfully…
AR
I reply with a sobering amen. Similar to a well practiced politician, I tend to cower toward telling others what I think they want to hear instead of plainly speaking the truth. Yes, we need to hear solid truth from our leaders. In the mean time, many of us can improve speaking plainly and truthfully in our homes, in our offices and to ourselves.