The Myth of the Perfect Candidate

The Myth of the Perfect Candidate
By Terry Paulson
10/10/2011

Conservatives seem to be falling for the same myth that progressive voters fell for in 2008--the Myth of the Perfect Candidate! We need a better candidate--Maybe Perry or Christie will be the ONE! But as soon as any candidate throws their hat in the ring, their poll numbers soar only to be brought back to earth as "problems and limitations" surface.

There are no perfect political candidates. There are no perfect people. How would you like to have every questionable statement you make broadcast to the world and replayed for months? We seem to enjoy moving from adoration to attacking our own.

Vote principles and party over people. I don't want another answer-giving leader who thinks they have all the answers. I want a leader who is driven by core American principles, who brings to Washington a cadre of leaders who share those principles and bring needed expertise to their responsibilities, and an unshakable belief in "We the People."

We don't need a political messiah; we need a leader who can stand strong, communicate a common sense vision of what is needed, cut spending and regulations, and rally Americans to bring our economy back.

No one man or woman has all the answers in our complex, changing world. We need humility, not hubris! Only the truly confident leader can admit that they don't have all the answers.

Pope John XXIII knew his limits when he said, "It often happens that I wake at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope." Every President must feel the same. They know the answers are out there, but who do they listen to?

Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson shares in his "Unwritten Rules of Management," "Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be used often.... Confident people know their strengths and weaknesses, and they don't try to BS you. You are not expected to know the answer to everything. Smart people simply say 'I don't know'--and go get an answer."

No one can know it all, and if they said they do, don't trust them. Wisdom is knowing how much you don't know and getting the right people on the bus to accomplish what is necessary.

Teddy Roosevelt knew his limitations: “The best executive is the one who has enough sense to pick good people for what they want done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” We need a President willing to let his people do what they do best instead of micromanaging what is done. We ought to ask Presidential candidates to list some of the people they would want on their core team and why!

When President Ronald Reagan first took office, he knew the source of the economic recovery America craved. He said in an address from the White House what we need from our next President, “I’m not taking your time this evening to ask you to trust me. Instead, I ask you to trust yourself. That is what America is all about… It’s the power of millions of people like you who will determine what will make America great again.”

Reagan appealed to our best hopes, not our worst fears. To our confidence, rather than our doubts. Reagan humbly knew that the strength of America does not come from the leader in the White House; it resides in a free people empowered by an optimistic dream of what they can be in a free country.

The pulse for freedom and opportunity that pounds at the heart of productive Americans remains strong. Reagan felt that pulse, and he rekindled our faith in ourselves. America has become a country that doubts itself. President Obama has recently claimed that citizens are too "soft" and have lost our "competitive edge."

Any leader's prime job is to keep hope alive in the hearts and minds of citizens. Listen to those running for office. Pick a President who knows his or her own limitations, who can pick a team who are committed to freeing our economy to succeed, and who once again will believe in "We the People." Fight for the candidate you most believe will lead us well, but then be ready to support the winning candidate and bring a team to Washington that can make a difference at this critical point in our history. Remember, losers don't legislate.
______________________________________________

To read another article by Terry Paulson, click here.