We live in a troubled world. That is likely to be about the only thing to which we can get people to agree. The problems that we universally face run the gamut from economic, religious, racial, territorial, ecological and political.
While the problems are nothing new, the impacts are much greater than ever before. Technology has brought us all into greater and greater interdependency. Isolationism is out of the question. We are all intertwined. Centuries of geographical displacement, now greater than ever, have led to mingling of disparate groups. Instead of working to adjust to today's realities, we have allowed extremists of all manner, to focus on what keeps us apart and to be suspicious of what we don't understand. Fear has replaced knowledge in forming our positions.
These are turbulent times. The problems are enormous and there is no chance of resolving them as long as political, religious and economic extremism are allowed to stand in the way. If we cannot find a way to coexist, we will surely cause our own demise.
Democracy, although difficult to uphold, is the only answer. There is no room for either extreme white nationalism or socialism. There is no room for any religion that cannot accept the legitimacy of other religious or secular orientations. We cannot tolerate an economic class system that leaves half the population in want of basic essentials. Nor can we tolerate any race or religion to impose their preferences on a Technicolor society. Autocracy is a symptom of political failure.
We are now deeply involved in a political civil war. And the consequences may be just as catastrophic as they were in the 1860s. A fight to the death between autocracy and democracy is deeply dividing the country, has led to politicians changing sides, has had a damaging impact on many businesses and institutions, and has brought government to a standstill.
Looking toward the 2020 elections, I'm in a quandary as to what I am looking for in a leader. What I have come to realize is that no one person can offer a solution to our myriad problems. The solutions will be the product of the collective work of honest brokers who seek a solution rather than a vote. As a voter, I will be looking for people who commit to sitting down with others, to study and dialog on the issues. I will be looking for people who recognize that there is a difference between capitulation and compromise and prefer the latter.
I will rule out identity politics. Gender, color, age and religion cannot be factors. I will rule out litmus tests, such as choosing one important position and ignoring every other part of a candidate's platform or character. In place of this, I will be looking for the following characteristics: intelligence and knowledge, comion, humanism, character and the willingness to promote compromise.
We can no longer accept the stalemate that exists in our governments. With the currently prevalent attitudes, we switch back and forth between militant political operatives who are bent on denying participation of the minority. Yet, since we are relatively split on political leanings, almost half the country is left out in the cold, regardless of who is in power. This can't be good. We are not making any headway on solving our problems and time is running out. This is not leadership. This is not government.
Politics, supposedly the art of governing, has failed. For, clearly, we are not governing. In all three branches of the federal government, actions are being driven by either political expediency or personal ideology, ignoring the obligation to serve the nation … “for the people.”
In choosing our next president, we need to look at leadership qualities more so than policies. Can this person build a team of qualified, thoughtful, dedicated consensus-building individuals to run the departments of government in the service of the people? Who would this candidate have as key advisors? Does the candidate have a record of reaching out to different sides of issues? Does this candidate seek to represent all the people? Is this candidate not beholden to any extremest pressure group or dogmatic philosophy?
Of course, policies matter. But I'd rather that they be consensus-driven rather that power-driven. Policies that do the most good, for the most people, for now and the future need to be developed. That won't come about through campaign rhetoric. We need leadership, wide participation and compromise. The individual who most demonstrates these qualities, through both past performance and projected action, will earn my vote.
A Rancho Bernardo resident, Levine is a retired project management consultant and the author of three books on the subject.
