November 2014 Newsletter
By the time this newsletter makes it to press, the 2014 Mid-Term elections will be behind us. As I sit and write this, I can only hope that all of our hard work has cemented some critical elections. The only thing that I am sure of is that we will elect a lot of politicians and if we are very lucky, even a few statesmen. UPDATE: Voters have spoken! We won!
The difference between a politician and a statesman has been the topic of many lively debates around my dinner table. To me, the simplest explanation is one I heard years ago: A politician is worried about the next election; a Statesman is worried about the next generation.
I wish we had more statesmen in elected offices.
A statesman will define his purpose with a clear vision of what it means to be an American, and how this country can continue to be a strong beacon for freedom and liberty for the rest of the world. A politician chooses to identify the short term issues that push the buttons of the American psyche and utilizes fear and propaganda to stir up the electorate.
I wish we had more statesmen in elected offices.
A statesman has the ability to build consensus around her vision giving her the ability to change hearts, minds, policies and laws. A politician reads the daily opinion polls and devises a strategy for sound bites tailored to those polls without regard to the broader picture.
I wish we had more statesmen in elected offices.
A statesman will elicit the support of those she works with to support the initiatives, policies and laws that further her vision. A politician blusters and filibusters and grandstands for the media, and sometimes uses executive orders to get his way. He rarely, if ever, is moved to action out of love for this great country or concern for our future.
As we move into the Thanksgiving holiday, I am grateful for the few statesmen that we have had in modern times; men like Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. My Christmas wish for this country is that we are blessed with a few more.