Facts from the Front – August 2016

by Moe White –

I’ve been fascinated watching the 2016 presidential campaigns, as much for the cultural differences as the political ones.

It’s often struck me that reporters and pundits—male and female alike—don’t know what to make of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. They seem bewildered, not so much because of sexism, but because they don’t understand how a woman’s leadership style might differ from a man’s.

Over the past 30 years I have served on the boards of congregations, political groups, nonprofit arts and service organizations, a city commission, a private credit union … and the League of Women Voters.

The League’s approach was different from all those other groups in one respect above all others: the board members’ egos were put out to pasture, and no individual imagined that “I alone can fix it,” to borrow Donald Trump’s words.

Like any leadership team, the League board set goals, articulated their aspirations, enumerated objectives, and understood the obstacles they might face. They appointed study groups, committees, and task forces; reached out to potential allies and invited interested parties to share information; held member meetings, took votes, and decided on their plans. They compromised, listened to each other, and never jumped into anything—a controversy, a program, even hosting a debate—without solid preparation and broad support.

And they got things done in large part because no League leader felt the need to prove she had the biggest [fingers].

That League style is what I’ve kept seeing in Secretary Clinton. She listens to people, especially in small groups where she can hear them. She invites experts and contrasting views to broaden her understanding. She does her homework. She knows her facts and where she wants to lead us. She delegates, shares credit for success, and takes responsibility for mistakes. She understands that she can’t do it alone, and is aware there will be challenges and pitfalls along the way. Above all, she knows she’s not perfect—and that success comes from imperfect human beings working together in an imperfect world to make it a better place.

That approach bewilders journalists and TV pundits. They want fight-to-the-finish gladiators, smack-down wrestlers, winner-take-all combat. They want black eyes, bruises, and broken legs. They want the stock market to spike and crash, investors to win, losers to jump out of skyscraper windows. Television’s favorite word from a candidate is “I,” not “we”: reporters loved blustering Trump, whiny Cruz, petulant Rubio, angry Christie, and crabby Bernie, and their producers loved the ratings they generated.

Pundits simply don’t know how to deal with someone who is basically steady as she goes, reliable, knowledgeable, experienced, patient … and who has had so much crap said about her for 30 years that she doesn’t really care what anyone—including pundits—says about her anymore. All she wants is to get it done.

The League model may not inspire voters who are looking for a daddy figure, or a strongman, or a leader—what the Germans call “der Fuhrer,” the Italians “il duce,” Latinos “el lider.” But it has worked for generations in the League and in local, and sometimes state, governments—when it’s been allowed to. Come next January, it might be put to work on behalf of the entire nation.

Voting challenges

Nelda Holder describes on page 4 of this issue the rules that are in place for voting this fall. It’s important that African American voters be especially aware of two of them—and not allow themselves or their elders, friends, or first-time voters to be intimidated by voter-suppression activists, as has happened in previous elections. Note that:

Any registered voter in the state can inspect a county’s registration records in advance of the election and challenge your registration in that county
On Election Day, any registered voter in your county can challenge your eligibility to vote

What has happened in recent years is that conservative party activists trying to suppress minority voting have challenged the registrations of hundreds of voters in primarily African American precincts. The county registrar is responsible for informing the voter of any challenge to his or her registration, and if the voter does not respond quickly, it may be revoked—he or she may be stricken from the voting rolls, and on Election Day will not be able to vote.

An activist claiming to be a “registration monitor” or “voting rights monitor” (who knows what creative name these activists will come up with for themselves next?) challenges the registration of a voter on Election Day. When that happens, that voter—especially a first-time voter or someone elderly—may feel intimidated and decide not to vote. In the past, such “monitors” have warned (or threatened) that a person can face fines or jail time for voting without the proper credentials; or they may demand to see an ID, even though that’s not required; or they may claim to be “voting officials”—implying that they are from the Registrar’s office, rather than from a political party.

Do not be intimidated by these thugs! It is your right to register and vote, and this is no longer the Jim Crow South of the 1950s. If you discover that someone is challenging your registration, or if you are challenged on Election Day, call the Voter Hotline right away: 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683). Keep this number handy, and bring it with you to the polling place, just in case.

Facts From The Front is a monthly column by copy editor Moe White in which America’s Constitutional democracy is defended against ongoing assaults by those who prefer less palatable alternatives: oligarchy, autocracy, theocracy, feudalism, fascism, and other nondemocratic methods of government. Among the qualifications for White’s commentary and ridicule are hypocrisy, dishonesty, corruption, unbridled greed, flat-out lies, and sheer idiocy on the part of public figures.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in “Facts from the Front” are those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Urban News.

Post Views: 0