Back when he was running for president, Joe Biden came to give a speech at my university. It wasn’t a particularly memorable appearance, but one part of it stuck in my mind. When asked by a student how he would get things done if elected, Biden said he would use the presidency as a “bully pulpit,” and went on for many minutes about how the holder of the office has a unique ability to inspire and unite Americans.
Couldn't agree more. But we here on the west coast wonder if there isn't also a kind of Ivy league disdain for someone who wasn't -- She did go to Brown and was married to Bret Stephens.....
Thank you. I've been saying this for years. So frustrated that there is little reporting on all the things he's done and lots of reporting on him misspeaking or tripping. I'm having to convince my French friends of this, too.
Fun and fascinating. "Whatever a person’s magnetic charm and appeal, an audience has to recognize those qualities as extraordinary for a charismatic bond to form." Yes indeed - and also for the idea of who constitutes a good leader or a good professor (whatever one means by "good"). The audience has to be willing to imagine a person who looks/sounds/dresses like that to be a leader or a professor, and to engage with them in good faith.
Good one! Perhaps charisma is not the only word or the best word for it, but there is a need for a leader who can pull people together in spite of their differences. I don’t think this is done merely by performing well on the job, in an administrative sense.
Thank you! Sadly, our history reveals a particular fondness for hucksters and frauds, including in the political arena. Here's to competence and commitment.
Couldn't agree more. But we here on the west coast wonder if there isn't also a kind of Ivy league disdain for someone who wasn't -- She did go to Brown and was married to Bret Stephens.....
#Bedbuggate rears its head again! :-)
Thank you. I've been saying this for years. So frustrated that there is little reporting on all the things he's done and lots of reporting on him misspeaking or tripping. I'm having to convince my French friends of this, too.
Fun and fascinating. "Whatever a person’s magnetic charm and appeal, an audience has to recognize those qualities as extraordinary for a charismatic bond to form." Yes indeed - and also for the idea of who constitutes a good leader or a good professor (whatever one means by "good"). The audience has to be willing to imagine a person who looks/sounds/dresses like that to be a leader or a professor, and to engage with them in good faith.
Good one! Perhaps charisma is not the only word or the best word for it, but there is a need for a leader who can pull people together in spite of their differences. I don’t think this is done merely by performing well on the job, in an administrative sense.
Agreed!
Thank you! Sadly, our history reveals a particular fondness for hucksters and frauds, including in the political arena. Here's to competence and commitment.