The United States Is a Nation Without Great Leadership

Today, everyone seems to be younger than me. I have watched the actions of 13 presidents, from Eisenhower to Biden as they govern the nation. I have also read about members of our legislature and the Supreme Court. Some are heroic and patriotic, but most are not worth the time and money they receive from the American people.

A Politico for Nearly Seven Decades

I became interested in politics at the age of 10, in 1956. As I watched “Ike’s” convention, I was fascinated. I didn’t know anything about the way the government worked, but I learned. As Dwight Eisenhower was making his acceptance speech for a second term in office, I honestly believe that I could feel his patriotism and leadership across a 19-inch television screen.

However, it was in 1960, my first year in high school, that I learned what a great leader looked like. John Fitzgerald Kennedy had the intelligence, experience, and charisma to lead our nation. His ability to impart his beliefs and ideas to all Americans remains incomparable. When he was murdered on November 22, 1963, in my senior year of high school, I cried for days along with millions of others.

JFK Was America’s Last Great President

America has not had a “great leader” in the White House since that day in 1963. Some I label as “good,” and most as “incompetent.” I can label four as terrible. Their names are obvious:

• Gerald Ford.
• Ronald Reagan.
• George W. Bush.
• And Donald Trump.

The last will be known as America’s greatest traitor and worst president of all time.

Barrack Obama Was the Best of the Rest

Okay, I’m getting to my point. In 2008 Barrack Obama gave me hope. For eight years he proved himself to be the best since JFK. However, in 2016 he disappointed me. He failed to display the courage to do the right thing during a critical time for our nation, proving his leadership was limited. His defining moment came in October of 2016 when a meeting was held in the Oval Office.

Attending this meeting were the leaders of both parties, Vice-President Joe Biden, and the leaders of the CIA, NSA, FBI, and probably others who were not named. Our security agencies confirmed their suspicion that Russia, under the direction of President Vladimir Putin, was interfering in our election, attempting to secure a victory for Donald Trump. President Obama refused to release this information to the voting public. We had a right to know the truth. This is our country, the federal government works for us, not for itself.

President Biden has Accomplished Much for All Americans

This article is not meant to be a criticism of President Biden. He has been effective beyond anything I expected from him. However, he is not what I would term a “great leader.” The worrisome truth is no one in Washington in 2023 can wear that label.

There have been a few times in America’s history when we needed a woman or man to step up and display great courage and exceptional leadership. No one man or woman in all three branches of our government has displayed these qualities today when we need them the most.

The Nations Democrats Have Good Intentions, but No Leader

Democrats have displayed more cowardice than leadership for decades. Each of them appears to be more afraid of losing an election than doing what is right. The only exceptions have been Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sadly, I believe they have reached an age when they are becoming less effective. I am a loyal American who loves his country, but I am too old to lead a nation of 331 million people.

For much of this, I blame the mainstream media. The way they treated Hillary Clinton in 2016 was deplorable and the result was an illegitimate president, Donald Trump.

The Last True Republican in the Nation was Richard Nixon

As for those who call themselves “Republicans,” they are nothing but posers. The last true Republican was Richard Nixon, who won his first election in 1968.

You might have noticed that I did not list Mr. Nixon as one of the worst presidents in modern times. My reasons are valid. Yes, he was a “crook,” but I will always remember him for his accomplishments, which are incomparable to any Republican who succeeded him. He loved his country and succeeded in establishing policies that continue to benefit all Americans today. Nixon helped create the Environmental Protection Agency, ended the draft, gave 18-year-olds the right to vote, established communication with the People’s Republic of China, and signed a form of “détente” with the former Soviet Union, among many other accomplishments.

Republicans Who Claim to Lead Are Leading our Nation Backwards

Today’s “pretend Republicans” are in total disarray. They accepted a mentally challenged and anti-American as their leader for four years, but he has become an “albatross.”

For years Moscow Mitch McConnell has been the leader of the political process within the party. However, his accomplishments for the people of Kentucky and America are non-existent. He lacks charisma, courage, and the willingness to lead his floundering party in the 21st century. He is an old, failed politician whose time is past.

Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis is focused on winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. However, he would not represent all Americans, having proven himself to be a racist, bigot, and lacking in the ability to lead. Throughout the pandemic, he refused to protect the people of his state, standing with Trump in denial. He, too, claimed it would just go away.

We know the names of others whose candidacy would be hilarious, having offered us more reasons to reject them than to vote for them. Among these very white failures are Ted Cruz, Gregg Abbott, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and Mike Pompeo.

When We Need a Great Leader Most, Where Will We Find One?

The fact that our nation is without a great leader at this particular time in history worries me. The fact that America is at the bottom of the list when rated on issues such as quality of life, education, and the protection of individual freedoms is unacceptable.

I have no idea who, when, or from where we will find a woman or man who possesses the qualities which make an individual a true leader of all men.

Truthfully, I respect and admire a handful of American politicians today. I can only hope that one of them will be willing to sacrifice her or his self to save the dream of our Founding Fathers.

By The Wise Old Fart, (James Turnage)

Find my novels on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

The Hill: GOP House Speaker boondoggle: A decade in the making
Vox: We are witnessing the most massive failure of a political party in generations

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of John Sonderman‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License