Substance and Depth: The Candidates

As a follow on to my previous post, Character, It Matters, we wanted to address issues of substance and depth about Governor Romney and Barack Obama. Given the need for brevity, we hope this becomes a series wherein we hope to undertake only a couple issues of substance and depth at a time, in a comparative of the candidates.

Pride vs Humility – When any individual seeks to elevate their station or position in life by trying to denigrate, diminish or destroy another, they undermine trust and confidence, and clearly illustrate incapacity and insecurity. Their motivations are for self preservation or promotion at the expense of all else. George Washington remains as one of our greatest Presidents. At the time of his service he was encouraged to assume the mantle of ‘King’; to elevate himself above his country served. In meekness and humility, he saw his role as temporary, to lead, to love and to serve; subordinating himself to the cause of freedom and the cause of America.

In comparative of substantive issues, Barack Obama has and continues to elevate himself by trying to denigrate Mitt Romney. His campaign has no substantive record to defend or promote, in fact he has failed in every critical element of his Presidential responsibilities and duties – primarily to LEAD. His campaign is driven principally by fear of losing the office of POTUS. His campaign is nearly singularly focused on self promotion at the expense of others. We have seen it in his wont to take credit for the efforts and sacrifices of others. The tragedy lies in the risk to life for his personal gain and self aggrandizement. The security leaks that have placed people’s lives in jeopardy, placed them in jail, or in the case of inappropriate disclosures of SEAL Team 6, may well have cost many lives as they became a deliberate target, is wholly unacceptable – and to what end, burnish and politize Barack Obama’s national security bona fides? We have recently learned that in his composite writings he has fabricated and deliberately sought to write a revisionist history to his own advantage. Trust, a precious and valued commodity and necessary character trait in the POTUS, has been eroded by great measure.

Another interesting principle of pride that I have witnessed in life’s lessons – the prideful, as described above, tend to act in this manner as compensation for personal insecurities, personal incapacities and/or personal/organizational failings. There seems to be a corollary of opposites; the more prideful one acts, the more incapable and insecure they are.

Comparatively, I have witnessed Mitt Romney in both public and private moments. Mitt Romney, like unto George Washington recognizes duty, responsibility and obligation of service. He willingly accepts and values a subordinate role to that which truly matters – placing country over self. He doesn’t denigrate Barack Obama; he doesn’t seek to destroy Barack Obama; Yes, he highlights Obama’s failed leadership, as it places our nation at greater risk, but he does not deride or denigrate him. Mitt Romney, in meekness and humility, sees his role as temporary, to lead, to love and to serve; subordinating himself to the cause of freedom and the cause of America. In all instances that I have observed, read and experienced, and in all of his leadership roles, Mitt Romney expresses gratitude for others and elevates them in their service and duty above self. He doesn’t take personal credit, but defers to the capacities and service of those with whom he has associated. He is always praising others and lessening his position. In this manner, Mitt Romney instills trust, confidence and capacity to lead our nation.

Flattery – Certain individuals in society, who seek with guile to persuade others inappropriately for self gain, tend to use flattery as a critical means to their end. Flattery is a deceptive practice left to those seeking a personal agenda. Synonyms for flattery are toadying, fawning, pandering. To fawn, toady or pander is to placate and promise for the singular purpose of one’s own agenda. We have witnessed this in Barack Obama, as further illustrated in the video below. How many times are promises and priorities repeated and never met?

Barack Obama has become the ‘Flatterer in Chief’ or ‘Panderer in Chief’, not the Commander in Chief. At every turn he has sought to purchase society by pandering to the needs of others without any capacity to meet the need.

Student loans have been taken away from the private sector and under the government’s rule exploded to nearly $1 trillion. The challenge rests in the incapacity of the borrowers to repay the loans. They will either default and expand our financial crisis or be forgiven in an October surprise, again burdening our society. Effectively, Barack Obama has sought to purchase the loyalty of our young adults by creating greater entitlements and dependencies.

Recently Barack Obama, after 3 1/2 years as POTUS (with control of both Houses of Congress for the first 2 years) imperiously issued his edict on amnesty for some illegal immigrants. His pandering was timed to correspond with a speech before the Latino leadership. Even the MSM was indicating that it was political pandering at best.

Barack Obama also came out as an advocate for same-sex marriage, and further opposing traditional marriage doctrines in DOMA. This effort of flattery to the gay and lesbian community was simply a political maneuver for votes and money.

Barack made a failed attempt in the contraception pander and doctrine, thinking he would flatter women with his sensitivity. Blinded by his own ambition, he failed to realize the impact of attacking religious freedoms and thus offended a greater society, the Catholic Church.

When one invokes flattery as a means of governing, we all lose. We find ourselves becoming hostage to oppression as the flatterer seeks more and more personal power and position. Our Constitution was designed to protect our freedoms not diminish them. That said, we are subject to the will of the people within the constitutional framework. Absent core values, the flatterer can shift with the situational standards of society and thus pander at will – what else matters? We have further observed, when Obama has failed to obtain the support and will of the people through flattery and pandering, he resorts to imperious edicts or appoints czars to effectuate his grab for power and position.

Comparatively, Mitt Romney seeks for no personal gain, power or self aggrandizement. He is pursuing the Presidency out of a sincere sense of duty, in a hope of restoring what has been taken from our nation. He hopes to restore freedoms lost; he hopes to lead a resurgent economic recovery by unleashing pent up private capital and repealing oppressive regulation and legislation; he seeks to restore that which has been stolen from our society through Obama’s intergenerational theft and attempted purchasing of an entitled and dependent generation; he hopes to shrink the size of government in an effort to return to the principles of the Constitution where the ‘people’ are sovereign. Without want for personal position or power, he is sincerely driven out of his love of country and the American people. This is about America and freedom! It is greater than any one man. As a man of principle, trust becomes self evident. Mitt Romney is a man of principle that we can trust, thankfully.

Follow David Parker on Twitter @dparkersrs
David Parker’s latest book.