GABRIEL GARNICA: AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL GREATNESS
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One cannot look at the faces on Mount Rushmore without thinking about what makes a great president. Certainly, a review of the list of those who have held that office reminds us that one does not have to be a genius, a saint, a motivational speaker, a model, a hero, or even law-abiding to make that list. The list includes legends, heroes, savvy politicians, bystanders, drunks, bullies, incompetents, and crooks (sometimes combinations of these as well). We all have our biases, preferences, and assumptions regarding what makes a great American president. Here is my suggested recipe for that honor.
American
It seems to me that one must begin measuring American presidents by the adjective which precedes their title. Namely, truly great American presidents, through word and action, embody the notion that one’s love of nation must come before one’s personal, political, and social agenda. Since the source of that patriotism should be the foundations of our nation, and not our personal, subjective whim, it should respect the Constitution, and not arrogantly derive rights from it completely fabricated from our own political and social agenda, on the pretext that it is a “living” document. That respect for the Constitution likewise requires that we know it well enough to realize that it promises freedom of religion and not freedom from religion. Great American presidents know how many states we actually have.
Ultimately, being an American means that one cultivates personal, moral, intellectual, and civic responsibility, and does not base one’s actions and thoughts in those areas as a sheep being led by an increasingly biased media. Passive ignorance and moral apathy should not be American virtues.
Rooted Vision and Message
We love great orators, and we are often easily fooled by fantastic used car salesmen, but swooning people with great words and selling desired ideas, while often useful and practical political and social tools for any leader, are not the core elements of what makes someone a truly great president. That oratory and those sales points must be consistent with, and rooted in, the above American vision and message. Hitler was a powerful orator, and Bernard Madoff could apparently sell any idea, but I would not want them to be U.S. Presidents.
This is not about pretending or proclaiming that America is perfect, innocent of wrong and failure, or superior to any other nation. Rather, it is about embracing the unique blessings and opportunities given to this nation by a God Who has likewise given it great responsibility and duties. This is not about being apologetic or ashamed by what this nation has failed to achieve, much less by what it has indeed achieved. Rather, it about truly believing that, despite its faults and imperfections, this nation is this world’s greatest blessing, its greatest model, and its greatest opportunity for freedom. The greatest American president should be America’s greatest advocate, not its most calculating critic.
The greatest American presidents believe in, and do not apologize for, American exceptionalism, for they find no inconsistency between that exceptionalism and charity, benevolence, justice, and the golden rule. Their solution to injustice is not their own brand of injustice, and their remedy for inequality is not institutionalized inequality. We are living in an age and society which kneels at the altar of redistribution, entitlement, and commonality. America has always been great because its leaders and citizens truly believed it was great. One cannot continue to be the best if one is afraid to fulfill and embody that belief.
Assertive Humility
The greatest leaders believe what they say, and embody what they say consistently throughout, not just when it is convenient or safe. They have the courage of their convictions, and embody confidence and ultimate personal responsibility. Cowardice, whining, and running from personal responsibility are automatic disqualifiers to even being a decent president, much less a great one. Great presidents have the confidence to make assertive decisions, and the guts to stand behind their actions, not hide behind media preference, or pathetic excuses, much less blame the phone book for their stumbles and issues.
At the same time, great leaders are humble enough to recognize that it is not all about them; that their job is to serve the American people, not preach to them, threaten them, or scold them for daring to oppose or criticize the leader’s actions, policies, or programs. They use the word “I” as minimally as possible, and act as servants of freedom, not preachers of division or alleged wisdom. I once read that the greatest teachers are a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage. Great leaders remind us of how great we can become, not how stupid we seem to him or her. Such leaders can admit failure, ignorance, doubts, and fault. Arrogant incompetence is a most dangerous trait for any leader. Leaders who constantly tell us how great they are, or how wrong we are, are intellectual wimps and bullies hiding behind an office which they have no business holding. Great presidents see themselves as servants of all the American people, not just those who fawn over them. They also see themselves as servants of the Constitution.
Practical Sincerity
Leaders and politicians sometimes have to bend the truth to accomplish certain tasks, but great leaders demonstrate a genuine desire and initiative to be as truthful as they can be as often as they can be. Any leader who embraces deception, fraud, and manipulation, especially for self-benefit or protection, can never be a great leader. With the greatest leaders, what you see is what you get and what you get is what the leader deeply feels, and not some act or pretense. Truly great leaders have an aversion to hypocrisy, which is professing virtues, feelings, moral standards, and feelings inconsistent with the totality of one’s words, actions, intentions, and motivations. Claiming to speak for the poor or bashing the elite, while one has a history of preference, advantage, entitlement, and elitism are precisely the opposite of this virtue. Great presidents do not play golf hundreds of times or go on lavish vacations while preaching about how spoiled the elite or rich are. Likewise, they volunteer at soup kitchens without cameras.
Pattern of Growth
The best leaders become better as they grow into their role, not worse as their incompetence or incapacity to lead become more apparent. In order to do this, a leader must be willing to admit they have room to grow. Such leaders delegate effectively to others who share their traits of loving this nation unselfishly. Show me a leader who does not improve with experience and I will show you someone who is too selfish, arrogant, and self-absorbed to admit that he or she has room to grow and improve.
Emotional Maturity
The greatest American presidents, and leaders for that matter, possess a deep emotional maturity which allows them to convey true adult reactions, motivations, and goals. Pouting like a spoiled brat, mocking opponents like some grade school clown, or threatening those same opponents like a bully, all demonstrate emotional immaturity. America should not resemble a chaotic classroom in an incompetent school where bullies are appeased by getting what they want simply because they want it. Great presidents know the difference between “can” and “should”.
Service and Courage
Truly great presidents seek to serve, not be served; and try not to manipulate their job for personal ,political, and social gain. They respect and work for the people, not in spite of them. They listen to the voices and concerns of their people, and do not ignore, patronize, or mock those voices and concerns.
Finally, great American presidents, and leaders for that matter, embody and exude courage. They have the guts to do what is right regardless of popularity numbers or the consequences on their political legacy. Courage in this context includes taking the hits for one’s errors and using your finger to lead the way rather than ascribe blame.
Conclusion
Truly great presidents embody a profound, sincere, and consistent commitment to represent and demonstrate the values, beliefs, and essence of what it means to be an American. They are purveyors, practitioners, and promoters of love for this country and what it stands for. They can respect this nation’s deep Judeo-Christian roots while recognizing religious diversity. They seek to serve the people, and this nation, often to the exclusion of personal agendas and political comfort. They are assertive, yet humble; sincere, yet practical; and grow into their vision and words, not away from their promises and platitudes. It is not about them, but about the nation they so profoundly love. They are not above the law, nor do they use the law as their personal weapon. They typically see themselves as servants of freedom and yet, through the power of their example, they become avatars of what it truly means to be an American.
Based upon the above parameters, it is my opinion that Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Ronald Reagan are America’s greatest presidents, in that order. They fall into the short list of America’s greatest leaders. Their quotes provide us with guidelines by which we may measure those who have held, hold, and will hold this sacred office bathed in the trust of the American people and bound by duty to the spirit of our Founding Fathers. In the interest of space, I will provide just a few, but I invite you to seek out their words of wisdom which, tragically, read like prophecy and warning today.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln
The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.
It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe without the agency of a Supreme Being.
George Washington
If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added.
Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
Man is not free unless government is limited.
We are never defeated unless we give up on God.
The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.
Ronald Reagan
Gabriel Garnica, J.D., M.S. Ed., is a college professor and licensed attorney whose regular commentary also appears on New MediaJournal.us, The Daley Times-Post, and Michnews. He holds a law degree from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. John’s University in New York.
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