Politics
Leadership Lacking
August 25, 2006 
Old Eskimo saying: “If you’re not the lead dog the view never changes.”
In the previous posting the GUARDIAN ripped Team Dave with the expectation we would get a bunch of indignant replies from supporters telling us what a great job Mayor Dave has done.
Instead we got a few feeble attempts enumerating some accomplishments that others saw as failures. For the record the thing we hear most often about Boise’s current top politico is simply DISAPPOINTMENT. We all expected more. He gave us an ethics panel, but we haven’t heard about anything they have uncovered or prevented.
In fact, we remember they said it was OK for the City Treasurer to solicit funds from bankers and investors dooing business with the city on behalf of a professional association as long as he didn’t do it as city treasurer!
After all the ragging on the poor mayor we have to admit HE IS THE BEST WE HAVE. He seems to be honest. He is a decent sort. But as we said over a year ago, “they aren’t bad people, they just need some direction.”
Discussing the dilemma with friends ( yes, the GUARDIAN has a few) the bigger question came up: “Where have all the leaders gone?” Worldwide.
We don’t have a Roosevelt with social programs. There is no Eisenhower to win the war. No statesman like Winston Churchill. No Frank Church to be a liberal in a conservative state. Remember the pride we all felt when Cece Andrus became Interior Secretary? He came home to be governor for two more terms–something Dirk could never do.
What is leadership today? Bill Clinton is seen as a senior statesman and Jimmy Carter has shed his peanut farmer image to become the moral compass for much of the world with his humanitarian projects and election monitoring.
Somehow Jim Risch is “ranked” by a poll as the 18th most popular governor in America–after three months in office which he will leave in January.
Tell us about any decent, intelligent, people you know who are willing and able to jump out of line and break trail…anywhere on earth.
Old cowboy saying: “If you see nothing but horse’s asses you’re a follower, not a leader.”
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Aug 26, 2006, 1:00 pm
“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” Old Theodore Roosevelt quote
Its pretty easy to sit in the stands and be critical. The honor goes to those who dare. It seems to be far easier to let some other dog lead and point out how he poorly he’s doing than to take the lead yourself.
Aug 26, 2006, 9:52 pm
Not much daring here though. Honor should never go to those who promise and never deliver or those who are elected to represent and then turn a deaf ear.
Aug 26, 2006, 10:14 pm
Stevo, I agree 100%, Guardian you are a armchair politician of which after a great start you have lost your focus and credibility. I’m about ready to stop coming to this page.
Aug 27, 2006, 1:36 pm
Well, Guardian, perhaps you should post your resume so that some of your readers will know that you are THE leader when it comes to keeping local government honest. For those of you who don’t know it the police station and airport garage are not being built through sneaky financial manipulation because of Guardian.
Now if someone would get the damned city leaders to sell that big piece of property owned by the city between Fairview and Main to private developers perhaps the city can start collecting property taxes on it.
Aug 27, 2006, 1:43 pm
Our politicians, both local and national get mixed directions. Voters are almost evenly divided on just about any issue you can imagine. No wonder politicians seem to do nothing and accomplish nothing.
Aug 27, 2006, 5:41 pm
Guardian,
Names for your consideration. Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York. Activist lawyer. Successfully took on the securities, computer, and insurance industries.
Also, Mitt Romney for taking over the huge problems at Boston’s blundered Big Dig project. And then making real progress.
Got to be impressed by Barack Obama.
These are a few leaders, perhaps not from the usual places, but they have stepped up to the challenge.
That is enough of this fantasy football exercise. Lets go back to news in Boise.
EDITOR NOTE–Whidit, this exercise stemmed from our Boise/Idaho situation. We agree with you on all your choices. During Vietnam duty we actually helped “brainwash” Mitt’s daddy who was a friend of ours.
Aug 27, 2006, 10:07 pm
“Tell us about any decent, intelligent, people you know who are willing and able to jump out of line and break trail…anywhere on earth.”
Two men, former Boise Mayor Brent Coles and former Idaho State Senator Jack Noble, are at the for-front.
Perhaps, the Guardian can persuade these individuals to throw their beanies in the political ring and save Boise City.
“If you’re not playing with a full deck, don’t shuffle in public.”
Aug 31, 2006, 7:15 pm
Ihave a very ” Common Sense” suggestion which the above article seems to have missed. The Politicians are not the great ones ( although Idaho needs some more Frank Churchs)- The People are the great ones… the leaders … the fighters… the implimenters of freedom.. all through history The common People have always been the leaders in gettting rid of despotic govt. and replacing it with freedom.Look at the American revolution- It was fought and won by the People as was the French revolution.
EDITOR NOTE–Good point nicely said.