More Heart Vs Brain

Watching the latest round of advertisements being put forth by the McCain and Obama camps, this realization finally struck me: the choice people make as to who they want to be president is not an intellectual one but rather one that is far more emotional. Why else would the advertisements and endless photo ops be more geared to tug at one's heart strings than their brain cells? Why else would so many people - I'm talking to many of you ladies out there in America - feel so excited about Sarah Palin's nomination? Any intellectual argument defending the prospect of her being a heart beat away from becoming leader of the free world is flimsy at best. She may very well be a nice lady but "nice" does not make her or any one qualified.

For at least the past 45 years political camps have been appealing to the emotions of voters. Think of Lyndon Johnson's infamous ad of a little girl playing in a field of clover when suddenly a nuclear bomb goes off as an early example. Sadly, it has been down hill from there. Collectively, these ads have played into the reality that people enjoy illusion. They enjoy seeing what they want to see as opposed to what is really there. The late Peter Drucker once said the primary reason he so admired President Harry Truman was because of Truman's ability to focus on reality and not be swayed by the hocus pocus of deceptive communicators and communication efforts.

Communication matters because it can help people make sound choices. On the flip side, it can also deceive and trick people into making false choices or accepting false realities. It is all in who and what is doing the communicating. Up till now, the McCain camp is leading the pack when it comes to this kind of poor communication. As a voter who works hard at keeping both eyes on reality, I would much rather have a president who is limited and flawed than one that is a poor communicator. Straight, honest talk helps me make good choices that come from both the head and the heart.