Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Wisdom Of President Harry S. Truman

Former President Truman served his country during WWI and WWII and was responsible for making many major political decisions that concerned domestic and foreign affairs.  He was known as a plain speaking politician with a sharp tongue who was not afraid to speak his mind to get things done for the country and its people.  When he ran for reelection the news media said his republican opponent Dewey whold win and a news paper even carried a story that Dewey did win.  During that campaign the President ran against the do nothing republicans in congress and gave them hell.

Many of Truman's famous sayings are relevant in today's political world and there is one of many that defines a major problem with our present political leaders and political system that has been taking place a number of years in this writers judgement.  President Truman said:  A President needs political understanding to run government, but he may be elected with out it. 

Those are strong words that are related to a few of our recent Presidents, but also relates to other political leaders as well.  The 24 hour news cycle, the money in advertising, the money in political campaigns, the wealthy PAC's and their constant negative comments and false information has led to the election of people who have very little or none at all political understanding to run government.

Ideology has taken front and center over what political understanding is all about and as a result government has not functioned well for the country and its people.  We are over two years away from the next Presidential election but the news media and wealthy PAC's are trying to destroy certain possible candidates.  They are also promoting some who have no political understanding to run government.

The voting public has not adjusted to this media manipulation and instead even promote their false rhetoric in the social media in the form of talking points.  Many voters have already fogotten those who lack political understanding and voted recently to shut the government down because they could not get their way.  Those politicians are also not serious public servants.

The lack of political understanding to run government is the missing link in the country's political system today and this writer sees very, very few possible candidates to change that in the 2016 election.  I also do not see any leaders in congress that has the political understanding to move that body in a way that best serves the country and its people.

President Truman would not be happy with our systems lack of political understanding in government today if he were living and would have done something about it because he had courage, the one virtue that politicians lack today because of the special interest power in our political system.  Truman would have broken up that power.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

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