The Role of Leadership

Three things played a role in my decision to vote for Barack Obama: issues, values, and leadership.

From how he has run his campaign to his behavior when the financial crisis broke, Obama has shown exceptional leadership ability. He remains calm in the face of crisis, he motivates people to action, and Obama does his job while he lets others do theirs. No worries about Obama becoming the Micro-manager-in-Chief. To top this off, Obama shows tremendous vision. His economic policy contains both short-term and long-term elements, as does his energy policy. His campaign has already laid the groundwork for for his plans to expand service to country. The campaign has also begun to redefine how people think about presidential elections.

The deciding factor about why I did not vote for John McCain? The abysmal lack of leadership capability that he showed during his campaign, but especially in the face of the financial crisis. I don't care to spend the next four years with a president who ricochets from one crisis to the next, who only performs at his peak when he is down, and who seems capable of dealing with only one matter at a time. He uses fear to whip up his crowds, and focuses more on his opponent and on his own past rather than on the future. Again, I don't want four years with a president who needs the enemy outside to keep people in line.

McCain talks about reform, but puts lobbyists in key positions on his campaign. Obama talks about the people making a difference, and he puts that into action. What kind of president will either of them make? Take a look at their campaigns.