I don’t usually pay much attention to former Fox host Tucker Carlson or dwell on his observations usually meant to incite conflict. But several nights ago, I saw a clip from Carlson’s appearance on Steve Inskeep’s NPR podcast, Newsmakers, that has haunted me ever since.
In the episode, Carlson recounts a conversation he had with Donald Trump in the Oval Office just days before Trump launched a war against Iran in February. Carlson insisted that he was quoting Trump verbatim.
First, Carlson told Trump that the war is “not about Iran’s nuclear program” and that it’s “being pushed by Israel.” And then, Carlson said, “He looked at me and said, ‘Yes, you’re right. But in the end, we all die anyway. So it doesn’t matter.’ That’s exactly what he said.”
But in the end, we all die anyway. So it doesn’t matter.
Just pause for a moment on the deep nihilism in this statement, the utter lack of morals or principles. This is no philosophical conversation. These bleak thoughts were expressed by a man with the ultimate power to end the lives of millions and millions of people—a man who never should have been anywhere near our White House. It’s yet another reason why he should be removed from office now.
Contrast that nihilism with the moral conviction of someone like James Talarico, the Texas candidate for U.S. Senate. Here’s some of what he says on his website to explain why he’s running:
My granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas. He taught me that we follow a barefoot rabbi who gave us two commandments: love God and love neighbor. Because there is no love of God without love of neighbor. Every single person bears the image of the sacred; every single person is holy—not just the neighbors who look like me or pray like me or vote like me…
2,000 years ago, when the powerful few rigged the system, that barefoot rabbi walked into the seat of power and flipped over the tables of injustice.
Sacred. Holy. Love of neighbor. Injustice.
Scholars will need decades to fully sort out how our society became so broken that millions of Americans could be drawn to a man as unprincipled and nihilistic as Trump. That would surely require their digging into the failure of education to teach ethics and civics, the impact of social media, the prioritizing of entertainment above all else. It’s worth considering the power of tribalism that will lead millions of Texans to vote for another blatantly corrupt and criminal candidate like Talarico’s Republican rival, Ken Paxton.
For now, let’s consider the qualities and the kind of people that you don’t just admire or respect, but that you demand in a leader. Back in June 2021, I wrote about how kindness and compassion are expressions of strength, not weakness. I quoted President Barack Obama from his 2019 eulogy at the funeral of Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings that got to the heart of this:
“There’s nothing weak about kindness and compassion. There’s nothing weak about looking out for others. There’s nothing weak about being honorable. You’re not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect.”
I also included a quote from then-President Joe Biden in a proclamation he released on Father’s Day in 2021. It gives a picture of what qualities are important to him:
Like so many fathers, my dad was a man of decency, honor, generosity, and kindness. He had a profound impact on me, and instilled in me the understanding of the basic truth that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. The value set my father taught me, I taught to my children and my grandchildren.
In this moment, when confronted with cruel, criminal and evil people who despise American values and our democratic way of life, there’s a reason why many of us also talk about the need for intelligent leaders who will fight as fiercely as is required. Dire times demand fearlessness, honesty, clarity of purpose and the readiness to fight fire with fire. Or, as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker put it when describing how to deal with a bully, “Bullies respond to one thing, and one thing only: a punch in the face.”
What qualities do you value in a leader? Are there particular leaders or people that best embody those qualities? Has your thinking changed about what qualities are important? And are you hopeful that there are strong candidates running in the midterms that will model those qualities and both win in November and help drive change in the months that follow?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for the America, America community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated.
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“There’s nothing weak about kindness and compassion. There’s nothing weak about looking out for others. There’s nothing weak about being honorable. You’re not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect.”
I often remember the advice given me as a young teacher by my first Head of School. “The strongest among us are almost always also the gentlest because real strength knows it has nothing to prove”.
Then there was the author, Thomas Heggen who wrote the novel from which the movie 'Mr. Roberts' was taken. He described his protagonist, the young lieutenant Douglas Roberts as the only kind of leader worthy of the name - one who doesn’t feel the need to always be looking behind him to see who’s following.
Keep those definitions in mind when considering the next president.
INTEGRITY, in the full scope of the word. Someone who sees themself as an integral part of the community, not above. And is dedicated to creating and supporting a fully integrated community, social, economic, education, religions, access, etc.