| Ralph Becker's 07 Salt Lake City mayoral campaign was an excellent model of this leadership. Becker and his campaign cast a vision of Salt Lake as a world class city. Volunteers weren't trying to get Ralph elected - his election was a means to the end of transforming Salt Lake. The campaign's Blueprints were another key part of the model; each blueprint spoke to a different way in which the city become world class, they were comprehensive - covering most key areas of leading a city. It was easy to get excited about Ralph as mayor and to say excited. The results speak for themselves - the real race was the primary from which Ralph emerged as the strongest candidate by a surprising margin. The campaign, however, did something even smarter; they trusted their volunteers to do and say the right things. In essence, they said, "Here's our vision, go share it with people." It worked.
In 08, Barack Obama's campaign used the same model. They framed the race simply as "change versus more of the same." They cast the vision again and again and again. They inspired volunteers the trusted them. Obama won a clear victory - both popular and electoral votes were clearly in his favor.
Paradoxically, in both cases, both Becker and Obama have as elected officials failed to capitalize on their campaign victories. FDR once said to a voter that he would do the right thing but she had to make him do it. That's the key concept. Becker has a huge email list, one he could and should easily be using to get things done. He could drive reform of our planning commission through emailing supporters and getting them to push the city council to m ove. He could use his supporters to push through a number of initiatives. Instead, Becker has gotten bogged down. Understand, that Ralph is a good mayor; his administration reflects very much is personality - he is a serious, thoughtful person who works methodically which has greatly reduced the drama from the Rocky Anderson years and been, overall, a boon to the city.
Obama has only recently begun using his massive email list to support his initiatives. The Obama administration has gotten bogged down in governing, enmeshed in an unresponsive system. They're off their game. I think Barack Obama and Ralph Becker have similar orientations toward the world - serious, methodical, thoughtful. Obama has lost track of the desire for "change versus more of the same" that got him elected.
Both campaigns for both Becker and Obama should have taught valuable lessons - Americans want to be involved in the process and we're hungry for something better than we've had for decades. Government has consistently failed us; we want government to serve us. If our leaders inspire us - if they will cast a consistent coherent vision, we will get inspired, we will work tirelessly to make the change real. We need our leaders to do more than govern; we need them hear what we're saying, to discern the vision, and to engage us in making it real.
Obama has been off his game for months. He needs to get back into campaign mode. Same for Ralph.
I'm not talking about the much and rightly maligned permanent campaign. I'm talking about reconfiguring the methods of leadership. It requires some of the same tactics as campaigning, but it rises above them; it is a very different strategic goal as well. In this case, the strategic vision isn't "Pass a stimulus package" or "Pass health care reform" the strategic vision is "Making America better through policy that betters people's lives." Each particular bill or initiative is either part of that vision or it's not included in major pushes. It can be allowed to go to the wayside. The campaign processes that need to follow are constant communication, casting and recasting the vision and reconfiguring how we get public input.
Leadership in this case means empowering the public to communicate so elected officials can discern and articulate a vision that the public can then support. It's time for our elected officials to stop being enmeshed in an unresponsive governmental structure and to start leading a government of, for and by the people. This would actually lead to not only better policy but actually more progressive policy; on an issue by issue basis, the American people actually support far from liberal policies than our government has delivered for a long time. It's time for change versus more of the same. |
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