Terry Newell is currently director of his own firm, Leadership for a Responsible Society. His work focuses on values-based leadership, ethics, and decision making. A former Air Force officer, Terry also previously served as Director of the Horace Mann Learning Center, the training arm of the U.S. Department of Education, and as Dean of Faculty at the Federal Executive Institute. Terry is co-editor and author of The Trusted Leader: Building the Relationships That Make Government Work (CQ Press, 2011). He also wrote Statesmanship, Character and Leadership in America (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) and To Serve with Honor: Doing the Right Thing in Government (Loftlands Press 2015).
All in Governing Ourselves
Young people are not learning enough about civics to assure they can handle the responsibility they will have for the future of democracy.
After the nasty presidential campaign of 1800, Thomas Jefferson emerged victorious. In his inaugural address, he encouraged the nation to heal their divisions and recall what they shared.
Partisan political hatreds stoked by politicians and social media close our minds to the possibility that some of what we think of the opposition is wrong.
Extreme partisanship and gerrymandering mean the views of a much of the population get ignored, damaging faith in representative government.
Sound judgment is essential in a president. Voters must consider if a candidate has it and not be swayed by surface attributes of presidential campaigns.
Most voters are very tied to their candidates. Changing their minds is possible but not easy.
Character is essential in those who aspire to presidential leadership. Without it, democracy suffers.
Society can be stronger if leaders can admit they are wrong, but we often make that very hard for them to do.
Political arguments often result from people who see different versions of reality but are convinced theirs is the only accurate one.
Voluntarily relinquishing political power is rare in American history. George Washington did it - twice.
Formal efforts to stop the viral spread of disinformation have had limited success. The best antidote is citizens who think critically.
Efforts at fact-checking fake news fight an uphill battle against the flood of disinformation.
The efforts of politicians, cable news/talk shows and social media to polarize Americans mask a great deal that we agree on.
Arguments against the1787 Constitution still show up today. Disagreements among modern-day Federalists and Anti-Federalists are healthy for democracy, as long as remain civil.
When we try to silence viewpoints we silence the dialogue and debate essential to democracy.
Beset by polarization and politics, Americans seem to have lost the self-confidence that has brought forth its greatest achievements - and that still can.
Civic rituals are a way to strengthen ties among Americans. Strengthening civic rituals can help ease some of our national divides.
Candidates for president need to handle cognitively complex reasoning. How well they remember dates is a poor measure of that capability.
Too many assume that the “red” and “blue” divisions in American cannot be healed. We sell ourselves short.
The human need to feel useful to others is central to good health and happiness. When that need goes unfulfilled, we and society suffer.
