We ALL, left and right, spend a lot of time thinking and talking about what he said, what he meant, and what the implications are. Half of the country defends him no matter what he says, and half of the country criticizes him no matter what he says. The one thing we all seem to agree on is that it is very important to sort out how we feel about what he said. And then to feel that very strongly.

I think the problem (and it’s a subtle one) is that we have all come to assume that what our elected leader says is important. It seems like it should be, doesn’t it? And in previous generations, that may have been true. One of the benefits of having a leader at all is that it helps the group coalesce and head in the same direction, greatly increasing (by consolidation) their collective power. A good leader could be the most important voice in a crisis. Could be the voice of one lifted high enough to see the big picture, with enough resources to bring together the best experts in their fields to create a plan for success.

To be a good leader, first and foremost, one must be a good communicator. This is essential and nonnegotiable. That does not mean that a good communicator is automatically a good leader; there’s a lot more to it than that. But communication is foundational. If one’s fans and critics alike are not sure exactly what was meant, and even debate what was actually said, it follows that there will be confusion and chaos. A leader MUST be able to clearly and effectively communicate the current situation, the possible outcomes, and his preferred (plausible) potential solutions.

By anyone’s assessment, our current leader does not have strong communication skills. Objectively. Even his staunchest supporters admit that he’s not a “smooth talker.” Reading a transcript of one of his speeches is quite difficult, because he often trails off, goes on rants, doesn’t finish complete thoughts, and seems to assume that everyone understands what he is referencing. He backpedals, denies having said things that we have video of him saying, changes his mind when he chooses, and sometimes says he was just joking, even though nobody could tell.

What I am suggesting is that perhaps we put less weight on what he says and does. It is true that he has a lot of power, but maybe not as much as he would like us to think that he has. There are plenty of reasonable, competent experts throughout the government who, whatever their political ideology, are focused on doing the right and responsible things. These are the voices we need to amplify. Not his. He can speak, sure, and he will take actions, yes, but we need not amplify his voice, because it only causes us to be more polarized.

What are some ways we can do this?

That’s not a heading or title for a list of answers; it’s an actual question. How can we stop giving our time and energy trying to prove, once again, that he is The Worst™? We’re in the middle of a crisis right now. Honestly, whichever side you’re on (slow the spread or set us free), it feels like a crisis. So, think with me. What things should someone in a crisis be thinking about?

If I were giving advice to someone in a crisis, I would encourage them to not get caught up in relatively insignificant squabbles and disagreements. I would remind them that there will be plenty of time later to get back to those things, but for the moment, right now, in this crisis, maybe our attention should be elsewhere. What advice would YOU give someone in the middle of a crisis? Please comment, I really want to know.

I’m not positive which things we should be focused on, which of the imminent situations that we either are in, or we’re going to be in, is most critical. Is it climate change and pollution? Is it the likely coming recession? The creep of authoritarian governmental powers? Is it COVID19, and other global health concerns? I read the other day that there is a “famine of Biblical proportions” coming to one area of the globe. I can’t even recall what area, and yet I’m suddenly thinking, you know, that sounds a shit ton more important to think about than whether he just told people to inject Lysol.

I am not saying that it’s ok that he says these things. It’s not. I’m just saying, it is a fact that a good leader must be a good communicator. He is objectively a poor communicator. We do not have a good leader. We cannot depend on him to lead us through all of the situations we are headed for, and we cannot waste time trying to explain this to those who don’t want to see that. If we’re going to get through all the things coming at us, we are going to have to lead ourselves. We’re going to have to try to find the best way to push our causes forward, whether that’s through local and regional politics, small personal changes, community partnerships and collaborations, or committing to move forward with science and logic, and no longer worry about who isn’t on the bus.

At a minimum, I think we all need to give him less space in our head. That space is needed for much more important things. You get to decide what those are.