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What does leadership look like?
To the editor:
This month, I want you to think back to the very first president you can remember. Mine was Ronald Reagan, 1980-1988. I didn't like him much. I thought an actor may not have the qualities we need in a president. But then he stood up to Gorbachev, the Russian leader, telling him to tear down the wall dividing Germany. The wall came down in 1989. I'm pretty sure Regan had something to do with that. We have had six presidents since Reagan. They have each brought their strengths and personalities to the White House and made their mark upon our country. My favorite was Barack Obama. He spoke with such clarity and dignity. When he announced that our troops had killed Osama bin Laden, there was no bragging about his "superior skills" that made it happen. He endured a legislature that was determined to make him fail and yet he stayed calm and kept going forward. He changed our healthcare industry, getting one Republican, John McCain, to support his plan for universal healthcare.
What do you think of our current leader? How does he make you feel? Does he reflect the values you hold? Do you talk like he does about women, minorities, those down on their luck? Are you alright that he hired a porn star to pleasure him when his third wife was well into her pregnancy? How about his double standard with taxes: you pay, he does not?
I am embarrassed that he is our president. He does not represent me or my values. He does not bring a positive vision for our country to us or the world. I heard him described as a transactional person (by the Arab's studying him). It does look like he is in the White House for as much financial gain as he can get, not for what he can do for our country.
I will use my power of the vote Nov. 3, 2026, to create positive change.
Terry Riggs
Fairmont