Larry D. Lauer

There is no such thing as a communication expert… only professionals like me who chose to spend an entire career struggling every day to make it work. One proven communication truth, however, is that people hear what they want to hear.

Some pundits thought both evenings were disasters for the Democrats because there was so much challenging and so little unity. Socialism charges were now easier to make. But others thought that aggressive challenging was a good thing because in “mass” debates like these each person must find a way to stand out. Unity will come later in the process.

So here’s my take. I actually dreaded these debates. I was convinced that we would learn nothing and only add to information overload and confusion. I shrugged them off as “debating games.”

But I must confess I did see some talented, informed, and articulate people. And it was easy to see who was informed about what… healthcare, or tax reform, or climate change, or the military, or foreign policy, or racism, etc.

I can now imagine how time on the road might produce some strong candidates for president, vice president, and cabinet slots… and all without regard to age. I can also see how message guardrails against charges of socialism can easily be built.

When all is said and done, I came away from these debates encouraged that we actually might have the talent and political strength in this country to oppose autocracy, and to bring back American values-based leadership to the world. Please don’t tell me I’m fooling myself.

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Sometime ago I wrote a book about internal politics in universities. The project included a study of leadership styles. Among those styles was the “autocrat.” I found that some people simply feel more secure working under a leader who makes all the important decisions, even when that security often turns out to be imagined.

Many of these people have military experience, or at least admire military-type organizations. They are willing to follow directives on a daily basis, and embrace a culture of disciplined personal behavior… one that defers to a chief executive’s mandates and the instructions of managers and supervisors.

Apparently, we have a White House today that attracts people who prefer feeling this kind of security… that is as long as the commander in chief’s wrath is not being felt directly, and the work situation feels important enough.

After the Iraq war, and Saddam Hussein was finally deposed, many small businessmen said it was actually better for them before the war. The tyrant did not bother them and their businesses were moving along just fine. If there is a place that feels secure enough, many people decide they are just fine with a dictator.

When he was a presidential candidate, Senator Lindsey Graham said very nasty things about Donald Trump’s character. But now he supports him. Graham always admired the military, so maybe many of us just missed noticing that he always has preferred autocratic environments. Maybe now he even has his eye on ending his career in a secure-feeling executive position in such a White House. And maybe we even have an Attorney General who has the same kind of future in mind for himself.

Most management experts, however, think that a democratic approach to leadership results in much better problem-solving. In institutions and governments, these leaders prefer to seek out the most experienced minds they can find, and arrive at decisions based on their best collective thinking. These leaders facilitate participatory processes, listen before acting, and believe in strong teams.

In a democratic organization, the leader generally assumes the role of articulating the vision. But a talented executive team is always counted on to help find the best ways to make that vision real. Loyalty is earned this way… and it is always returned with sincere gratitude.

The current White House, with the help of a significant portion of the Republican Partly, has become a dictatorial autocracy. And while a few Americans might prefer this type of governance, we are the United States of America… and have a Declaration of Independence that flatly rejects autocracies in any form. You see… it’s the lies, chaos, greed, and cruelty that come with them that make them so divisive. And history clearly teaches that over time, autocrats always end up destroying their nations.

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Without truth and facts on the table the political process becomes pure fiction. If this was a Netflix series, it would be wildly entertaining. But this is the United States of America, and the resulting gridlock has become life-threatening to the republic most Americans hold dear.

The White House calls the news media “fake news.” At the same time, lies and personal attacks coming from the White House are “fake news.”  And when you add the fake news streaming from political adversaries and foreign countries, you have nothing short of a fictional adventure novel!

Campaigns are expensive. Instead of passing good legislation, legislators spend much of their week making donor calls and visiting with lobbyists… quickly becoming indebted to them. And making donor wishes a legislative priority mostly results in more fiction.

Lies, innuendos, exaggerations, personal attacks, conspiracies, and rumors, are all contaminating the entire political system. Both parties are responsible. And both are equally guilty.

Our country’s only hope is a complete change of people, culture, and expertise in the White House… and a whole new set of truth-committed, values motivated, “statesmen” setting the agenda in Congress.

Before it’s too late, we simply must find and support the right candidates for 2020. And then, we need to make damn sure they get elected!

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There is no denying it. Leaders at the top of nations and institutions can either set a contagious tone of optimism, or use fear to divide people against each other, and possibly even incite hate.

For example, when a white supremacist has a stash of heavy weapons, a kill list of journalists and politicians, and has already attempted to murder several of them, this is pure hate in action. And when a top leader does or says nothing to stop this person, haters everywhere feel encouraged to act. It’s called “copycat” behavior. And it’s easy to recognize.

So when hate-driven shooters of Jews and Muslims confess white supremacist motivations, numerous copycats can be activated… especially when leaders won’t denounce supremacist behavior dramatically enough. Then, other potential victims begin living in fear, and everyone else constantly feels on edge.

So what is needed to bring a divided nation back together and reestablish a collective sense of optimism? The answer is not difficult: How about an inspiring leader with a clear and compelling vision for the future, strong personal values, solid leadership experience, a pragmatic game plan, and boundless energy? And if we’re lucky, we may already have one auditioning right now!

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Researchers have long pointed out that successful communication can only take place if the message receiver has the same meaning for the words that are used as the message sender. For example, when I say the word “dog,” I am only making a noise. The receiver must have the same meaning for that noise that I do. A dog lover will respond differently than a dog hater, and some people might even be thinking about a person they know!

Recent media revolutions made this communication reality even worse. Many important words are now losing their meanings. They get blurred in the mass of our overwhelming information overload. Simply put, people hear what they want to hear. Words like truth, socialism, conspiracy, collusion, treason, communism, capitalism, extremism, conservative, democracy, republic, spying, and even crisis, are clearly meaning different things to different people.

For example, many Marxist scholars would see socialism as a stage midway between capitalism and communism. And Russian communists will claim they are a democracy simply because they hold elections. When candidates are asked if they are capitalists, their answers will definitely mean different things to different audiences.

During my professional career I would ask groups to define words like these and there always was very little agreement. Most confused socialism with communism. Few had the same understanding of capitalism. And when Bernie Sanders talks about democratic socialism, his audiences will no doubt have differing ideas about what he really means.

Especially today, speakers and writers should always define their most important words before they use them. Or even better, maybe they should avoid using some words completely, and focus mostly on explaining their best ideas, as well as their plan for a totally renewed United States of America.

A positive tone and message for 2020 will be the only way to recapture the American dream. Above all, both parties must avoid drowning in the current administration’s moral cesspool.

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