The Paths Of Glory Lead But To The Grave
Since the passing of our good friend and my mentor Chuck Manatt (aka CTM), I must admit I have been dealing with, as Churchill used to say, “the black dog.” My wife Donna always seems to recognize not only black dog coming on but knows how to deal with him. Over our 43 years of marriage she has been slowly teaching me to appreciate poetry. May reading Thomas Gray’s “ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCH-YARD” help other of our friends mourning Chuck’s death as it did me. Continue reading
What I hope you will get in reading Politics with Principle
I hope to share Politics with Principle with those in politics and those who plan a career in politics. I intend to raise awareness among all who will listen about the importance of civility at minimum and of cultivating in their daily lives, something as old as Greece and Rome, the Aristotelian habit of good conduct called virtue. By passing on the need for virtue, the capstone of our Judeo-Greco-Roman-Christian heritage, I hope to inspire the next generation of public servants to seek both the “greater good” and personal virtue. Politics with Principle: Ten Characters with Character is my contribution toward encouraging civility and raising virtue literacy in our country. It is proof that virtue and politics need not, and must not, be severed from one another.
What might we gain by fostering character building in young Americans?
At a minimum, we might achieve an era when a political talk show could occur without everyone interrupting one another and shouting over one another.
We might not be doomed to corruption if we build character into our public servants before they serve. True leadership is based on sound character that is honed long before a candidate takes an oath as an elected official. Continue reading
RAISING VIRTUE IN POLITICS
Last week you learned more of the characters in my book. Now I would like to tell you why I feel qualified to write Politics with Principle.
I have been involved in politics for over 40 years and participated in Washington political life and have been registered to lobby for most of those years, lobbying on the “Hill” and in the States. I have come to know thousands of politicians over that time. Continue reading
Ben Cardin: Impressive Leader Who Does Not Try To Impress
Ringing in Ben’s ear was John Kennedy’s iconic call to the youth of America: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” JFK’s speech triggered Ben’s strong belief in the difference one person can make, the good one person can accomplish, when his or her actions are based upon a commitment to ethics and service. Continue reading
TRUST AND RESILIENCE: VIRTUES THAT IMPACT CHARACTER
In recent blogs, I have introduced our readers to two pals of mine, each prominent authors and consultants, namely: Robert Porter Lynch (see his “System of Trust” http://www.warrenco.com/) and Dr Paul Stoltz’s (www.peaklearning.com) Adversity Advantage (see HBR http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/07/when_adversity_strikes_what_do.html) Continue reading
POWER vs. HONOR, FORCE vs. LAW, SIZE vs. BEAUTY
An enjoyable aspect of blogging is when readers respond not only to a post of mine but also to comments of others on the blog. In this case, one of our readers, Robert Porter Lynch, a prominent author and consultant (http://www.warrenco.com/) in his own right, responded to the Latin phrase, “tantae molis erat” in the post of another reader… Continue reading