I Am Prompted To Tell You This

The various talking heads and commentators are having a great time over the teleprompter mishap that happened a few days ago when Brian Cowen, the Prime Minister of Ireland and Barack Obama, the alleged President of the United States got their teleprompted wires crossed and gave parts of each others intended speeches.

Now I am the first to admit that there was a Keystone Kops aspect to the whole affair that was, on the surface, amusing.  And, who among us does not enjoy seeing the powerful made humble, made to look like the humans they, after all, really are?

Yet, there is an aspect of this that I find not in the least funny.  Consider the facts:

1. It took the Prime Minister of Ireland nearly one half minute to realize this was not the same speech he had given earlier the same day.
2. The President of the United States did not recognize his own name when he thanked himself for his hospitality.

Now I don’t think of myself as especially naive.  I know that most important people employ speech writers.  I know that they are busy people who are “on stage” most of the time, with very little time to sit back and contemplate.  Still, I find this a bit much.  After all, these are heads of state.  In one case, the head of the most powerful state in the history of the world.  A head of state with the power at his fingertips, to literally obliterate other countries.  Is it too much to expect them to have at least some clue what they are saying to the world, in the name of the people they govern?

In the case of the Irish PM, is it too much to expect him to recognize the same words he had spoken earlier the same day?  In the case of the  President, is it too much to expect him to recognize his own name?  In fact, is it too much to expect both of these people to have some idea of the content of the speech they are giving?

Could it be that we have elected people to high office who are capable of nothing more than simply repeating whatever appears on their teleprompter?  In my humble opinion, this differs from being a true puppet only in that, with a true puppet, the puppeteer actually speaks the words — and, we can see who he/she is while they are doing so.  To me, this is even worse.  We have what are obviously puppets but are not at all sure who the puppeteers really are.

Is this the “change” over half the voters asked for?  A change to an empty suit with a resonant voice and the ability to seem sincere, no matter what babble emits from his mouth?  Worse yet, how are we to find out who these hidden puppeteers are and what they want from us?

Is this not what happens when serious elections become a nationalized version of American Idol (or Irish Idol as the case may be)?  Is this not what we should expect when we elect people more based on how they look than on the substance of their character?  More on how they say whatever they say than on the substance or truth of the words they said?

Years ago, I led a team of people who, in effect, taught an in-company course intended to change peoples attitudes about sharing their knowledge.  At first, the team used speaker notes on the presentations we gave.  It soon became apparent that this led to the presenter often merely reading the speaker notes to the audience.  Now all the people in the audience were able to read quite well themselves, and the  presentations became like eating dry bread (the substance was there but it was not the least palatable).  So, I had the team remove all the speaker notes and never allowed their use again.  My reasoning being that, if you needed the speaker notes, it was because you did not know the material.  And, if you did not know the material, what business did you have presuming to pass that knowledge on to others?

This turned out to be a valuable approach for my team.  It made us better at what we did.  So, I wonder, if that was good for a few insignificant people at a large corporation, why would we ever accept less from a team we have entrusted with trillions of dollars, with mega-tons of explosives, and with the very freedom of a country?

My answer?  We should not.  Instead, we should demand that all would-be office holders, whether elected or appointed, demonstrate some actual knowledge of the thing they presume to lead.

For instance, the demonstrated inability to operate TurboTax is hardly a qualification for being Treasury Secretary.  Likewise, a demonstrated inability to follow the law is hardly a qualification for being Attorney General (if you don’t know what this means, please Google “Marc Rich pardon”).  Following through and helping those who bribed you with campaign contributions (or worse) is hardly a qualification to be a Senator or Representative.  And on, and on it goes.

Just what does it take to get to you?  Do they have to send you a daily email saying “we think you are stupid”?

Get mad.  Then help get these bozos out of our government.  If the Irish want to keep their bozos, that is their problem.

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