Political dinosaurs and fireballs

Often as an amateur and aged student of politics, I get distressed when I see the dismal state of our current national politics and international affairs. As we know, polls show that most Americans don’t want a rematch between Biden and Trump. I agree with that majority.

Facing two old guys battling it out while our nation and the world holds their collective breath is no way for the greatest country in the world to operate. In recently endorsing Nikki Haley over Donald Trump before the New Hampshire primary, and before Ron DeSantis dropped out, New Hampshire’s leading, and conservative newspaper, the Manchester Union Leader, used some colorful but restrained language to describe Trump and Biden:

"The dinosaurs from the last two administrations have indeed had their shot and Nikki Haley is the fireball from the heavens to wipe them out."

One perspective might be that Haley has been a welcome ray of light in a dismal and depressed political moment, but hardly a “fireball from the heavens,” and would be a more effective “fireball” if she called Trump out more forcefully. Yet, another perspective might think longer term and recognize that in terms of language and character she might be too good for our currently often-depraved nation; but that perhaps someday the inherent goodness in America will find her. In that perspective, she may well be the needed angelic fireball — ironically, in a sense to make America great again.

At this post-New Hampshire primary moment, to me the two most interesting, albeit long-shot, candidates are Haley — the demure fireball — and the leading non-Biden Democratic presidential candidate, Representative Dean Phillips.  If either a serious criminal conviction of Trump, or a breakthrough for the House Republicans in their investigations of Biden, occur before the conventions, the dynamics for those second-placers might change.

Continuing with the theme of thinking outside the box, a mind apparently most capable of that kind of thinking was Albert Einstein. As I have written about before, my brother spent a half hour or so on a small sailboat in about 1948 with that genius. Even in that brief encounter, my brother learned that Einstein was interested in offering advice — well beyond science. Recently I noted “Einstein’s 7 Rules for a Better Life,” an advice list published in the book, “The Einstein Effect,” by Benyamin Cohen, as published in bigthink.com.

Let’s take a look at a couple of takeaways from Einstein’s list, as they might apply to how we look at the Presidential candidates.

In Einstein’s first rule he suggests we avoid “decision fatigue,” “…where our ability to make good decisions degrades as we become more tired from relentlessly having to make choices.” Thinking about this concept in the context of the Republican Presidential primary, it seems obvious that until recently we had so many choices that our ability to make wise discernments was diminished. Now with a smaller number of candidates our task is perhaps easier.

In the third rule he suggested that we view our difficulties as a puzzle to be solved. Working from his expression that, "Imagination is more important than knowledge," he developed “…a flexible, non-rigid worldview…[and] challenge[d] assumptions that others couldn’t move past, allowing him to conceive of ideas that others would unceremoniously reject out-of-hand.” Reflecting on that thought, which candidate is thinking with a flexible worldview? I would argue that it’s not those dinosaurs with their age-induced rigidity.

In his rule number five he was quite specific and helpful to our moment in time. The rule is “Don’t let politics fill you with either rage or despair.” He offered a lesson that many of us would do well to heed: "About politics to be sure, I still get dutifully angry, but I do not bat my wings anymore, I only ruffle my feathers."

Years ago, some wing flapping was needed. As older readers might remember, in a 1988 Presidential debate, candidate Michael Dukakis, then a strong opponent of capital punishment, was asked a hypothetical about his wife being raped and murdered. He answered the question without any display of passion — no flapping of his wings — or really even a ruffling of his feathers. He failed to preface any passionless answer with something like, “I would want to kill the SOB.” He lost.

Today we have gone to the opposite extreme — at least with one of our dinosaur candidates. He is non-stop passion, without any rein on his anger and seething. Using Einstein’s metaphor, he flaps his wings — over and over again. Yet, in a way, the other dinosaur resembles the Dukakis answer — quiet, but with a menacing undertone about what’s lingering there — if anything.

However, as we ponder our future decisions, remember to relax. Part of Einstein’s fifth rule is really good advice, “...sometimes the best response is to sit back, observe, [and] think….”

Contact Larry Little at larrylittle46@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Political dinosaurs and fireballs