Should Government Leaders Shirk Political Discipline?

Should political leaders say anything? Or things they only want you to hear? Or say things they cannot do or deliver? 

In politics, leadership discipline isn't understood or practiced differently or out of context on how leadership discipline is applied in other areas of organizational functions in our societies.

 

Political discipline is a practice of making people obey rules or standards of behaviors and facing consequences/accountability when disobeying the rules occurs. In the political arena, law, order, and discipline are placed in the hands of our elected political leaders and the governing bodies.

 

So, the business of governing and governing is a contract and consent between the people and the representatives of their government. As such, "Leaders inspire those they supervise to find their voices." 

 

But what happens when our political leaders are stuck on political partisans?

 

The growing partisan politics or political tribalism in America and around the world is contributing to the erosion of discipline in politics and governing effectively weak political leaders tend to shirk discipline-violating leadership norms, fail to abide by the rule of law, and sentiments of abandoning the constitution and their oath of office, paving the way to disruption in the society and authoritarian behaviors that is characterized by political violence.

 

According to studies conducted by Mason and Kalmoe, "Partisan identity strength" as to how much being Democrats or Republicans is part of who they are is the most important factor in endorsing political violence...Thus, more Americans now are using their political party affiliation as a source of meaning and social identity, with these identities linked to differences in "leisure activities", consumption, aesthetic taste, and personal morality". And in doing so, they are diluting the strength of the American unity and threatening peace, freedom, and democracy due to intensified disagreements about political issues of our time.

 

The shifting of demographics in the US is increasingly associated with changing the identity of the US. Its diverse population, according to Pew Research Center, is shaping the US political narrative.

"Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past, and the U.S. is projected to be even more diverse in the coming decades. By 2055, the U.S. will not have a single racial or ethnic majority... Over the next five decades, the majority of U.S. population growth is projected to be linked to new Asian and Hispanic immigration . . America’s demographic changes are shifting the electorate—and American politics. The 2016 electorate [was] the most diverse in U.S. history due to strong growth among Hispanic eligible voters, particularly U.S.-born youth. There are also wide gaps opening between the generations on many social and political issues. Young adult Millennials are much more likely than their elders to hold liberal views on many political and social issues, though they are also less likely to identify with either political party: 50% call themselves political independents."

 

Given that shift demographically, our political leaders now more than ever are engaged in political violence-politics of confrontation, thrive on intimidating others, and are participating in organizing and supporting faction groups that are committed to acts of political violence against the government and its democratic institutions. The Jan 6th, 2021, an act of political violence against the US Capitol Hill during a democratic process sessions-at the core of democracy was the most wicked crime against democracy in the history of the US.

 

Despite what happened on Jan. 6th, 2021, democracy endured but left Americans more divided than ever...If the same stairs that harbor the chaotic hatred and chaos that day, are the stairs of faith, strength, and hope for the future is remains to be seen, or in other words, it remains in the hand of the people, who are the ultimate defenders and protectors of democracy.

 

Nevertheless, as a society, we should never miss the sight of who was behind that political violence. When a leader of a country sees political violence as "good people... You will never take back our country with weakness...You have to show strength, and you have to be strong..." Then, the same leadership argue with them and direct them to march to Capitol Hill, causing six deaths and more than 140 people injured-Jan. 6th, 2021, will be Donald Trump and GOP legacy-he started the presidency he stole from Hilary Clinton with the help of foreign adversaries, lead with chaos, and ended his presidency chaotically and un-ceremonially, contrary to the well-established democratic process of peaceful transfer of power.

 

 

What is political violence looks like in America?

 

A political leader who cannot protect and defend its government and all its people is vicious... The leadership that is capable of positive change but neglect or refuses to adhere to proper and necessary change is not only participating and enabling unfavorable political behaviors but weak-those who minimize the Jan. 6th, 2021, events are increasingly accepting political violence.

Where people's lives are in danger or insecure, either because of viciousness and or weakness of a leader/leadership that is shirking leadership discipline-thus, lawlessness, corruption, and political violence denies people freedoms, justice, and liberties; and it destroys the principles of democratic government.

 

Leadership that does not shirk political discipline is based on inspiration, not domination, on cooperation, not intimidation. 

 

For GOP to engage in politics of domination and intimidation since Barack Obama's presidency, to date is not only visible but questionable. 

 

Being a leader is more than just wanting to lead.

 

Political leaders, in particular, must possess empathy for others and a keen interest and ability to find the best in people, not do the worse to people.

 

During Donald Trump tenure in office, his words and actions or inactions were full of trash talk for a leader but also accompanied by political violence-incited violence in the streets, " they are fine people...We love You... You are very special people...We will be back in some form...", Donald Trump pleased the insurrectionists of Capitol Hill.

But also, there was his divisive and discriminatory policies on Immigration, Muslim ban, derogatory language against African and poor countries, coursing with the US adversaries, withdrew the US from the WHO during the worse pandemic in the recent memories; or deny science by withdrawing the US from the Climate Change Paris Accord at a time that climate-related crisis is raging across the globe, as well as abandoning the US leadership in the world stage which flared the rising simulations/mimic of undemocratic practices by leaders of his caliber in other parts of the world...

 

If a leader cannot control his words and actions, he cannot find a proper way to manage and inspire, he also loses all the wisdom, integrity, and virtual that comes with the leadership status.

 

Having severely lack leadership discipline, Donald Trump during his time in office his administration suffered the worse staff turnovers in the history of the White House-worse political leaders are those who think they know much or more than the people who work for them.

 

On the other hand, the best political leaders are those who know that their people know more than they know and are still able to admit it, value them, their work, and their contribution.

 

Political leaders become great not because of their power, but of their ability to empower others positively.

 

The fact that there is a chunk of Republicans, and most of them being politicians continue to back Trump's "Big Lie", and worse of all pride him as a party leader highlights the unprecedented political tragedy on the horizon.

 

Shirking discipline in the political leadership that has been demonstrated by the Republican politicians and their party leadership is an attempt to abort the principles of democracy, conspiring to stand by and pledge their loyalty and support to a corrupt leader to undermine and destroy American democracy, to assume absolute power, and paving the way to a dictatorship government.

 

They (GOP) reject honesty by hiding the truth, telling lies, and speaking dishonestly; they ignore the respect of the oath of their offices by engaging in divisive, discriminative, and hateful arguments/policies/state laws; refusing to acknowledge and threaten others in their camp and opponents, by aggressive character assassination, rejecting them an endorsement, and even reprimand when they tell the truth or refrain from their unconstitutional behaviors.

 

In Feb. 2021 Congresswoman Liz Chaney, from Wyoming, and third-ranking member of House Republican leadership was censured and stripped of her leadership role for speaking the truth and fulfilling her constitutional role, abiding by the rule of law, and upholding the principles of democracy, and for not backing the Republicans "Big Lies" about who planned and attacked Capitol Hill on Jan 6th, 2021. Liz Cheney was also one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump for the unprecedented second time. All the 10 Republicans were rebuked in one way or the other by their party -campaigned against them, called out to resign their positions/asked not to run again under their party ticket, and worse verbal mistreatments, simply for exercising their constitutional rights...if that is not shirking leadership discipline and political violence, what is it? For the Republican party, loyalty supersedes the fulfillment and respect for the constitution or the rule of law.

 

Time and again, we have witnessed GOP compromising their leadership integrity and shirking political discipline for failing to even tell themselves the truth, instead, they play party politics and political violence-"Nothing makes one a fool as lying to yourself."

 

Those who shirk political discipline their conduct so far reveal that their characters lied to themselves, their overall conduct also reveals that they not only betray the oath of their offices but also, is betrayal of American Values. American people, and American democracy.  

 

Political incivility in today's politics has hit the crisis level-incivility behaviors continue to rise in America from online and social media and in recent years into the political arena where it has turned into political violence...into partisan politics...into Conservatives Vs Liberals or Left Vs Right; and or into White Vs Black, as such tensions in the society are at the highest level. Incivility behaviors are felt everywhere in the political arena, in the streets /communities, and in schools and in our homes-as people, as a society, are failing ourselves…

 

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 70% of Americans today believed that incivility in society/politics has reached crisis proportion, and this is exacerbated in the leadership crisis by leaders who shirk discipline.

 

On social media, it is not surprising to see the growing number of incivility discourse/culture, but at the political level to emulate such incivility culture in policy discussion that can turn to personal attach and threat in the House and social media is unprecedented- Trump has been permanently banned from Facebook and Twitter for using the platforms to spread lies. misinformation, disinformation, misleading and fake news...others too have recently been banned from Twitter…

 

In May 2021, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green posted a harassing video against Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez...Marjorie Taylor Green also became aggressively confrontational about debating AOC on false allegations that she supports terrorists causing concern for safety among members of Congress...

 

Those who cannot discipline themselves, cannot discipline others...Likewise, freedom without discipline is chaos...

 

Indiscipline leadership and the novel coronavirus pandemic

 

The novel coronavirus pandemic that has been terrorizing every human being on the planet has also become both a tool of political discourse and political violence caused by lack of political leaders' discipline in some states...Vaccines have been turned into a political football and weaponized, fueling anger and aggression, but also anti-vaccines people making the covid spread threat unattainable allowing the virus to continue mutating and attacking with raging speed...

 

Political violence due to coronavirus pandemic in some red states not much by others, but the states leaderships leading with defiance to the vaccines causing antagonistic behaviors between the people in their states is disheartening and a leadership discipline shirking of its kind-has led parents getting violent over schools closures, aggressively attacking one another and school principals, or challenging schools systems regardless of schools rule and laws they must abide by, to ensure and maintain a healthy and safe environment in schools. Thus, neglecting what is in the best interests of a child and her/his health and safety over defiance against mask-wearing in schools, or whether schools should be closed when coronavirus infection is spiking, or whether vaccines are available for students and who gets and doesn't want to get it ...

 

Be that as it may, it’s as if all of a sudden everyone has their own sets of rights that supersede the rights of others and or jeopardize the health and safety of others-thus, the rules, laws, procedures that have guided public safety for as long as we can remember no longer works for some, or are being abused in the name of pandemic-can this go on like that and expect law and order, peace and unity, in the society and communities we live?

 

"The party of law and order has always been the greatest threat to law and order", lip-service/words that don't match their actions.

 

The recent trend in the political arena indicates that "politicians who are more antagonistic get more media attention and are more often elected than more agreeable politicians", hence, aggression behaviors today in politics is shaping the political outcomes, only for the worse since aggressive people/behaviors are associated with lack of discipline/emotional regulation and empathy. What does this imply? Are we now opting for aggressive leadership instead of decent, regulated leadership? Is shirking leadership discipline a new normal in the political arena?

 

Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman in Scientific America narrates, "In the general population, antagonistic people are more likely to distrust politics in general, to believe in conspiracy theories, and to support the secessionist movement."... January 6th, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill is a result and a proof of conspiracy theories organized, initiated, and carried out by aggressive political leaders who spread and still spreading 'Big Lie' about the free and fair election that awarded Joseph R. Biden presidency...because Donald Trump and GOP  lost the election, they cannot accept it and therefore their aggressive attitude and uncontrollable behaviors rage them to attach democracy at its core-Capitol Hill attach...  

 

Various experiments conducted from 2014, found that "exposure to mildly violent political metaphors such as 'fighting for future' increase general support for political violence among people with aggression personalities"-as people, as adults, we need to be conscious, vigilant, and custodians of peace in our communities by first being mindful about whom we elect to lead us, and second, to avoid instigation syndrome and attitude when we disagree with one another or with our leaders... it is easy to be a follower than a leader, but it’s called upon us to be leaders, not followers...

 

Our dissatisfactions with our democratic governments and free-market reforms if genuine should, therefore, start from the bottom-up, by ‘We The People’, not up-bottom by the ‘political elites’ -thus, when it is a faction group of  ‘wealthy people, class of elites/leaders’ organizing and luring the ‘bottom working-class’ to conspire and commit to political violence against their government, it is not for the benefits of the bottom-working-class, but been used as a scapegoat for a power grab, manipulation, and corruption-instead take an active role in participating and engaging into the business affairs of your government and that of the world, in general, to be aware of not only what is going on but also of the truth to avoid falling into the 'wide and entangled web of lies, misinformation, disinformation, misleading, and or falsehoods and fake news that dominate the world of politics today.

 

A good number of current political leaders have ceased to act as professional political scientists perhaps because some of them buy their way to politics and they know nothing about political science or politics, hence, engaged in political games of aggression and violations of political norms, rule of law, and insult the constitution.

 

Ineffective Congress, all Three Branches of Government, or Isn't it?

Effective leadership not only called for political discipline but also is putting people and country first while effectively managing the required discipline of running and carrying out the functions of the government.

 

How Congress with its  supreme role performs its legislative duties has raised questions, increasingly becoming a subject of debate in schools/colleges, and has been receiving low rate public approval for over a decade-and-a-half now-thus, public/people are dissatisfied with the way Congress legislate nowadays-many founding principles have been ignored/neglected and Congress is increasingly becoming too partisan that they now cannot legislate people's agendas before parties' agendas-the infighting within the Houses has gotten worse and go above and beyond politics and nothing much get achieved-rhetoric have become the power and the tool of insult and language of manipulation-people been fed empty words day in, day out-as such, the infight in both Houses (Congress and Senate) has led to many  failures in agreement on popular common-sense bills to strengthen our democracy, like the Freedom to Vote Act: The John Lewis Voting Right Advancement Act... leaving both Houses looking like they are less interested in defending the constitution and democracy as they are for party loyalty and politics that has become a new normal in today's politics...Both Houses are engaged in neglecting even abusing the constitutional duties of carryout people's business which supersedes parties' loyalty and policy goals...

 

Now, we see all the three branches of government increasingly unable to agree on one another, work together on peoples agendas instead, they are receding into each branch overreaching its constitutional duties-working independently while ignoring checks and balances-weather is the Executive branch unilaterally issuing and scrapping away executive orders; or Legislative branch neglecting its supreme power of legislating by giving more power to the States Governors; and or the Supreme Court becoming more and more political than legal-so much so that, it’s fair to conclude that, the events that are happening within or inside the three branches of the government (aggressive behaviors of party politics, supporting faction groups, giving States rights to violate people's rights and freedoms (Texas Roe V. Wade overturn), all culminating to disturbing dysfunction in all three branches of government, and leading to the imminent threat to the rule of law, and the beginning of the destruction of the democratic institutions (Red states currently massively engaged in passing laws that suppress voting rights).

 

In a nutshell

Political dysfunction, polarization, violence, turmoil, shirking discipline, or whatever you wish to call it has reached a new height and the enemy is within, and in all three branches of the government necessitated and reflected by their failure/neglect to abide by the principles of the nation’s democracy to the tone of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution. 

 

"Political leadership discipline is a bridge between effective leadership, goals attainment, and achievements...nothing of importance is achieved without discipline".