Authenticity Not Gravitas

During Republican National Convention Week, radio Conservative Rush Limbaugh compiled a hilariously long list of commentators, pundits, and news people speculating on the "gravitas" of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush. All used the same arcane word, "gravitas." Webster dates the first use of the word, meaning "high seriousness as in a person's bearing," as 1924. Use of the word grew exponentially convention week as many in the media demonstrated their own buoyancy by their inability to conjure up original observations or even an original word.

Of course, any candidate must demonstrate a certain threshold of seriousness and competence. However, it is unlikely that anyone could survive the primary process without organizational skill and the ability to attract talented people. Before a candidate sells himself to the public, he or she must sell themselves to political professionals. The real questions are what kind of president George W. Bush will be, where he intends to lead, and how committed he is to his goals.

Richard Nixon was a foreign policy wonk who cared little about domestic issues and let the Democratic Congress set the domestic agenda. He was also deeply insecure and paranoid. These fatal flaws led to the excesses that destroyed his presidency.

Gerald Ford was a decent person who arrived at the acme of his abilities as a Congressman and never seemed to grow into the presidency. Jimmy Carter was defined by his personal integrity and honesty and his depressing vision of America as a hobbled giant desperately seeking to manage scarcity.

Ronald Reagan awoke American self-confidence by the raw display of his own certainty in "American exceptionalism" and his vision of America as a "shining city on a hill." The Reagan decade began in an economic recession and a national spiritual depression and ended with high growth rates and victory in the Cold War. Only Franklin Roosevelt so energized the country by force of his own personality.

George H. Bush's parents instilled in George a sense of duty and an obligation to serve. Unfortunately, service was his primary virtue. George H. had a reactive presidency lacking in vision. When challenged by Sadam Hussein, Bush had a conspicuous enemy and knew what he had to do. Ultimately he organized and led an alliance that won the Gulf War. When faced with the more amorphous problem of an economic recession, he could not summon the empathy required to reassure the country.

The real question for George W. is whether the vision he articulated in his acceptance speech   -   to enlist Conservative principles to address formally Democratic issues like social security and education and to appeal to traditional Democratic voters   -   is a matter of conviction or convenient rhetoric. To win this fall George W. will have to explain his ideas in sufficient detail and with sufficient passion that the electorate is persuaded of his sincerity and genuine conviction. Those who have opined that after eight years of Clinton, the electorate values ``authenticity'' are correct. "Gravitas" is an overused word and represents an overemphasized notion.

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