Statesman Wanted

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan passed away on Sunday, March 6^th. I was in college when Ronald Reagan was first elected President of The United States. As I got older, I learned to appreciate the man that President Reagan was. Reagan had class, unlike some of our current presidential candidates.

As I watch the debates I shake my head in disgust; when I listen to the speeches, I put my head in my hands in disbelief; while reading the newspaper, I hang my head in despair.

I submit that Ronald Reagan was a statesman and I include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln in that group. I have my own sense of what I believe a statesman is, but Webster’s definition, “A person who is experienced in the art of government or versed in the administration of government affairs,” left me wanting more.

I found an article written by Brett and Kate McKay titled “The 4 Qualities of a True Statesman.” One (or both) of them had a college professor, Dr. J. Rufus Fears, who had outlined what I was searching for.

According to the article, Dr. Fears believed that, “a politician and a statesman are not the same thing.” According to Dr. Fears, four characteristics define a statesman: a bedrock of principles, a moral compass, a vision, and the ability to build a consensus to achieve that vision.”

The first quality, Bedrock of Principles, is “a foundation of firm, unchanging, fundamental truths. These are the things he believes at his very core, his overarching philosophy.”

The second quality, A Moral Compass, separates the statesman from the politician. Whereas a politician “figures out which way the wind is blowing, he then shapes himself and his message to give the people exactly what they want. A statesman does not govern by public opinion polls.”

“The true statesman makes his decisions by following the dictates of his own moral compass. His moral compass is rooted in a sense of absolute right and absolute wrong. He is a man of integrity; he speaks the truth. He represents all that is best in his countrymen.”

In the third quality, “a statesman has a clear Vision of what his country and his people can become. He knows where he wants to take them and what it will take to get there. A statesman’s foresight is one of his most important qualities, as he must be able to recognize problems on the horizon and be able to come up with solutions that are good not only for the short-term, but for the long-term as well.”

The fourth quality, “The Ability to Build a Consensus to Achieve That Vision.”  “A statesman’s success in building a consensus ultimately hinges on his ability to convince his countrymen of the soundness of his philosophy. The statesman harnesses the power of the written, and especially the spoken word. He is a master orator. His lifelong study of great books and the lessons of history allow him to speak to the people in intelligent, potent, well-reasoned arguments. The strength of his words comes from the fact that he actually believes what he says. He keeps his word and does what he says he will do.”

How far we have fallen. We need principled, moral candidates with a vision who can lead this country, for they will be remembered as dedicated statesmen long after they have passed away.