If A "Decider" Doesn't Listen, How Good Are The Decisions?

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was widely lauded for her speech Wednesday night attacking Sen. Barack Obama's lack of "real" decision-making experience. She has been touted from the beginning as somebody who has made real decisions, has more decision-making experience than Obama and Sen. Joe Biden combined, and a person who isn't afraid to make hard decisions.

Does this sound disturbingly familiar to anyone? I'm getting flashbacks to another "decider" and his brand of leadership. As somebody who has been intimately acquainted with the effects of this administration's biggest "decision" of the past eight years, I would like a little less deciding and a little more listening.

Obama cosponsored the new G.I. Bill, which not only gives servicemembers the right to attend college, but is transferable to their families. Studies show that most servicemembers and their families would like a college education. In other words the senator listened to what the actual troops wanted, not simply what was expedient for the government.

He also supports fully funding the VA, based on his experience listening to deliberation in the Veterans Affairs Committee. The Veterans Committee is a relatively thankless assignment in the beltway. Yet Obama asked for the assignment. Still think he's just a celebrity who is looking to glorify himself? Or might he actually want to listen and learn about what issues are affecting troops, their families and veterans?

Finally, the senator has promised to create a military families advisory board, the purpose of which would be to hear strengths and challenges facing real military families so that his administration could respond to them. This is a fundamentally important concept in an all-volunteer force that has struggled to retain its numbers in the past ten years.

Michelle Obama is using her campaign muscle to conduct roundtables with military family members. The purpose as she describes it, is to "learn and listen." I had the privilege of meeting Michelle Obama in Denver, at a service event for the troops. She said her number one priority is to listen to families and advocate for them based on what she learns. This simple, unglamorous gesture to listen before deciding how to best support military families is worth a fleet of yellow ribbon car magnets.

Decision-making is a necessary job skill for an executive. Listening, processing and deliberating before deciding is apparently a lost art. If you, like me, feel a bit crushed by the weight of all those decisions of the past eight years, perhaps we should all do a little listening and deliberating about who is the candidate who is really looking out for us, and not simply trying to be the next "decider."

Comments

[bonitatortuga]

CARRIER is a series shown on PBS about what it is like for Navy servicemembers to be deployed on the USS Nimitz. Anyone wanting a glimpse into the thoughts and hearts of our servicemembers will see immediately that they joined because they didn't have many other opportunities in their communities and hoped to get a college education after serving their country.

John McCain did NOT support the new G.I. Bill. Barack Obama was a co-sponsor and continues to push for better, more comprehensive Veterans benefits.

I am part of a Blue Star and Gold Star family. We know what the ultimately sacrifice feels like, and we honor that sacrifice. Our military service members put Country First the day they signed up, but the last eight years, the Bush administration and John McCain have put Military LAST. It is time that we HONOR and RESPECT the sacrifices of our military members and families with ACTION rather than just lip service, hot air, and constant reminders of McCain as a P.O.W.

[lvdragonlady]

Here is the 'real' Sarah Palin, complete with gaffes:

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/130537

[tompoe]

There is a VA system that is dedicated to the healthcare needs of veterans. When a veteran has an emergency, she/he can go to the nearest hospital to be helped. In most cases, that care is billed to the VA system without question. I suspect the Medicare/Medicaid system works somewhat the same.

McCain is promising to do away with the VA system. He publicly lies to the American people, that he wants veterans to be able to choose between the VA system and private care. What he fails to tell voters, is that such a policy would create a redundant system where there wasn't one before. Do taxpayers want to pay for redundant healthcare systems for their veterans? Of course not. But, if our veterans lose their VA system, they will lose their ability to get the help they need, which are not the same needs others have.

Some would call the VA system a version of single payer healthcare for all (veterans). The VA system demonstrates how a single payer healthcare system might work for everyone. The primary feature, of course, is the remarkable difference in how funds are allocated. No money is delivered to private insurers to pocket as pure profits. Having said this, it is important that we realize the Bush administration has begun the process of eroding that long-standing tradition. Hopefully, with this election, we can undo the harm by Bush-McCain attacks on our VA system this November. Obama is the solution.