President Obama is today negotiating for his political life. The pundits claim he is "all-in" on the health care bill, and that its defeat would be the practical end to his presidency. So here's a pop-quiz.
Should Obama:
Of course, the correct response to this is D. And B. And A, C and E (in other words, G). President Obama must employ every strategy available to him -- hard and soft, public and private, short-term and long-term -- to achieve his objectives on healthcare. It is both a practical and moral imperative.
This is smart power. Harvard Professor Joseph Nye has been advocating the use of smart power, a combination of hard power (military, economic, etc.) and soft power (moral, cultural, etc.) in our foreign policy for years. And both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have taken to this idea recently. But now is the time to employ a similar strategy on important domestic issues -- like healthcare.
Research has found that, although many of our leaders tend to get stuck in one approach when negotiating conflict (usually domination), our more effective leaders are more nimble. They read situations more carefully, consider their short and longer-term objectives, and then employ a variety of different strategies in order to increase the probabilities that their agenda will succeed. They know the difference between a temporary dispute and a long-term war. They know when to stay the course and when to change strategies. They recognize that good leadership requires both -- a sense of stability, vision and purpose, and the capacity to respond effectively to important changes in the landscape.
And this is what is needed to address our country's healthcare deficiencies today. President Obama must pressure, even coerce Democrats in congress to pass the bill, continue to model the high-road leadership he displayed at the healthcare summit, return to the assertive bottom-up coalition-building tactics of his campaign, tolerate and appease his opponents when necessary, and all the while be thinking long-term and developing alternative venues to advance healthcare reform if need be.
An environment as complex, volatile, and polarized as Washington is today requires adaptive leaders who employ smart power. Leaders who are masters at combining A through E above and employing networks of agents skilled in them all to move us forward. Here's hoping that our President, who is all-in, is using all of the above.
Peter T. Coleman, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, Director of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, and on faculty of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. He is currently working on a book with Dr. Ferguson on Smart Power.
Robert Ferguson, PhD, is a psychologist, executive coach and author.
The President has been advocating “B” from the on set with “numerous” attempts of bi-partisanship offered to Republicans. He has “C”…he hasn’t lost that support and the age limit restriction for young adults in college to remain on their parents insurance covers them. We mustn’t miss the primary focus – “we are actually accomplishing a historic beginning for further expansion of HCO” and we must also remember that the fight for Medicare was far worse than it has been for this bill.
A little analysis of the pathology, might be helpful to the nation. The personality disorders alone, would keep you busy for weeks.
You are presenting the problems that are being exhibited by this Administration, not the Solutions. Obama and his Administration are following the advise above and it is killing his Presidency. What he should do is "Stop following these Techniques and start following the ideals of LEADERSHIP." Leaders do not compromise their positions. The minute you start to compromise, you lose your Footing and send a signal to your people that you are losing the Battle. It is the same as stabbing your followers in the Back. The people will forgive you for losing a Battle but they will not forgive poor Leadership. Nothing will destroy a Leader faster than a compromise in Principals.
And when you've got "none of the above" above "all of the above" ... .
The Republicans stalled everything, by sending their people to committee meetings and dangled maybes. in the Dems face's, to act like they would help, while their party was never going to vote for a Dem bill, no matter what it was.
I thought I was the only one to notice that until I saw your comment. I recall a couple of times in school trying to explain the logic of my "wrong answer" to teachers who couldn't fathom my insubordination.
The bill out there now is like the Patriot Act--OBVIOUSLY it's been in the works for so many decades that it's too cumbersome to understand, AND HALF THE COUNTRY thinks it's gonna ruin their lives.
Michelle Obama COULD draft a two page bill--written so that a third-grader could understand it--and it could be amended as need demands. Alas, our POTUS is trying to be GREAT in a country that idolizes MEDIOCRITY [ see Reagan & GW ].
In another ten years America is gonna REALIZE how UNFAIR their beloved health insurers really are, and THEN the time will be ripe for total eradication of that industry...so let Fox "news" and the teabaggers THINK they won
Stole OH.
The only people fighting for their "political life" are those whose attempts at fomenting fear, uncertainty and doubt have failed.
PO is negotiating the BEGINNING of changes in the complex and perplexing area of health care. Politicians have tried for decades to counter the inertia of this behemoth problem for our country with little success. He is accomplishing this with amazing persistence, moral imperative, and professionalism, along with a variety of skills and adaptive behaviors. Sounds like success to me, too.
The screams of outrage are coming from the fear-mongering troglodytes who feel the boot on the back of their necks.
Obama is more of a B (take the high road), D (appease his opponents, then zapped them), E (develop a strong BATNA).