The Observer, October 14, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7
Free Speech Zone: Polls not a good lead for president to follow
To the editor:
As I read the Oct. 7 issue of The Observer, I came across Mr. Dan Myers left-wing critique of the presidency which was based on an assertion that the Republican Party is out of touch with "America and its values." And what, you ask, is the premise upon which this was based? It is based on fact that Mr. Bush refuses to allow his policies to be dictated by the results of opinion polling.
The argument that is presented here is fallacious, however. Though Mr. Myers accuses the president of being out of touch with the values of America because he refuses to utilize poll results, that refusal is in fact a sign of integrity within our elected leader. I do not agree with everything the President has done while in office, by a large stretch. At the same time, I respect the strength by which he holds himself to his values, a trait which is often missing in politics in America.
Values are a necessary and fundamental part of the trait of integrity. To have integrity, a man must have values to which he remains loyal. The very opposite of integrity is what is being proposed by Mr. Myers and others who believe that our elected officials should base decisions on the result of polls – they propose leadership based in corruption, which will ultimately lead to total failure. Leaders must stand firm in the face of withering opposition to their ideas, and bear out what they feel is the best path. A leader who refuses to do this is not a leader – they are a coward.
Our election of the president was our way of placing our confidence in him – now it is up to him to justify that confidence. However, if he is constantly looking over poll results, trying to make the decision that pleases people, he will not be an effective leader. The old adage goes: "If you try and please everyone, you will end up pleasing no one." Elected officials must do first what they feel is the right path, and never what a poll tells them to do. Integrity goes hand in hand with leadership, just as corruption goes hand in hand with tyranny.
Thomas A. Rehman
Undergraduate Student
