(Babble On, for the Sunstar Davao, Friday, Nov. 21, 2008)
President-elect Barack Obama currently looks at Abraham Lincoln as a role model. There are many parallels between the two. Both are skinny and come from the state of Illinois. Both were new to the Washington political scene and became President despite the odds against them. Both also faced wars during their administration, one a civil war, and the other a war on terror. Both faced massive crises which threatened America itself, one on slavery, the other financial.
In a way, Barack Obama is already destined for greatness if he chooses to emulate Lincoln. Lincoln stands as one of the greatest American Presidents the country has ever had. He abolished slavery and kept America united even when separation seemed imminent. He also reached out to his political enemies and made them his Cabinet members and confidants ( a move which Obama may very well follow if rumors are any indication). Lincoln was a great President and a worthy hero to channel and emulate by any standard.
However considering some of the actions Lincoln took as President, President-elect Obama may want to reconsider his choice of Lincoln as a role model.
Remember that Lincoln resorted to what Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams termed “extra-constitutional measures” in order to achieve his goal of abolishing slavery and keeping America united. Lincoln dangerously limited civil liberties by suspending habeas corpus, declaring martial law and authorized military tribunals to try terrorists (do some of these actions sound familiar?)
The fact that Lincoln succeeded in his goal to save America, so to speak, does not necessarily mean he did it in the proper way. Lincoln was a great man, and a great leader, that is true. But his term as President may be the best example of the philosophy of “the ends justify the means.” And at this point, I am not so sure President-elect Obama wants to go down that particular path.
If the President-elect was a superstitious man, he may also want to reconsider channeling Lincoln as his Presidential persona. Lincoln was assassinated and died without finishing his 2nd term. That seems to me a rather bad “omen,” for lack of a better word.
And speaking of omens, the President-elect is the 44th president of America. Under Chinese superstition, 4 is a very unlucky number because its Chinese pronunciation sounds like the Chinese word for death. 44 would then be clearly unlucky. I’ve already heard some older Chinese people mention that Obama may be an unlucky president because he is the 44th. But then again, there seems to be no indication Obama is a superstitious man.
In any case, Lincoln may not be the best role model for President-elect Obama. Maybe he ought to consider picking someone else.
One of the more astute insights I’ve gained from my mentors is that “your mentor is your network.” That came about because the traditional idea of a mentor as a single person just couldn’t work out in today’s business setting. So I have a network of mentors, depending on what I need.
I believe the same thing is true for role models. One person models a unique skillset (or set of attributes), another a different skillset, and a third a still different skillset. So, maybe you have a network role models??!! I have a number of role models, always have had. None of them are fully satisfying–emphasis on “fully.”
There are pieces of Lincoln that are very rich and satisfying, but there are other characteristics that no thank you–not especially inspiring.
I’d be curious to know what you think about a network of role models.