Clinton, Obama, McCain, Romney – Are There Ethics in Presidential Campaigns?

With New Hampshire behind them and other states primaries staring them squarely in the face – I wonder if the population feels that the front runners in this presidential campaign are ethical?

As I began to ponder that question, a larger more important question loomed. What is the definition of ethics or ethical behavior?

The copyrighted world wide definition of ETHICS involves two parts:

• Doing specific things to make yourself and the world better, and
• Avoiding doing other things so that you don’t needlessly hurt yourself, or others with bad personal judgement.

While I am sure that those who have clearly found the candidate they wish to support in this 2008 presidential election will have a strong opinion, the question is – do the front running candidates (thus far) have the ethics or ethical foundation to stay the course and make American’s proud?

All the candidates (as far as I can tell) would meet the first qualification for ethics – doing specific things to make yourself and your world better.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary Tuesday night, pulling out a stunning victory over Sen. Barack Obama in a contest that she had been forecast to lose.

“I come tonight with a very full heart and I want especially to thank New Hampshire,” she told a jubliant crowd at her campaign headquarters in Manchester. “Over the last week I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice.

Clinton has stated that she is an agent for change. She clearly wishes to get the message out that she desires to do something good for America.

Barack Obama speech excerpt: “We are choosing hope over fear. We’re choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.

The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won’t just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know.”

Obama, likewise, has a vision and passion for where he sees America headed. Clearly the first definition of Ethics – meet.

Senator John McCain speech excerpt: “We live in momentous times. We face a global threat from enemies for whom no attack is too cruel. The world is changing in profound ways. We need to make those changes work for us and for all people who share our beliefs in free markets and free people. Our government has failed to meet some of its most basic responsibilities and the American people have lost trust i n their leaders. This election is about big things, not small ones. We can’t muddle through the next four years, bickering among ourselves, and leave to others the work that is ours to do.”

McCain – ethical – yep – as far as the first definition goes as you can see from his remarks above.

Mitt Romney comments in a speech: “My campaign is about changing Washington to strengthen America: I want to build a stronger military, a stronger economy, and stronger families. I call these the three legs of the Republican stool. These three unite the coalition of conservatives that Ronald Reagan championed – defense conservatives, economic conservatives, and social conservatives.

“We won’t win the White House with only two out of three or one out of three. Republicans win the White House by motivating all three parts of our coalition to carry us to victory. We’re not going to beat Hillary Clinton by acting like Hillary Clinton.”

Well…by my account much less vision here with Romney than with the others, but it might be in appropriate to judge based on a quote from a speech.

The real issue with ethics won’t necessarily be found in the first part of the definition, that’s the easy part for most. Rather, it will be found in the second part. “Avoiding doing other things so that you don’t needlessly hurt yourself, or others with bad personal judgment.”

When the heat of the campaign arises – the real test will be who sticks to the VISION for the future of America or who gravels in the mud to sling the most dirt.

Speaking of Ethics a little advertisement:

On a crisp October day in 1995, Chuck Gallagher took 23 physical steps… opened a door… and began a new experience that was life-changing. In a style that is far more vulnerable than most motivational keynote speakers, Chuck shares the painful lessons of his life with his audience and touches them forever. For information about my presentations on sales motivation, business ethics or corporate change visit my site at www.chuckgallagher.com and I’d be happy to send you a promotional video or you can see my video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6DBQelQ_cY

Obama – A Fairy Tale? Maybe It’s Time We Recapture Camelot!

I was just a kid when John F. Kennedy was assisnated.  I don’t remember the event or where I was – what I do know is that his vision inspiried a generation to do the impossible.  Never did I hear the naysayers say it can’t be done, rather, people rallied around a common cause and America grew – even in the face of war and conflict.

Now, I am a business ethics speaker – my topic – Motivational Ethics inspires those who hear to make choices that can yield positive results.  http://www.chuckgallagher.com   Now, I have made choices that did not yield positive outcomes so I know the difference.  And, let me say at the outset – I am not a politician nor have I made my mind up who to vote for.  However, with that said, I couldn’t resist today making some comments about the sparing I hear from the Clinton camp toward the democratic front runner (thus far) - Obama.

So lets look at some of the comments today:

From (CNN) – On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, former President Bill Clinton criticized the media for not pressing Barack Obama more fully on Iraq, and accused the Illinois senator of shifting his position to reflect changing attitudes on the war.

“It is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, enumerating the years, and never got asked one time, not once, ‘Well, how could you say that when you said in 2004 you didn’t know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war,” Clinton said at a campaign stop in Hanover, New Hampshire.

He added, “Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen.”

The biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen?  Wow!

Don’t know about you, but most fairy tales (at least the ones I remember and had read to me as a child) are uplifting.  Good triumphs over evil and there is a positive moral to the story.  In fact, while fairy tales are riddled with truths, and not everything is pretty, when the story ends the power of good always triumphs.

So – the biggest Fairy Tale I’ve Ever Seen – might be a slip of the tongue or a precurser to a positive change for the future.

Senator Obama is not perfect, but here are some comments he made to his supporters in Iowa that sure seem positive to me:

“In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that’s consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that’s been all about division and instead make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that’s how we’ll win in November, and that’s how we’ll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation.

We are choosing hope over fear. We’re choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.

You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don’t own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back.

The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won’t just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know.”

As a motivational speaker my job is to help others see things in a different light – to see things in the light of hope – to see the possibilities that solve the problems – to see that we are more than what we seem – we are possibility.  To some that is a fairy tale – to me that is harnessing the power of human potential.

Your thoughts?

Then There’s Real Dumb Luck – On The Lighter Side By Ethics Expert Chuck Gallagher

So here’s the skinny. A woman desperate to find “painkillers” attempts to break into a home. Hoping that inside she’ll find the golden tables she seeks. You can feel the rush as she inserts her license between the door and the frame – pushing frantically trying to pry open the lock – just like that do so easily on TV.

Oops.

Oh crap.

My license broke.

Panic sets in.

Oh xxxx I need those pain killers.

Dang (you insert your word) and now my entry card (in this case her drivers license) is broken.

Kylie L. Grissom – you’re charged with attempted burglary!

Well, as I say in presentations around the country – every choice has a consequence. Now many times we don’t see the consequences happen as quickly as Kylie L. Grissom. In fact, many times it takes years for those consequences to manifest.

But in Kylie’s case – if it weren’t for dumb luck she’d have no luck at all. It seems that when her license broke in the door as she tried to “jimmy” the lock – the part that broke off was the part with her name and address. What a wonderful calling card she left of police.

It’s stories like this that keep my presentations interesting. I don’t have to have script writers (like the big guys in Hollywood), rather there is too much daily that is entertaining and real.

Make good choices!

A little advertisement:

On a crisp October day in 1995, Chuck Gallagher took 23 physical steps… opened a door… and began a new experience that was life-changing. In a style that is far more vulnerable than most motivational keynote speakers, Chuck shares the painful lessons of his life with his audience and touches them forever. For information about my presentations on sales motivation, business ethics or corporate change visit my site at www.chuckgallagher.com and I’d be happy to send you a promotional video or you can see my video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6DBQelQ_cY