Presidential Training Wheels

The Rock In My Shoe_small_shoe1We all have training wheels provided us by the evolution of the species. One-trial-learning, which I refer to as training wheels, helps us survive in new situations. Unfortunately, it is also the root cause of prejudice.

One-trial-learning is hardwired into our species so we quickly learn that some things are dangerous. The hot stove and the child learning not to touch it the second time cliché is an example.

This hardwiring also works the other way. When we’re very successful at a particular tactic we come to believe that it will always work. This is especially true in naive leaders. Charismatic young men learn that followers believe them without thinking.

But there are situations in which the training wheels come off before the rider has mastered the bicycle. That leads to bruises and nasty scrapes.

For George W. Bush the belief in his good-old-boy charm gave him confidence that he could count on the loyalty of people who had served his father. In fact their loyalty always was divided. In the end they served him badly.

Now we see a truly charismatic President Obama building his staff with people whose primary loyalty is to the former President Clinton.

I fear President Obama will be even more poorly served by his team than was President Bush.

One-trial-learning is hardwired in us all. It is our first survival tool. As such it is the true basis for loyalty. Secondary learning never overwrites or replaces the results of one trial learning.

I believe President Obama may find that he has sad results from choosing a staff whose members have divided loyalty.

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5 Responses to Presidential Training Wheels

  1. George V.S. White says:

    George W. Bush used more retreads in his cabinet than most before him. Loyalty to themselves was prevalent. Look how Dick Cheney took care of Halliburton with no-bid contracts in Iraq. Secretary of the Treasury Paulson took care of Goldman Sachs and others with free taxpayer bailouts. Obama has a team that seems not to have ties to anyone and this team will see us through the recovery of the disaster that happened on George W’s watch. Could John McSame have done as well in as short a time? I think not. The Democrats have landed. Thank God.

    • CrazyDocCummings says:

      Compare:
      For George W. Bush the belief in his good-old-boy charm gave him confidence that he could count on the loyalty of people who had served his father. In fact their loyalty always was divided. In the end they served him badly.

      Now we see a truly charismatic President Obama building his staff with people whose primary loyalty is to the former President Clinton.

      I fear President Obama will be even more poorly served by his team than was President Bush.

      With:
      “Obama has a team that seems not to have ties to anyone…”

      Differing points of view are what give Americans a chance for continuing freedom. Successful decisions are made in the face of strongly held opposing points of view.

  2. Chris Manzuk says:

    Before declaring victory for the Democrats, you would be prudent to wait a year or two to see if anything really gets fixed…..

    “George W. Bush used more retreads in his cabinet than most before him. Loyalty to themselves was prevalent. Look how Dick Cheney took care of Halliburton with no-bid contracts in Iraq. Secretary of the Treasury Paulson took care of Goldman Sachs and others with free taxpayer bailouts. Obama has a team that seems not to have ties to anyone and this team will see us through the recovery of the disaster that happened on George W’s watch. Could John McSame have done as well in as short a time? I think not. The Democrats have landed. Thank God.”

  3. Joe Gribbin says:

    “Before declaring victory for the Democrats, you would be prudent to wait a year or two to see if anything really gets fixed….”

    I totally agree with this statement. We need to give this administration some time to get these things untangled. Knowledgeable people agree that without the bank bailouts, the ‘WORLD’S’ financial markets would have imploded. But there are certain elements that, even though they know this to be true, keep yelling about the bank bailouts as a way to mislead the unknowing into believing that the Obama administration as somehow given in the ‘bankers’. It also seems that the ‘loyal’ opposition has managed to criticized every minute item this administration has done. And I mean they are on a full barrel roll, led by their leaders, Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove, two particularly cruel men who couldn’t win an election to their local school boards.

    The stimulus bill is what it is. While ostensively it is an attempt to quell a worldwide depression and help give the markets time to recover, to me it seems as though it is a backlash to the previous administration’s ‘supply-side’, trickle-down, voodoo economics that seemingly led to the mess were in now.
    You know the statistics, the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, while the rest of us saw our income stagnate. Hopefully the stimulus will lead to an improved infrastructure, job growth and a return to better days for many.

    Lastly, look at what has happened to us over the last 30 years. I may be off my nut here, but strongly opposing ideaologies have divided this country like nothing since the Civil War. Placing blame on who started it, who said what, when and so forth have only put us on a path of destruction from within, with no moderation from either side. Is this the end of our great nation?

    I heard someone say today that they do not believe in moderation. What? It seems they almost HAVE to say these things to appeal to their ‘base’. But seriously, no moderation? Just grab the majority in whatever fashion you can, then ‘ramrod’ your points of view and legislation thru congress and into law? Sounds like the Taliban or any other oligarchy, oh wait, isn’t that where we’re heading?

    God Bless America

    • CrazyDocCummings says:

      Well let us analyze:

      “I heard someone say today that they do not believe in moderation. What? It seems they almost HAVE to say these things to appeal to their ‘base’. But seriously, no moderation? Just grab the majority in whatever fashion you can, then ‘ramrod’ your points of view and legislation thru congress and into law? Sounds like the Taliban or any other oligarchy, oh wait, isn’t that where we’re heading?”

      “It also seems that the ‘loyal’ opposition has managed to criticized every minute item this administration has done. And I mean they are on a full barrel roll, led by their leaders, Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove, two particularly cruel men who couldn’t win an election to their local school boards.”

      “Lastly, look at what has happened to us over the last 30 years. I may be off my nut here, but strongly opposing ideaologies [sic] have divided this country like nothing since the Civil War.”

      I do not see moderation here, I see frustration.

      But finally we have agreement: God Bless America!

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