Remember the first time you heard this concept? High school for me I think it was; probably cruising for burgers with some pals, none of us too happy with the choices before us and having to pick amongst a selection of equally unappetizing alternatives.
What’ll it be, fellas? 1) Wimpy’s, 2) Topps, 3) Burger King or 4) Hunger? Option 4 is not acceptable! Let’s take the ‘least worst’ choice and be done with it. (Nobody had a real strong preference for any of them, but hey, ya gotta eat!)
I’m reminded of this in reading the latest polls about our choices here in America for national leadership. http://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-national-convention-cleveland-set-for-a-donald-trump-show-1468801893
A new Wall St. Journal/ NBC News national poll finds that the two leadership choices dominating the national conversation are the most unpopular people in modern times to serve as major party nominees for US President.
Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump as the conventions approach by a 5-point margin, 46% to 41%, in head to head consideration, so the likely victor at this point is clear. However, voters show their true feelings about our leadership alternatives when asked ‘which candidate shows the right judgment to be a good president’ – and a dark horse candidate emerges!
Clinton gets 37% while Trump falls to 25% on this score. Squeezing in between them with a strong 32% of the American electorate is – ‘Neither.’
A third of the American people by this poll throw up their hands and say the process has failed to produce an acceptable choice!
Here’s the headline this story conjures up:
‘Third Party Candidate “Armstrong Neither” Bests Trump, Closing On Clinton As Major Parties Approach Political Conventions’
Hardly a vote of confidence for our political system, is it? Sad to say, we’ve got one of those ‘least worst’ choices first encountered years ago in adolescence.
What’ll it be, people? Wimpy’s, Topps or Burger King? 1) Clinton, 2) Trump or 3) Neither? Yes, we’ve got that same ‘least worst’ high school conundrum again, but Option 3 is not a choice. (Hold your nose and vote, but ya gotta vote!)
I wish I could say I wasn’t expecting the debates to take us back to high school as well!
Comments? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Email me at fadair@adairleadership.com