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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2017)
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Looking Outward Dan Glode Columnist On being ‘presidential’ Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you will need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below. — P re s i d e n t H a r r y Truman in a letter to critic Paul Hume 1950 President Harry Truman was very proud of his daugh- ter and had encouraged her singing for many years. In December of 1950 she had a performance in Washington, DC, and the arts critic for the Washington Post, Hume, was in attendance. On December 6, Harry woke up to read a scathing review of his daughter’s per- formance and, while angry, unleashed a rant in the form of a hand-written letter to Hume. In addition to the above, he called him a “frus- trated old man” (Hume was 34 at the time) and said he was an “eight ulcer man on a four ulcer pay.” Harry acted WORKMAN’S COMP? We can help! impulsively, in anger and without consulting his advis- ers. Those closest to him were aghast and predicted the logical outcome: the pub- lic perceived Harry’s actions as being totally inappropriate and beyond the bounds of proper behavior for a sitting president. Harry learned a lot about public outrage after the incident. Harry Truman didn’t have too many instances where he acted that way, but for some reason he car- ried the reputation as being somewhat impulsive and a hot-head. I couldn’t disagree more. The day he took office he was informed about the atomic bomb and spent a few months gaining infor- mation, hearing opposing viewpoints, seeking advice and we, of course, know the result. Regardless of how you feel about his decision, know it was very delibera- tive and not reactive. But the above incident, and a few others, skewed public perception of him as impulsive and a guy who shot from the hip. Most of all, though, he listened and guided this country through some of the darkest days in its history during the begin- ning of the Cold War. He was a steady hand at the helm as he consolidated the vast executive power that he inherited from Franklin Roosevelt. What Harry did with Hume was something people thought hurt the office, the perception of the office of president. People didn’t like the office of president to be cheapened or tarnished in any way. There have been some presidents in my lifetime whom I strongly disliked, but to a person they were all presidential. This is incredibly important. It goes beyond maintaining the dig- nity of the office. The presi- dent needs to project certain things as the holder of the most powerful single posi- tion on the planet. Among other things his words, actions and deeds speak vol- umes about the person and the role they occupy. I guess you could sum it up as being “presidential.” For example, when Barack Obama made remarks following the Newtown horror he tried — and succeeded in — making some sense out of this trag- edy and gave us hope. After 9/11 George Bush did the same thing. The president’s presence and demeanor have a lot to do with how he is viewed internationally as well. There is a specific type of dignity and grace which are necessary and which are expected of the person in that position. When Harry Truman crossed that line it offended almost every- one, and he pulled back and regretted the momentary lapse. The projection of calm- ness, ease, cool-headedness and steadiness does make us think things are OK or will be OK in spite of what is in the headlines. We rely on the one in charge to give Cork Cellars Dinner Specials Wine & Bistro Kriselle Cellars Thursday 5-7 pm Workman’s comp., auto accidents accepted. 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He puts it all in perspective for us, otherwise we would be in a constant state of agi- tation and uncertainty. He makes order out of chaos. Internationally, it’s vitally important to have this approach. Friends and allies need stability and steady steering from the most pow- erful country in the world. They need to know we hold to our commitments and we are there to help them in times of need. They need to know they can count on us. I think those days are over. Donald Trump’s style of bait-and-switch, illusions, contradictions, unpredict- ability and his tendency to be fast and loose with the truth may have served him well in making deals. I can see where putting someone in the position of not knowing what comes next could be useful for someone bullying 9 their way into a deal, but it is just the opposite of what is needed here. For the next four years we will all be on edge. His manner may have mesmerized his followers but it will not play well for most of us. His crazy behav- ior will bring a state of con- stant anxiety for us and our international partners. To somehow think hav- ing someone who “shakes things up” is a good thing is beyond naive; its downright dangerous for all of us. But every cloud does have a silver lining. I have not seen this level of activ- ism in a long time. I guess all that agitation has its ben- efits, especially if it eventu- ally leads to responsible and steady leadership some day. A great thing about our country, we can deal with lunacy if we work at it. We will have a lot to regret in the next four years but I think we will also have much more involvement in public affairs. Nothing brings peo- ple together like a common foe. PAID ADVERTISEMENT Creating a Charitable Giving Strategy For many of us, the New Year signifi es a fresh chance to align our spending with our priorities. If charitable giving is an important part of your budget, now is a good time to take a step back and re-evaluate your giving strategy. 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Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2016 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.