Likeability

I recall reading about the Kennedy/Nixon debates and how people who watched on TV thought that Kennedy won but those who listened on radio believed that Nixon won. Those thoughts stuck in my mind and a few years later when I was watching Andy on Mayberry RFD, I suddenly realized that Hollywood could create the next president of the United States. Then to prove the adage that truth is greater than friction, along came Ronald Reagan and words like charisma and telegenic entered my vocabulary. This tread has continued to the present day and the new word is likeability and we see that being played out in the primaries. We have candidates like governors Jeb Bush and John Kasich who have outstanding records of job creation, lower taxes while taking their states weighed down with debt to budget surpluses and the voters seem not to be interested. They are overshadowed by the powerful personality of Trump. While this can be attributed to TV personality, there is another underlying reason why this is happening. I was watching Jeb talk about his record as he went from item to item showing how government can be effectively run and I have seen this it other states but when it comes to the federal government something changes. Here all too often great speeches are given but nothing much changes and this is at the heart of today’s frustration with the federal government. I offer the VA as one example. For years veterans have been poorly treated by the VA and for years government officials have said they will change things. The latest attempt happened less than two years ago. VA Secretary Robert McDonald, the former chairman, president and CEO of Proctor & Gamble who came to the VA just three and a half months ago, has made clear in his words and early deeds that there must be sweeping systemic changes at the VA. And also what he calls a change in the "culture" that permeates the VA. Like all things in the news this has faded into the background but once again nothing is changing. The Vets are still waiting in line far too long