Individuals following politics very intensely find few outrageous things a politician may says  leaving them slack jawed. When it does happen, usually a result of some outrageous claim or platitude. Obama does this more than most, but nothing he's said before has left my mouth so  gaping as when he told Brett Baier of Fox News, that he doesn’t care about the process by which legislation is passed.

Despite what our esteemed executive believes process is extremely important. The President, trying to be political slick,  sought to distance himself from what has been an overtly messy & corrupt attempt at passing the democrat health care bill. This is extremely curious, this president seems to be extremely concerned with just  every other process than the one he has any real authority over. Whether it’s the way Americans buy health care, the way auto manufacturers build their cars, the way banks make loans and how  loans are repaid or even the process by which the executive or industry dujore he seeks to demonize gets paid.

 Admitting his disregard of the legislative process he inadvertently connected himself directly to it. But before we get into that lets look at why process is so important, not just in government but in all things.

Most of my adult working life has been spent in auto sales, about fifteen years primarily between two different dealerships which, polar opposites when it comes to process. The first was run by two Russian immigrants, at first this was inspiring to me, the most visible partner, meaning the one who was always at the dealership was not more than ten years older than I at the time and in his early thirties a senior partner in a major Philadelphia dealership. It was soon very apparent that this gentleman was only interested in a quick buck and was more concerned with driving new Lamborghini’s on the dealerships credit than he was with how business was being conducted in the showroom. The result was a free-for-all, the dealership soon began having various legal problems as a result of dirty dealing and it’s franchise license was eventually revoked. The younger partner (Serge) split the scene back to Russia and left the more honest partner holding the bag. Serge did not care about process, the ends justified the means.

My next example is of a dealership where process mattered,  a family owned dealership that has been around for about 80 years, still run by the same family. One of the partners who name is on the dealership, still works the service department dressed in a mechanics jumpsuit, making sure customers are properly attended to he even makes keys for them. This honest ethic is enforced in every area of the business from the showroom to accounting etc. The result is a dealership with an excellent reputation, which pays off in tough economic times.  Everyone benefits from this principled executive leadership. The Presidents statement exposes his deficiencies as a result of inexperience in the private sector. Not every executive or industry seeks to rip off their customers, in fact most do not.

When the president admits he does not care about the process by which legislation gets passed, he admits that he is incapable or disinterested in providing principled leadership. The constitution provides us with a process by which our elected representatives are to govern, When you look at the presidents oath of office one could argue that providing principled leadership is probably his most important job. When Obama says he is not worried about the process the result is the overtly corrupt circus which is on display within our government. The President recently said that passing his health care plan is referendum on Americas character.  This again is a curious statement coming from a man who has all but admitted that as far as he is concerned the ends is justified by any means. This is not the character of the United States and consequently why so many Americans have rejected his vision.

Anthony D Dolpies