What Happened to Dignity?

One wonders whether the absence of dignity is a key reason why politicians of whatever ideological stripe are held in generally low regard by the public.

Consider a June gathering in Iowa of  various would-be GOP nominees.  The young Republican governor of Wisconsin rode into town on a Harley- Davidson dressed appropriately for a motorcyclist.  Others who attended were attired as if ready to plow a nearby corn field.  Did any of them look presidential?  Hardly.  They simply didn’t look dignified.

Is that important?  America’s early presidents apparently thought so.  George Washington was famously known for being very formal in his attire – whether as a soldier or national leader.  Do you remember seeing photos of Abraham Lincoln – as president – dressed as the rail splitter and woodman he used to be?  How about twentieth century executives such as Woodrow Wilson, FDR or Dwight Eisenhower?  Again, they appeared in public, if not always formally attired, looking well dressed and … dignified.  Same with JFK.

Things changed with Lyndon B. Johnson.  He was “everyman” having come from a hardscrabble upbringing in rural Texas.  He was proud of his roots, flaunting his rough edges as he did during a White House press conference by pulling up his shirt to show off a recently-acquired surgical scar. 

But don’t we Americans revel in the belief that anyone can become President?  Yes, except we really don’t want just anyone to be president.

We like any other people desire to look up to our leaders.  Certainly not in the way that the subjects of a monarchy view their king or in the obsequiousness that a tyrant demands of his cowed populace.  But we do want to think that our president elected by the people deserves our respect – that he is fit to lead us.  We understandably have a hard time envisioning our neighbors and work companions (everyday people like ourselves) earning the right to guide our nation and, thus, us.

Those above us should play the role.  The President should act like a leader.  Be dignified.  That conveys self-confidence which comforts the led.

Presidents since LBJ have often failed on that score.  Think of Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on late night TV (there’s no need to reference the Monica Lewinsky matter.  Certainly that was not meant to be known to the public.).

Or think of President George W. Bush’s boast that Bin Laden was wanted “dead or alive”.  Although the pledge was plainly heartfelt, it did not exactly sound dignified or presidential.  It was the phrasing one would have expected from one’s bar companion.

[To his credit, Barack Obama has almost always maintained his public dignity although the occasional photos of him wearing shorts and displaying his knobby knees on the golf course are problematic on that score.]

Informality, as such, is not inappropriate, but when it is displayed, the President and pretenders should not sacrifice dignity.  Its possession, I suggest, can be more important to success than any particular position on issues of the day.