Looking for a political leader? You might try the nearest mirror.
Shortly before he died in 2003, Paul Simon concluded that elected officials are counting on you and me to tell them what to do. His book, Our Culture of Pandering, published that year, examined what he called the "harsh reality" of our civic life: leaders who won't lead.
Politicians, Simon wrote, consider winning more important than the public interest, and spend much of their time testing the winds through polls. In other words, they put considerable energy into trying to understand and please us.
But let's not flatter ourselves on that point. We should find it discouraging — and not simply for the obvious reasons.
Take another look in that mirror.
It can't be encouraging to know that a prospective juror in George Ryan's corruption trial reportedly had at best a vague recollection that the former governor's troubles were "talked about," and that afterwards he "disappeared." Quite mysteriously, it seems.
And it can't be encouraging that voters, as we have written before in Illinois Issues, sometimes mistake state lawmakers for members of Congress (and vice versa) — and that they often have only the haziest notion of their respective duties.
True, we are exaggerating here for effect. Not all Illinoisans have an inability to discern when and where their elected officials are supposed to show up for work. Not even most Illinoisans. But — and here's another "harsh reality" — a lot of them do. We don't need a poll to tell us that.
And why is this?
Several years ago, political scientist Kent Redfield told the magazine's editors that experts define Illinois' political culture as "individualistic." In this state, he said, politics is "a business to be conducted by professionals." Or so it's considered to be, by citizen and politician alike. Redfield, a professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, has spent a career studying these matters.
It's only in those presumably more nerdy states, such as Minnesota and Wisconsin, he said, "where the focus is on 'the common good,' where politics is valued for its participation, and where participation is seen as ennobling and building the individual" (see Illinois Issues, October 1999, page 26).
Well, OK. No question we live in a representative democracy where we have always asked those who are elected to do the hard work. (The dirty work part of this "business" is a matter best left to prosecutors. And they're doing a bang-up job at it.)
But if we are tossing responsibility for policy deliberations to our elected leaders, and they in turn have taken to tossing it back, then Illinois' political culture resembles nothing so much as the Mad Hatter's endless tea party.
"The harsh reality is that we have slipped into electing leaders who will not lead, officeholders who are zealous to maintain themselves in power, sometimes at the expense of the national interest." - Paul Simon Our Culture of Pandering Southern Illinois University Press 2003
Is it possible to end this absurdity?
To do so, we would have to fall through the looking glass. Now may be the best time to begin that journey.
This month, Illinois Issues considers leadership in its myriad forms, institutional, political and community. So it seems worthwhile to reflect, too, on the challenges of citizen leadership.
Essayist James Krohe Jr., who wrote the overview piece on leadership, suggests that how-to manuals often mislead. With apologies to him, we venture a couple of thoughts anyway.
If our elected officials won't, we will have to learn to think beyond our individual selves to the greater good.
Redfield offered a caveat on that: "In a political culture like ours, 'the public interest' is defined as the aggregate of individual interests. It doesn't exist separately." But, then, who or what calculates that aggregate? The latest will-o'-the-wisp poll? There's no substance in that. No, each of us will need to consider the greater good — especially when it comes to the so-called pocketbook issues.
And we will need to convince our politicians — take a deep breath — to trust us again. That means none of those sudden-death threats on this or that hot-button issue. No more thinking we want one thing, only to change our minds on a whim. Or worse, wanting contrary things at the same time.
No one said democracy would be easy. To be a citizen leader means to take responsibility. Staying informed, of course, is a given. Then maybe we can all look ourselves in the mirror.
Honors for public service
There are five new members of the Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Internship Hall of Fame.
Richard Dunn, Neil Flynn, Terry Scrogum, Debra Smitley and Clive Topol are the 2005 inductees.
Illinois Issues and the University of Illinois at Springfield's Center for State Policy and Leadership sponsor the Hall, which is named for Sam Gove, one of the magazine's founders and a longtime director of the Illinois legislative internship program.
Members of the Hall were interns at least 10 years ago for one of Illinois' legislative leaders or for the Legislative Research Unit and have had outstanding careers in public service.
They are chosen every other year by a committee created by Illinois Issues, and honored at a ceremony at the Executive Mansion.
Richard Dunn teaches political science at Millikin University in Decatur. He worked on the Illinois Senate Republican staff. Dunn was on the staff of the Illinois State Police from 1974 until his retirement in 2004. He was a legislative intern in the class of 1966-67.
Neil Flynn has his own law practice. He has served as chief staff counsel to the Illinois House Democrats. He was a legislative intern in the class of 1976-77.
Terry Scrogum is executive director of the Illinois Arts Council. He was an analyst on the Illinois House Republican staff and a legislative liaison for the Department of Children and Family Services. He was an assistant to Secretary of State Jim Edgar and a special assistant to Edgar when he was governor. Scrogum was a legislative intern in the class of 1974-75.
Debra Smitley is assistant vice president for Finance and Planning at Illinois State University. She served on the Senate Republican staff. She also worked for the Illinois Board of Higher Education, specializing in fiscal affairs and governmental relations. She was a legislative intern in the class of 1979-80.
Clive Topol, a partner in the law firm of Fletcher, Topol, O'Brien & Kasper, has served as legal counsel to the Illinois House Republican staff and as legislative counsel to the Illinois State Bar Association. He was a legislative intern in the class of 1975-76.
The Hall was established in 1990. It now includes 41 members, among them a former governor, several former and current state legislators, and legislative and executive staff members.
Their names are inscribed on a plaque that hangs on the fourth floor of the state Capitol.
Peggy Boyer Long can be reached at Peggyboy@aol.com.
Illinois Issues, November 2005
