A foreword to readers of a series opening tomorrow at The Seminal.

I’m endlessly dismayed by the lack of leadership and moral courage I observe from people and institutions that I would otherwise expect more of. I posted a Quick Hit at OpenLeft called
“Nobody marched at the One Nation “march”"
which was about a diary in FDL called
“Progressive “One Nation” Event a Bit Disappointing, We Didn’t March: ”
in which the question of the lack of strong leadership by unions naturally arises. The contents of this diary flowed from that discussion.

Barack Obama’s failure of leadership and the Democratic Party’s lack of a coherent vision

There are a lot of scared people out there who aren’t crazy. People disconnected from the details of politics. People who need a strong leader to guide them and tell them what to think and feel. That leader can channel their fears for good or for evil.

The response to developers and supporters with connections to the Muslim community in New York City, who wish to construct an Islamic cultural center that many now refer to as the “Ground Zero Mosque,” has a toxicity that is repulsive and entirely objectionable. Unfortunately, Democrats have shown an utter lack of leadership and continue to fail to confront the right wing’s whipping up of hysterical patriotism that has translated into fear and hatred toward Muslims.

The president is not inspiring much confidence in his leadership and crisis managemt abilities.

Our president seems doomed by hubris, in his case, the faith in his ability to manage crises by 1) staying cool and level-headed and 2) relying on the same entrenched institutions that engender crises for solutions. Sadly, this means that Obama, though probably a “good man,” is the wrong leader for these times.

Ryan Grim and Arthur Delany have a deep look at how the power centers in Congress – at least on the Democratic side – work. The piece is long – 10 pages – but worth reading in full.

Once again, the representative from Cleveland is showing the rest of congress what leadership looks like.

Speech is music; lyrical, rhythmic, seductive.