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THE QUESTION
Where Are the New Giants?
Ted Kennedy's death provided a poignant reminder that there aren't many "giants" left in American politics. Why is that? Has the leadership talent gravitated to other fields? Have voters become so cynical that they cannot be lead? Is it all the fault of the media, or the special interests, or the demands of modern campaigns?
Posted by Ben Bradlee and Steve Pearlstein on August 31, 2009 12:36 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Media Giants
The media today -- instant, decentralized, immense -- has more influence than the president and congressional leadership, making decisive policy increasingly difficult.
Posted by Slade Gorton, on September 2, 2009 6:22 AM
Repellent Politics
Many of the most passionate and entrepreneurial nonprofit leaders believe they can have a greater impact by building innovative, effective, and uncompromising solutions outside of government
Posted by Paul Schmitz, on September 2, 2009 6:15 AM
Transformational Women
Many of the new "giants" in our midst -- Hillary Clinton, Indra Nooyi, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson -- are women, operating effectively with their inclusive style of leadership.
Posted by Beth A. Brooke, on September 1, 2009 11:49 AM
Cynical, Angry, and Argumentative
Senator Kennedy showed that civility is possible even in our highly contentious era. We have to hope more politicians follow his example.
Posted by Yash Gupta, on September 1, 2009 11:44 AM
Power Outage
The diffusion and fragmentation of power, money, media and ideas in our current political culture turns the already-difficult process of producing great political leaders into a real long-shot.
Posted by Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., on September 1, 2009 11:22 AM
A New Generation
The post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era saw a shift in talent from traditional politics to other fields also dedicated to social change, especially to what has become known as "social entrepreneurship."
Posted by Bill Shore, on September 1, 2009 8:00 AM
Piles of Pygmies
Does the public really want giants? Or does it prefer mirrors?
Posted by Mickey Edwards, on August 31, 2009 8:25 PM
They Might Be Giants
I see an enormous wealth of potential giantness in the electoral pipeline.
Posted by Marty Linsky, on August 31, 2009 3:56 PM
Great In Retrospect
There have never been many "giants" in America's (or any country's) politics while they were alive.
Posted by Marshall Goldsmith, on August 31, 2009 2:42 PM
Giant in Training
There are now few if any giants in American politics, but I am not alone in believing Barack Obama has the potential for giant-dom.
Posted by Howard Gardner, on August 31, 2009 12:57 PM
Our Dysfunctional Democracy
Elective office has become an occupation rather a period of time for which leaders leave their normal careers to temporarily do public service.
Posted by David Walker, on August 31, 2009 12:52 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
FrontierWoman: I would ask leaders and that includes everyone who supervises anyone if any of the people who work for them would stand in steamy August hea...
DwightCollins: there is a difference between leader and legislature...
ted was no leader......
