Personality and politics

What Nonsense !! Do you love your dentist ? Are you best buds with your next airline pilot ?
Fenty was the most competent Mayor in 50 years. Who cares if he feels my pain. In the worst run city in America that is more important than his mannerisms. The voters of DC fired Fenty for the same reason Detroit voters have employed corrupt incompetents for 50 years, Mr Fenty did not tell his voters they were victims and it's all someone else's fault. Rather Fenty actually acted to fix problems even if he upset the unions. Burn the Witch !

Vscribe nailed it. (See post above) My view goes further. To frame civic and political questions in terms of "likability" obscures the reality. At every level, Michelle Rhee's appointment and operation, was profoundly political. While dramatically affecting children and staff, the focus of Rhee's attention has been to grandstand for the press. Her underlying political objective, cheered by the Establishment, was to demonstrate how Black folks should be made to "measure up." The objective, unstated, but otherwise writ in the boldest type, was "Put those "n..." in their place."

Disruption of the school system by mass firings? Michelle Rhee might say, " Good press! " Destruction of careers and family income? Michelle Rhee might say " Good press!" Closure of schools, Good Press! Disregard for due process and labor agreements? All, All Good Press!

I'm reminded of the way Native Americans were treated by Bureau of Indian Affairs (BMI). No attention was paid to the culture and needs of the Native American. The white Establishment demanded that the student be reoriented and learn the ways of the white man. BMI was a standard bearer for total domination. It wasn't enough to steal his land, make genocidal wars against his people, the government required that the Native American be made over--in the white man's image.
So it was in the last century and before. So it is today.
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Last I checked, being a high profile political person like a Mayor you are supposed to work for the People. Fenty was a arrogant Man, who took the things set in place before him and claimed them as his own achievements! What many People don't understand is one thing People living in DC is good at is reading between the lines. Fenty's first words spoke on how the previous Mayor's gave Blacks Folks jobs throughout City Government, then stated times has changed! By the words alone in a heavily populated Black City your job is not long for City Government.

While many of you PRAISE Fenty and Rhee, those oddly test scores are from Janney! The things he put in place brought test scores up! If anyone thing a system can be redone in 4 years time they are complete fools or definitely an IDIOT! This elections showed one thing when one Caters to a few the many will run your butt out of Office! People in DC understand the system better than what most of you FOOLS think they do! Congress craps on them on a regular bases, so they'll be damned if they're going to let two arrogant SOB's do the same! King Fenty is GONE, Rhee may be soon to follow and many in DC are cheering! The change will go on, and may be Janney will return, but the damage Fenty and Rhee left on the Nation's Capital is like Katrina on New Orleans!

Last I checked, being a high profile political person like a Mayor you are supposed to work for the People. Fenty was a arrogant Man, who took the things set in place before him and claimed them as his own achievements! What many People don't understand is one thing People living in DC is good at is reading between the lines. Fenty's first words spoke on how the previous Mayor's gave Blacks Folks jobs throughout City Government, then stated times has changed! By the words alone in a heavily populated Black City your job is not long for City Government.

While many of you PRAISE Fenty and Rhee, those oddly test scores are from Janney! The things he put in place brought test scores up! If anyone thing a system can be redone in 4 years time they are complete fools or definitely an IDIOT! This elections showed one thing when one Caters to a few the many will run your butt out of Office! People in DC understand the system better than what most of you FOOLS think they do! Congress craps on them on a regular bases, so they'll be damned if they're going to let two arrogant SOB's do the same! King Fenty is GONE, Rhee may be soon to follow and many in DC are cheering! The change will go on, and may be Janney will return, but the damage Fenty and Rhee left on the Nation's Capital is like Katrina on New Orleans!

Interesting Case: That depends on whether or not you are in Chicago or not-Chicago. If you are in not-Chicago then a politician's personality and ethics matter. Chicagoans, on the other hand, don't really "like" Daley but he makes the City work and, thus, people vote for him. Chicagoans expect to dislike politicians and they have moved past that. They aren't shocked when Daley tells people to shove things up their back-sides during press conferences. In Chicago, political efficacy has nothing to do with a popularity contest. It has to do with who has gotten streets plowed well in the past. That guy gets votes.

Perhaps others would be served well to take heed to the positives of the "Chicago-Way" despite it's otherwise terrible track record of crony-ism and corruption.

No matter who you are, if people do not like you, they don't give you an inch. If they like you, you have the benefit of the doubt - up to a point.

If you're not real and you don't level with people, sooner or later, it's all over.

If you're not a person of your word or perceived that way, forget it.

Accomplishments or perceived accomplishments don't matter in the end if you're not liked. If you rule by fear, you will be undermined without first knowing it if ever.

The reason Fenty wasn't re-elected was due to a disconnect between he and his primary constituents...blacks.

Fenty has a hard time connecting with others and it was on display this re-election.

b

Yes, likeability matters. Not only whether we like the man, but whether we like his policies. A good salesman knows that people don't buy what they need, they buy what they WANT--i.e., what they like. And politicians are always selling themselves, or at least the good ones are. Fenty stopped selling himself to the Black community by ignoring their neighborhoods, their churches, their calls, dissing Dorothy Height, hiring a virtually non-Black cabinet and implementing frivolous projects, such as dog parks in White neighborhoods, while claiming there was a budget crisis and laying off thousands of mostly Black government workers. Stuff like that will make people go beyond not liking you to utter hostility and hatred. And it won't get you re-elected!

Fenty would have been re-electing overwhelming if he was running in Cuba and the old Soviet Union where the leaders know whats best for the people and the people are instructed on how to vote. Go comrade Fenty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fenty would have be re-elected overwhelming if he was running in Cuba or the old Soviet Union where the leaders don't have to listen to the people because they know whats best for them. Go comrade Fenty!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gray's performance record in no way compares to Fenty's or Rhee. As a manager Gray was horrible and failed his staff and the people in which he was to have served. Children died as a result of the dismal performance and negligence under his leadership. He should have been jailed and fined over and over again.

Technically, as a leader, Fenty lacked any true emotional intelligence. One component of EI is social awareness that is why he and the Washington Pest did not see this coming! This is not about likeability. You guys are being misleading again. Fenty is a public servant, which means he serves the public not the other way around. He is not a CEO or City Manager as the Mayor he has no excuse not to meet with the City Council Chairman for eight months. He had the offensive disposition of a bully and people in this city stood up to him. They should be proud of this accomplishment in an environment of misinformation by this paper and others.

Do to others as you want them to do to you. He asked and he was given (the foot up the a..)

Do to others as you want them to do to you. He asked and he was given (the foot up the a..)

People who say Rhee and Fenty have done great jobs(WahPost)are misleading the public. Bike lanes, and parks don't cut it. Especially when you have to raise parking tickets and extend the hours just to do it. Fenty and Rhee are overrated. What has Fenty done but let the developers build everywhere. You know...the empty high rise buildings in the district that the new "gentrifier's" couldn't even afford. Most people I know didn't vote on arrogance, personality etc,ete. We voted his butt out due to his politics. He was in a popularity contest with white citizens so of course whites think he was great. But, if you take your racism out of the picture you will see that you real reasons for endorsing Fenty were along racial lines as well. So....who's right? Hmmmm...Does Michelle Rhee have a Phd? So, how did she get on the cover of TIME magazine? Something smells!!! Was Fenty even 40 years old? Have you ever heard him give a speech...deliver a message? Never...the best he can do is stand at podiums for ribbon cuttings. Dude found every ribbon to be cut in town. hahahaha.
Fenty and Rhee two of the most overrated citizens in Washington. Talking about incompetent!!!

In the work place, not caring about clients means losing contracts. Business people who don't care about customers lose money. Politicians who don't care about their constituents lose elections.

Fenty might have gotten some things done, but as a leader, he's an excellent case study for what NOT to do.

People seem to think that being a great leader and making people feel good must be mutually exclusive. I was a faithful Fenty supporter when he was a councilmember and early in his term as Mayor. I became a Gray supporter, despite the fact that I disagreed with some of his positions and decisions as Chair. I gave him my support because I felt he listened to opposing points of view, considered all the facts carefully, seemed genuinely interested in the best possible outcome for all concerned and was transparent and fair throughout. You can trust a leader like this and it's easier to accept the difficult and painful decisions. I beleive he will show Fenty and others how it's done.

I travel the country teaching executives, sales teams, leaders and managers how to be their most likable.
I always ask my trainees the same question. When you have reduced your choices down to 2 candidates for a job, how many of you have hired the person you liked least?
Less than 1% of the people answer, "Yes, I went with the one I didn't like."
The ones who say they went with the less likable always say they are sorry they did.
The fact is, we don't want to spend time with people we don't like.
We also don't want them to be our leaders.
Fenty did some very good things, I wish he had been re-elected, but he gave off unlikable signals. In politics, jobs, and most of life, we go with the one we like.

The job is a tough and complicated one. I don't need the CEO of the city to kiss a$$ or have tea and cookies with me...I want him to get the job done as fast and inexpensively as possible bringing about desired results. Communication tools of this decade enabled us to communicate with him without distracting him from his job or needing him to constantly reassure us that he was listening. The goals were clear when we elected him and he was getting the results. Perhaps the layer below him was ineffective in serving the role of "public relations communication liaison" to the public. If Fenty and Rhee leave...it is a sad day for long awaited and measurable progress in DC. I am now searching in Maryland and Virginia to move my family.

Leadership and Management are two separate issues. Some leaders do possess management ability others just hire managers. The Mayor of Washington DC cannot just be a manager. Similarly Michelle Rhee too is a manager, but without experience handling large organizations or large consituencies of teachers and parents and the government entities involved. This is not the erstwhile soviet union. Here leaders have to lead taking their consituencies with them. I doubt if an autocratic instantaneous style will ever work well in a political office in America, here you are answerable to the people. It is for this reason that corporate values or return on investment values cannot be applied to the country's democratic institutions. These folks cannot propgate their style without cutting corners or being answerable. Even in business too much autocracy will get you a huge turnover and no one will want to work for you or you will have to pay a fortune to to retain good employees to live with your non consensual style. Experience does count for something. We have been seeing inexperienced management oriented leaders, their downfall will be swift.

It's only the Washington Post that's been consistently enamored with Fenty's "achievements." I personally object to the way he's allowed developers to take over the city with no strong government oversight (in the style of his idol, Mayor Bloomberg). And much of what he's "achieved" could arguably be credited to our Council members. I didn't vote against him because he's arrogant. I voted against him because I don't think he's done much.

In 2000, voters "liked" George Bush a lot more than they "liked" Al Gore despite the obvious differences in experience and competence. We know what that got us!

The majority voters of DC have indeed spoken, but what will they get in return? Believe me, they don't know either.
"Political recklessness" is sweeping the country right now. In this current environment, I think Kermit the Frog could get elected if the voters felt the incumbent didn't smile at them or kiss enough posterior.

I am not sure why there is such a rave going on when the tea party folks take up the streets to express their rights, but citizens of the District are castigated for exercising theirs. Particpatory Democracy is for all Americans.

As a general you cannot disrespect your troops and then express shock when you look back and they are not following you.

Adrian Fenty was an excellent manager and achieved great results. For years, I hoped for such a person and one was elected. It is a real shame the DC Voters failed to review the magnitude of his accomplishments and now I hope and pray that whatever Adrian Fenty accomplished will fall apart under Gray’s leadership…and it will…to show that the people who voted to remove Fenty can’t manage their way out of a paper bag and they are the real looooosers.

No doubt about it. Unfortunately, likability and cosmetics are a big factor. In the US, good looks are often confused with competence. Perhaps it's a subconscious genetic mis-perception. When you separate Nixon's performance from his personality, he really wasn't that bad but he was roundly hated for acting like a jerk. The same could be said of Jimmy Carter who was one of the most hated presidents by the White House staff because of his personality while Reagan was the most loved. Obviously and unfortunately, skin deep image and personality mean a lot to voters. Fenty was doing a lot of good things but failed to maintain his connections.

We minimize the significance of the election and the people's choice when we focus on Mayor Fenty's personality. Frankly, I couldn't care less if I ever laid eyes on him because of his tight schedule, and, yes, he managed not to blow the city up in the process of governing it.

My concern centered around the entirely disrespectful way in which he and close members of his cabinet treated the very citizens who put him in office. I don't care how impossibly driven one is, it's no excuse for treating others in a dehumanizing way. Also, too many are willing to overlook his cronyism and disrespect for the law, simply because he was able to juggle his tasks well. Sorry, but transparency and accountability apply to the executive as it does to the legislature. They both are accountable to the people. Mayor Fenty and his admirers should learn that critical lesson.

We minimize the significance of the election and people's choices when we focus on Mayor Fenty's personality. Frankly, I couldn't care less if I ever laid eyes on him because of his tight schedule, and, yes, he managed not to blow the city up in the process.

My concern centered around the entirely disrespectful way in which he and close members of his cabinet treated the very citizens who put him in office. I don't care how impossibly driven one is, it's no excuse for treating others in a dehumanizing way. Also, too many are willing to overlook his cronyism and disrespect for the law, simply because he was able to juggle his tasks well. Sorry, but transparency and accountability apply to the executive as it does to the legislature. They both are accountable to the people. Mayor Fenty and his admirers should learn that critical lesson.

I don't know what perspective the panel was attempting to communicate, but obviously Fenty was likeable enough to win a landslide just 4 years ago. He perhaps still is very likeable but his POLITICS AND PERSONALITY aliened many who otherwise would have supported him. Also, could it be that Gray represented more of the change they wanted. Liking someone obviously helps but the cous de gras is to incorporate policies and procedures that many can relate too, not just a few.