Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility

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TheHeretic -> Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:09:39 PM)
Both the right, and the left (during the primaries) threw plenty of shots at whether Barack Obama is up to the immediate challenge of being President of the United States when he wakes up on January 21, 2009. Something had struck me during the DNC, and I went back for a look. Michelle Obama was supposed to give us little glimpses into the character of the man. That's why the wives get up there. What did she tell America on the question of his competence? That he doesn't handle the burden very well... http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/conventions/videos/20080825_OBAMA_SPEECH.html# (You can pretty easily scroll down to 14:34 and hear it coming straight from her mouth - Damn that Karl Rove! How do they do this stuff!) He's the same man who drove me and our new baby daughter home from the hospital ten years ago this summer, inching along at a snail's pace -- (laughter) -- peering at us anxiously at the -- through the rear-view mirror, feeling the whole weight of her future in his hands, Authenticated text for slower connections Barely functional and over-cautious. Not real inspiring, is it?

Ialdabaoth -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:15:06 PM)
Actually, for someone like me, it is. I WANT someone to fully understand the weight of responsibility they have. We've seen for 8 years what a self-confident wannabe cowboy can do. I'd like someone who will take pause and think before his actions, and then jump in and take action anyway. The ability to project self-confidence is just a trick to get people to follow you. It has no bearing on whether you actually deserve to be followed.

celticlord2112 -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:21:08 PM)
quote: The ability to project self-confidence is just a trick to get people to follow you. It has no bearing on whether you actually deserve to be followed. Actually, it has quite a lot of bearing. If you don't firmly believe in the choices you have made, why should anyone else? If you are that consumed with doubt, why should anyone ignore that doubt? Leaders act with confidence because anything less is not leadership.

NeedToUseYou -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:25:10 PM)
Wow, you win the first daily, reading shit into nothing award. I dislike Obama as much as anybody(well apparently not), but geez, this is equivalent to seeing animal like patterns in clouds and taking them for a pink elephant invastion. Seriously unless this is a joke, slowly grab the remote, click the off button, then grab the mouse, and click start shut down. Stand up slowly, go take a long bath, and walk outside and breath some clean air. Relax, if you see monsters or aliens, that is just the political delusions wearing off, the hallucinations must work out of your system. Go to bed, and repeat until you fall asleep. Obama is not under the bed, Obama is not the Anti-Christ, Obama is not a complete idiot, Wifey Stories about husbands are designed to be cutesy not completely factual accounts. You'll feel better in the morning.

Ialdabaoth -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:25:42 PM)
I far prefer someone who can have doubt, admit that doubt, and act anyways. We're all stuck in a world of limited information, and pretending that we know what's actually going on and that our choices will actually lead to our predicted results always seems... hideously delusional and egotistic.

TheHeretic -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:26:59 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Ialdabaoth I'd like someone who will take pause and think before his actions, and then jump in and take action anyway. We can agree that not leaping without thinking is a good thing, Daba, but what you describe is not the story she told. She didn't say that he sat there in the loading zone for a moment, then took a deep breath, put the car in drive and took them home. She said a common, everyday activity overwhelmed him.

Ialdabaoth -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:30:20 PM)
Well, some people will find this damning, others will find this humanizing. I think there will be no real surprises in who falls where.

TheHeretic -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:31:19 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou Wow, you win the first daily, reading shit into nothing award. Nope. The all time record for that is held by the folks who think Barry's resume reads as presidential material...

NeedToUseYou -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:39:36 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic quote: ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou Wow, you win the first daily, reading shit into nothing award. Nope. The all time record for that is held by the folks who think Barry's resume reads as presidential material... Ah, this is the daily award, and this is the first day, so only new delusions are eligible, that particular event occurred before the formation of the "reading shit into nothing" oversite committee so falls outside of my judgment authority, though I've logged an entry to include it in our historical reference catalog.

Sanity -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:40:11 PM)
Looking at this, I've done that exact thing and I took it easy but I wasn't as Michelle Obama described Barack. I've driven people who were banged up from the hospital, I've climbed back onto a motorcycle that I was almost killed on right after leaving a hospital myself... No, that doesn't sound right. You would expect more confidence than that in our leadership - in negotiating treaties, in making command decisions. In setting a course to follow in any number of things from the economy to energy policy. Indecision due to a lack of confidence can be disastrous and it would even cause problems with the White House staff, as it would be a rudderless presidency

TheHeretic -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:42:52 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou that particular event occurred before the formation of the "reading shit into nothing" oversite committee so falls outside of my judgment authority, Above your pay-grade huh? [:D] I thought that was Obama's excuse...

Ialdabaoth -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:44:58 PM)
Huh. As an aside, where is the line where side comments drift into "personal attacks"?

TheHeretic -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:49:56 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Ialdabaoth Huh. As an aside, where is the line where side comments drift into "personal attacks"? A darn fine question, Daba. If you are referring to my most recent reply to NeedsToUseYou, that was a play on Obama's remarks at the Saddleback Forum, excusing himself from making a decision at all. Pretty on-topic.

Owner59 -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 10:54:00 PM)
Considering McSeparatist`s first decision, was to pick politic`s version of '90210' for his VP,Obama`s way ahead in the judgment arena.

Ialdabaoth -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 11:06:50 PM)
Incidentally, "Ial" would be preferrable if you wish to shorten.

TheHeretic -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 11:16:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Owner59 Considering McSeparatist`s first decision, was to pick politic`s version of '90210' for his VP,Obama`s way ahead in the judgment arena. Keep right on underestimating her, O59. And remember, when her teleprompter got messed up, she kept right on going. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDJSVPAx8xc *link added

BitaTruble -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/6/2008 11:20:28 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic Both the right, and the left (during the primaries) threw plenty of shots at whether Barack Obama is up to the immediate challenge of being President of the United States when he wakes up on January 21, 2009. Something had struck me during the DNC, and I went back for a look. Michelle Obama was supposed to give us little glimpses into the character of the man. That's why the wives get up there. What did she tell America on the question of his competence? That he doesn't handle the burden very well... http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/conventions/videos/20080825_OBAMA_SPEECH.html# (You can pretty easily scroll down to 14:34 and hear it coming straight from her mouth - Damn that Karl Rove! How do they do this stuff!) He's the same man who drove me and our new baby daughter home from the hospital ten years ago this summer, inching along at a snail's pace -- (laughter) -- peering at us anxiously at the -- through the rear-view mirror, feeling the whole weight of her future in his hands, Authenticated text for slower connections Barely functional and over-cautious. Not real inspiring, is it? Sounds like a lot of new dads I know. By the time you have your 4th or 5th, you bungi cord them to the back of your motorcycle and if it's raining, you toss a tarp over them.

meatcleaver -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/7/2008 3:00:34 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: celticlord2112 quote: The ability to project self-confidence is just a trick to get people to follow you. It has no bearing on whether you actually deserve to be followed. Actually, it has quite a lot of bearing. If you don't firmly believe in the choices you have made, why should anyone else? If you are that consumed with doubt, why should anyone ignore that doubt? Leaders act with confidence because anything less is not leadership. You do know that is rubbish. The only leaders that appear not to have any doubts are people like Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon and Ceasar. Doubt is a very necessary tool for making decisions and I wouldn't trust anyone who had no doubts, calculated the risks and weighed the options before proceeding in making a decision. Staying with a decision once it is made is not confidence but fortitude which could be the right or the wrong thing to do.

RealityLicks -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/7/2008 3:07:57 AM)
It would be better to load your wife and newborn in the back and floor it all the way home, skidding to a halt on the front lawn? Maybe it takes more confidence to ignore the impatience and recklessness of other drivers and make sure you get your family safely indoors.

meatcleaver -> RE: Self Confidence, and the Weight of Responsibility (9/7/2008 3:46:47 AM)
Yep, confidence isn't about displaying an attitude and making foolish and rash decisions just to look decisive, its about having confidence to do the right thing at the right time even when being pressured into doing something opposite. Sometimes one has to be decisive because of a situation and having the confidence to make a decision but that doesn't necessarily preclude doubt.

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