Leading Without Direction

No matter who the winner is, Republican voters are not going to be happy. Through the phony smiles, phony issues and vitriolic campaigns, the primary system has once again produced a field of candidates that--to put it mildly--is hardly inspiring.

The electoral process is supposed to knock off the pretenders and leave a leader to pick up the banner of the party. But that's just not the case these days. While the Republican field has essentially been narrowed to four, half of the primary voters complained yesterday to a New York Times/CBS News poll that they are unsatisfied with the candidates who are left.

Can you really rally around Senator Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.), who told reporters that he had changed his message so often you might call it the "flavor of the week?" The only consistent theme in Dole's campaign is that though he doesn't know what he would do if he were elected, he sure would be qualified to do it.

Or can you rally around a man who tries to hide his views beneath a red plaid shirt? Former Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander's campaign strategy is to convince the voters that no goodhearted person would vote against a man named Lamar. And how about Malcom S. "Steve" Forbes Jr.? After all, his father let him run his million-dollar magazine. The least we could do is let him run the country.

There's only one candidate in this race who inspires any passion. Love him or hate him (I hate him), there's only one candidate in this field who seems to engender respect from the voters. And it's the success of his candidacy that explains what Americans hate so much about the other politicians.

Conservative commentator Patrick J. Buchanan's candidacy shatters the myth that money is the key to success in the electoral process, even in a front-loaded process like this year's primaries. The conventional wisdom in Washington was that the brevity of this year's primary season would favor candidates who could raise money in advance. But Buchanan's not doing it with money. He has spent far less money than Dole and Forbes, and even Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.) (remember Gramm?), who was one of the first casualties of the season despite his war chest.

Money isn't enough in the campaign because despite what the candidates hope, people aren't trained dogs who slavishly obey their television sets. Television ads can get your product attention, but if the voters don't like what they see, then they're not going to buy it. Despite all of Forbes' millions, Buchanan has outdistanced him on his character alone.

For a significant portion of Americans, Buchanan is a leader, and leadership is what Americans want most from their candidates. The art of leadership, especially in a democracy, is not one of command but of persuasion. The leader who fails to consider his constituents will find himself or herself abandoned. A real leader articulates a vision that resonates with his or her supporters. He provides answers to their problems; he convinces them that he is the man or the woman to execute those plans.

This is the secret of Buchanan's success. Unlike the other candidates in the pool, he actually stands for something. He alone convinces voters that he is in the race to do more than get elected. Are there any other candidates who could honestly claim they represent a "movement"?

The other candidates seem to stick their finger out into the polling wind, desperately seeking which way the voters blow. Dole collects endorsements from the establishment like trading cards as if that will be enough to win. Ordinary people are not looking for a political servant. They are looking for someone to articulate a message which they can support.

Buchanan's message is a populist one of resentment, bigotry and reaction. But it appeals to working class Americans who fear for their jobs and for their future. The promise of international trade and future growth is lost on those Americans who see their old jobs disappearing. In this climate men and women look to someone to blame. A man like Pat Buchanan shows them the way.

Steven A. Engel's column appears on alternate Wednesdays.