The Myth of Political Superheroes

There is a culture that permeates the United States in which we have come to believe the myth of the One Man Superhero: Superman, Batman, Macgyver, The President, etc. We wait for that one person to show up and then place huge expectations/burdens on a single individual to get it done.

The US is one place where this myth endures. We see it in books and in movies where some hero (Schwarzenneger, Willis, Damon, etc) saves the day. Of course there’s no problem with this per se. It’s actually quite fun and entertaining. The problem is that it leaks into reality and into our politics. We think by electing The One, that person will solve our problems. Of course the reality is different and so we then blame the person as ineffective when expectations aren’t met.

Every political candidate who runs for office makes claims like “If you vote for me, I’ll make sure <some promise>”. Oh really? What are you going to do on YOUR OWN? The problem is that voters want to believe it and when that person is elected and nothing gets done, voters become exasperated and feel powerless and believe the system has failed them…. they feel that the person they voted for has let them down and is full of empty promises.

We need to change the focus from rugged individualism to teamwork.. How powerful (& refreshing) would it be for a candidate instead to say, “If you vote for me and my colleagues and put us into office, we’ll work together to bring you:

Candidates can coordinate messages and potential actions with their ‘running mates’ in other states/districts while running (instead of solely running and raising funds). This framing the agenda as a list of items that will get done if voters put the coordinated candidates into office will force the other side to also establish their agenda. If their agenda is lacking or has no substance, this will become evident and they’ll be forced to articulate something. Voters will then have a clear choice which way they want the country to move.

In this way, several things become known:

It’s clear what Voters get if they put that person into office and that the chances of accomplishing the stated goals dramatically increase if the ‘team of candidates’ make it in.
Voters will realize the world is bigger than their district or state. They will see that there needs to be multiple people across the country pushing for the same agenda and it needs to be coordinated. If these voters reach out to their friends/family across state lines and let them know what is important, they’ll be able to influence them.
Framing the agenda this way has a positive, teamwork, get-it-done mentality. Attacking the other candidate(s) won’t be as effective as constantly re-iterating a positive message that promises results if a team of candidates is put into office. This would also have the effect of driving citizen participation to cross state lines and talk to their friends and family in other places. The message that comes across is “We’re all in this together. We need to row the boat in one direction”. In fact, in parliamentary systems, the legislative & executive branches work in concert to move forward.

Most importantly, citizens *want* to be involved. Calls to action from our leaders should be made. We so rarely hear that these days. We are coddled. All we have to do is write a check and vote and we are done. Our leaders (if you vote for them) will do the rest. Citizens aren’t called on to do more and there is a burning desire to. And large legions of modern voters have never experienced these calls.

Think Kennedy saying : “Ask Not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country”. Think Roosevelt in his first Fireside chat during the Great Depression to combat the run on banks:

“it is my belief that hoarding during the past week has become an exceedingly unfashionable pastime.” [his urging of citizens to return their money to banks.]

He concludes with:

“We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system; it is up to you to support and make it work. It is your problem no less than it is mine. Together we cannot fail.”

This kind of exhortation is sorely missing from our leaders today. We need these words now. Think what could have happened if President Obama explicitly asked for help across the country.

Teamwork and organization is how major things get done. It’s essential that constituents realize it and our marketing needs to change in order to make them aware of it. The lone-superhero-saving-the-day myth should be left to comic books and movies and needs to be eliminated from our political conversation. These days, because of the increasing complexity of systems and organizations, nothing of import is done without teamwork. E.g. Medicine has become so specialized that no single doctor can care for a patient. You need teams of doctors, many of whom are specialists. Computer systems are so complex that you need specialists in sub-fields to diagnose and fix issues. Business, companies & corporations all have teams of people moving them forward to achieve goals. When a senior manager comes onboard a company, it is often observed that that manager also brings in teammates from their old organization. There is trust and cooperation between them and they are able to work together to get things done. And likewise with the people we put into office. We need a team of elected officials moving us forward and accomplishing strategic goals to prepare us for the future.