Tuesday’s election results were clear—the Democrats won, the Republicans lost. This was an across the board defeat. There were no shoots of Spring. The President’s most fervent supporters said the problem was that Trump was not on the ballot. I say, excuse me, Trump has chosen to put himself on everything but the granularity of household waste.

The voters, well a majority, share Trumps anger on many issues but are turned off by his angry approach and his often mercurial zigs and zags. Most don’t like meanness. Most don’t like unhinged. Most don’t like extravagant claims with little or no foundation. When the “best ever” becomes a throw-away line, claims of truth lose their plausibility.

Stuck is not a good thing for a leader. But today the nation is enmeshed in a debilitating tangle featuring true believers, an absence of cohesive leadership (the government is shutdown) Courts and a large class of voters called independents.

Independent voters find the lack of civility chilling. Most independent voters don’t have the passion of true believers with the attendant intolerance. They don’t have high expectations, but they do know courtesy and its absence. In short, the mess Democrats served up in the 2024 election cycle defeated them, not the grandiosity and ridicule offered up by the President.

I suspect a majority of voters respect the potential of an extension of the Abraham Accords across the Middle East. But political victories have very short shelf lives. This is particularly true of successes in places most would have trouble finding on a map.

And politicians who live on emotions have to be aware of overnight reckonings. When Trump’s marquee supporter, Elon Musk, was portrayed with a chainsaw in hand, slashing programs that had constituencies, there was trouble in River City (the Potomac).

Trump is now a lame duck, who turned the gun on himself. A majority expressed confidence in him over her (Kamala Harris) last November, but popularity is fragile—especially if in the telling everything revolves around one man. Independents, the deciding factor in all elections except those where hardcore supporters are densely clustered, are suffering indigestion. Americans have not been trained to take orders from an autocrat.

So now America has a White House occupant who has precious little time to effect a turnaround but who, I guess, is building a giant ballroom for various celebrations. A ballroom filled by sycophants will not transmit the right vibe.

Neither George Washington or Abraham Lincoln were modest men but they formed their visions from history, theology, philosophy and literature, not from the vagaries of the marketplace. And they governed for history, not X (formerly Twitter).

An aside. Flying too close to the sun is always perilous. Watch out Zohran Mamdani, reengineering New York City will not be a walk in Central Park.

And what about those red carpets on the just finished Asian swing? Understand, Mr. President, that Xi of China is not your friend. Nor Putin of Russia. Nor Kim Jung Un of North Korea.

Un doesn’t want anything you can plausibly give him so he deflected your barely disguised suggestion for a stop over. Xi will do business because it is in his best interests. And you will prevail in negotiations with Xi, if he perceives you to be strong back home.

Putin will welcome staged bilateral talks that make him look reasonable, but persist in his tyrannical ambitions until he is certain the West will exact unbearable costs.

America is rich. It has enormous military power. It has sound government institutions and these are only the headlines of its strengths. Persons who become President will, as long as our assets hold together, be offered a certain deference. But don’t confuse tactical deference with friendship. If you are using tariffs to penalize friends (Canada, for example), don’t imagine that the red carpet is for you; it is for America. America is made strong by its stable democracy, law-bound courts, free markets, and diverse leaders and ideas. And true friendships.

A final thought. We always need to adaptively build strength and measure our initiatives against our history. Too often, we have allowed hope and borrowing power to weaken us. A $37 trillion dollar debt is shameful. In the neighborhood of 30% of the debt is held by foreign holders.

My last political job was in President George HW Bush’s administration. He built an incomparable resume through good public service. The jobs he did, including as President Ronald Reagan’s Vice President, were done well, and he didn’t ever, as I recall, try to upstage those he worked for or with. When he was President, the “Captain of the Ship of State”, there was a lot of ballast. Today, not so much.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

Well, that was interesting. As I write, the plane is gathering altitude as my wife and I leave Northwest Arkansas on an American Airlines flight for Washington. In a sense, we are going from one museum to a home of museums—the ones funded by the federal government.

The most interesting moment was at Crystal Bridges, a museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, founded by Alice Walton. You might know Bentonville as the home of Walmart, founded by Alice’s father, Sam. Sam and his family and key associates made a lot of money.

Alice decided to use her considerable wealth and talent to create a museum in spring-fed ponds, with the artistic/architectural assistance of Moshe Safdie, an Israeli-Canadian-American architect. I suspect Sam Walton would be proud, as his daughter’s work is as singular as his. American ingenuity is amazing.

The Museum’s collection, American artists of a wide range of styles, is impressive, but the museum itself is even more so. Most major museums are surrounded by concrete in big cities. Crystal Bridges structures are imaginative and woods and water highlight its spaces.

I cannot imagine—all in—a more spectacular museum—yes, the most significant structural expression of art in the world. And it is in Northwest Arkansas. Some of my East Coast friends are confused. “Why would you create such a museum in Arkansas?”

Considerable commentary has been written about amassing wealth and how it is used. Some would suggest that quite large increments of profit should go to the government. Given the extraordinary debt load of the United States, it’s not a difficult argument.

Yet, Crystal Bridges is not an expression of a committee or of a government agency. And Sam Walton’s success was directly tied to offering products at low prices. It is impossible to know how much he saved shoppers with modest resources.

But let me close with the surroundings of Crystal Bridges. Aside from roadways to parking spaces, there are art trails with beautiful fusions—earth and art in harmony. One notable stop was at a James Turrell Skyspace. Turrell has, from time to time, lived on the Eastern Shore, Oxford to be specific.

So now a suggestion. Take a road trip or a plane and spend some time in Northwest Arkansas. Sure, the concrete meccas of New York, San Francisco, London, or Paris offer great museums, but they are, for many, a long trip away and surrounded by concrete and security apparatus. Crystal Bridges is free and in a world often characterized by intense security, almost carefree.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

Yes, day-by-day the minutes cancel the hours. The days the months and the months the years.

The setting might be a restaurant or a dog park or just walking. Or sitting around a table with friends as each check their phones every minute or so.

My introduction was in Helsinki, Finland, “back in the day” as it is said. The Finnish economy was dominated by their flagship company, Nokia. Nokia led the world at the time in production of the most advanced cell phones. Everywhere I looked, walking or taking the Metro or well everywhere, cell phones were at the ready. Now Finland has banned them in schools except for learning purposes.

America, often prizing itself as the first mover, was a follower. The cell phone had become God and before long America was also at the altar.

Politics, of course, lagged. Political thinking almost always follows. Did we learn anything from Finland or elsewhere that made us better followers?

The beginnings were defined by chit chat and games. Now politics with its unwelcome brew of bitterness has caught on. I try to block the politicians, but their techies have become quite good at workarounds.

Relatedly, it is widely noted that our President is transactional. Even his allies agree. Daily if not more frequently he begins a negotiation on Truth Social with a long post often vilifying someone or thing. Currently shutting down the government is the provocation. The other side: well they are portrayed as barely human.

But this is just the most current episode of a transactional script. And at times it seems that his enemies (as he portrays them) serve up softballs. For example, the President says he is going to use the military to fight crime in the cities and his opposition screams back that he is violating the Constitution. Most people welcome a reduction in crime no matter how extra-legal the maneuver. The daily episodes are part of a script called “Make America Great Again”. Its author has yet to say which America he is talking about.

Jonathan Haidt’s caution as we Americans vent on social media: “We are getting dumber while machines are getting smarter.” We are caught up in the episodic, time spans need to be short, the long game is boring. Tactics over strategy—win the day.

But then we are shaken. Weekly shootings include the name Charlie Kirk. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, leader of Turning Point, got everybody’s attention and the questions seemed to eclipse all the hourly episodes. After all, the President, Vice President and most of his cabinet flew to Phoenix for the Memorial Service in Glendale.

For tens of thousands in attendance at the service it was a cathartic experience. For several dozen the whole event was useful—a political tool.

There was, most dramatically, the divide between Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, and President Trump; both speaking from the podium. A divide that put a spotlight on us—yes each one of us.

There are all sorts of divides in organized religion. But, the principal divide, as we might define it today, collides with civilization. The divide: Love or Hate!

The bible, which provided the raw material for civilization, collides with civilization as it unfolds in the politics of the day. The bible is clear on the hierarchy: Love as a value is uncontested. Hate certainly makes frequent appearances, but foundational love is the answer.

Erika Kirk, fighting for emotional control only days after her soulmate was gunned down, was also clear. She forgave the shooter. She knew that God had some things to say about civilization and she chose her words from transcendent stories.

Trump too talked about civilization’s hierarchy. After acknowledging Erika and her husband’s love of enemies, Trump said, “That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them.”

Pick your side of the divide. Don’t do it quickly, as your choice will inform the rest of your life, and our collective choice will define America. Love or hate? Friends or enemies?

Everyday life tends to work against thought—the weighing of alternatives, a measured response to the really important questions facing us. Us as more than players in a game. We as Americans living in what we call the “United States”. United!

Let me wrap up by going beyond transactions and episodes. Are we comfortable with perpetual contention? Are we comfortable with an assault on “united”? The answers should inform our role in the daily dramas. If we lose the basics, we will lose our country.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

So, who do we call?  Our family doctor or the head of US health care, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK Jr.)? We know about our doctor; what about RFK Jr.?

In the health care field, Jr. has said vaccines cause autism, and his claims date back to 2005. He wrote an article for Rolling Stone that linked autism with the preservative, thimerosal. Back then he was simply a provocateur with no standing (no degrees in health care disciplines).

My answer on trust is easy; I trust my doctor.

There is, of course, a larger question because most doctors rely on Center for Disease Control (CDC) findings. CDC is now subservient to RFK Jr. and he just recently fired the incumbent advisors, supplanting them with his own.

The sweep of medical history helps guide us. And those who provide contrary analysis can also help. But the keyword is “analysis”; theories without proofs are worthless in medicine. We want to know how to best avoid getting sick. Or, if we get sick, what does history show to be the cure?

History will ultimately measure the RFK Jr. movement, Make Us Healthy Again (MAHA).The movement’s goals are backed by the President. Okay, to make this easy, I am going to shorthand the name of the decision-makers. They will be known as DTRFK (the President and Health Secretary).

The perverse thing about health care is when there is an absence of well tested advice we do things unknowingly and then history confirms our unknowingness. Today unknowingness is furthered by the chaos that DTRFK has caused. And in case there is any confusion about what is at stake revisit heart-wrenching stories about family tragedies.

Countervailing forces have emerged.  We now, for example, have an organization called Vaccine Integrity Project funded by Walmart heiress Christy Walton and led by Michael Osterholm (PHD, MPH). It shadows the CDC and its new advisors. In a field that should be radically nonpartisan,what do we think about the new CDC advisors? I repeat, vaccine analysis and advice should be radically nonpartisan.

The history of health care is influenced by trial and sometimes error. Simply stated groups of people acting in particular ways are studied for insights. I could get detailed here, but you get the point.

Theories are welcomed, but proof is essential. Before we begin to rule in or out some chemical formulation, tests are needed, a sufficient timeline is essential, and it is hard to overstate integrity.

The US is fortunate. We have produced enough wealth to allow ongoing and thorough data collection and analysis by the federal government.

Also, Not-For-Profit organizations do their own research and are numerous. They are often funded by wealthy families who have in their history heart-breaking health conditions and want to eradicate the threat for future generations.

And then we have businesses. Certainly it is easy to theorize a motive for corruption, but the health care businesses at the end of the day are nothing without a good reputation. Their rivals will certainly call them out if there is a lack of integrity. And, the central government has to approve new drugs.

All of this and more should give us confidence. Confidence is essential, but perfection is not possible.

There always seems to be a “but”. As noted, perfection eludes humanity. DTRFK have called into question much of what we rely on. RFK Jr. has a following and Donald Trump wanted them to vote for him. Is political ambition undermining the health of Americans?

I got Covid and flu shots last week. Will they do any good? Will people who go out of their way to avoid getting a shot do so this year?

Unfortunately poor handling of some Covid-related restrictions harmed the reputation of institutional health and now the suspicious are discounting the work of the CDC.

But much more importantly, what immunizations do we make sure our children get? Measles? Mumps? Rubella? Hepatitis A? Diphtheria? Tetanus? Pertussis? What are the risks?

DTRFK have questioned some of the recommendations and have said let the parents decide. Undoubtedly, there are childhood diseases that parents can decide not to worry about.  But, I know my wife and I were not equipped to pit our knowledge against careful professional analysis. Thankfully my parents made sure to protect me from polio.

There is nothing wrong with theories. But, theories need to be tested and a relatively long timeline is needed. And, theories should not be used as a weapon against what we know.

Let me wrap up. RFK Jr., when in campaign mode, was severely critical of the herbicide generally known as RoundUp. Now he is quiet. The farm community made sure. My guess is that aggressive use of herbicides and pesticides are not good. But especially in Red states the farm lobby is very strong.

Would that the parent and children’s health lobby was as strong. And, for sure, better that health care oversight enjoy integrity. We all and especially parents need confidence, not chaos.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

Reality: America can be and has been a tinderbox. In my lifetime a number of Presidents were either shot or shot at: Harry Truman, John F Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump. Including my friend Jim Brady, Ronald Reagan’s Press Secretary.

Democracy is a seed bed for passion. And we are not necessarily a gentle people. So let me go back in my life and then forward highlighting a problem that makes America, indeed democracy in general, more volatile and vulnerable.

In 1978 I bought KLGT, a radio station in Breckenridge, Colorado. It was my first venture in broadcasting and experience with the “public interest” standard which was required of broadcasters by the1934 Communications Act.

The 1934 Act brought scientific order to the use of radio waves and for those fortunate enough to own a station, an obligation to broadcast in the “public interest”. In my case, that first station, was the only station in town—I was a monopolist in a small ski town. Stories about the evolving FCC interpretation of “public interest” and how they affected my ownership would quickly wear you out, so let me skip ahead a decade.

In 1989 I became Chairman of the FCC. The Commission I chaired became an accelerant in the transition from analog to digital communication leaving today’s FCC with little real work to do. We now stream most programing on our various devices. I live in Maryland, but can listen to the Colorado station.

We stream music from say Spotify, and listen to Podcasters who deliver the news we want bypassing what might make us uncomfortable. Real journalism, seeking the truth, is not the mission of Podcasters who characterize the news daily.

Today’s business model is clear, Podcasters with cleverly shaped and delivered points of view win. They are often charismatic and generally discard news that might challenge the hardcore message that attracts and holds their listeners. This is not an “eat your vegetables” medium. The best Podcasters are paid very well, don’t spend money on a news bureau, and large audiences result in very big pay checks.

And, as radio, TV and newspapers became prey to digital offerings, real journalists often became casualties. Real journalists challenge, with facts, prejudicial thinking on the Left and Right. We were a smarter people in 1978 when I bought KLGT—it was harder to hide from facts and viewpoints that made us think. This is not a salute to what on the Right is called  “legacy media”, but significant parts of its legacy practiced truth-searching. Truth-telling, well that is a damnably difficult job regardless of the medium or personalities.

Reflecting. Are we too dumb now to understand the implications of a $37 trillion debt? The last balanced federal budget was in 2001. How did we get here? Either journalism failed or people are incapable of computation.

What about toxic polarization fed by a continuous loop of invective? Tucker Carlson are you listening? Those whose business is shaped by preying on emotions formed a new fault line. And foreign intelligence agencies exploit this opening.

What about the White House cancelling the Congress? The framers that we honor insisted on a branch of government that could discipline authoritarianism. Their first Article created the legislative branch.

But now forces of brittle cowardliness in the Executive branch paired with feckless legislators have brought us low. The public is aware of this dysfunction. Pew Research Center finds that only 22% of Americans trust the government to do what is right. In 1964, 77% were said to trust.

Senator Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat who worked for a Republican President, argued repeatedly that when people withdraw trust and respect from government, government performance worsens which in turn deepens public contempt — a destructive cycle.

We, Americans, fought a civil war because a significant hunk of America could not see beyond its own prejudices and self-interest. What’s next for 21st Century America?  What about the fusion of power and money?

Maybe I was one of only a few offended when President Trump put the oligarchs of digital media front and center at his inauguration. Sitting in the celebrity row were: Elon Musk, Tesla and X (formerly Twitter); Jeff Bezos, Amazon; Mark Zuckerberg, Meta (Facebook and Instagram); Sundar Pichai, Google/Alphabet; Tim Cook, Apple. All, of course, billionaires many times over who now control much of the news and information we receive and how we receive it. And, generally their overarching interest is private not public.

The oligarchs of today have built their business models around clickbait that incentivizes predation. Click, click, click is the routine as we are bombarded with advertisements and our contact information and predilections are seized and stored for future exploitation.

I would suggest that one reaction to the oligarchs and their consenting President is Zohran Mamdani, the socialist who is leading in the race to become the next Mayor of New York City. When Americans get mad they push back. It’s our history. Donald Trump was a beneficiary of this anger.

Maybe the FCC should be given a 21st Century job. It certainly needs rescuing from its White House directed mission of harassing media the President does not like.

And us? We need to go beyond our comfort zones. We and only we can make democracy work. We need to get in the middle of the clash of ideas. Unquestioned affection for a political party or politician fails our country.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

My wife and I were living in New York City on September 11, 2001. The attack on New York and targets in Washington and Pennsylvania were sobering. Sobering is a 2025 word; time has rounded the catastrophic edges of the day.

The day after the attack my wife and I joined a packed Church at 7 West 55th Street. Presiding were a Rabbi, a Christian pastor and an Iman. We held hands while singing together of reconciliation and peace—we went beyond the strictly human.

But as we flipped the page that night the more human response was already taking form—we had been shocked into a defensive crouch and the national conversation about better defensive tactics was soon to begin. And less than a month later we attacked Afghanistan. After all this coordinated attack included our nation’s Capitol.

Returning to the church service and the pleas for reconciliation and peace. Yes, I know, “divinely conceived” is for many arguable. Persons can even argue “reconciliation and peace” are simply informed by some universal creed. But if we throw out transcendence, the words “reconciliation” and “peace” are simply transitory fragments. They don’t bite and stick. Where is the precedent?

I am reminded of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple whose life deteriorated in plain view. Jobs, as he reflected, mused: “I want to put a ding in the Universe.”

Two thousand years from now Jobs will be forgotten, actually much sooner. The real “ding” was the birth and life of Jesus. And here we were 2000 years later honoring his initial commandments:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” and Love your neighbor as yourself.”

And for a time we seemed to understand. The most frequent question of one NY neighbor to another was “How are you doing?” Remarkably, it was often strangers asking strangers.

I have spent some time in high altitude politics; I walked away understanding that at best I was helping to secure a transient outcome. One that would be fragile as persons of differing points of view succeeded me.

All of us have insecurities—even the most accomplished, by earthly standards. And I would guess that most people struggle to look beyond the grave which turned out to be September 11th’s conclusion.

When my wife and I went to Mt. Sinai hospital on the afternoon of the 11th to give blood for the injured, we were told blood supply was not crucial—the attackers had killed not maimed. When we held hands in that church setting we were mourning the dead and hoping for the living.

September 11th was real and historic. People were not willing to just move on. So lacking the Internet scribes of today, men and women of the cloth struggled to both heal and explain. They reached back to holy men and women and philosophers.

Now as churches close and Internet podcasters proliferate, I think back to Tim Keller who led Redeemer Presbyterian in New York and a story he included in his sermon following 9/11.

Tim reflected: “Miroslav Volf is a Croatian Christian who has been through his share of suffering. It so happened that he was speaking at the United Nations prayer breakfast on September 11. Enormous problems happen, Volf says, when we exclude our enemy from the community of humans and when we exclude ourselves from the community of sinners, when we forget that our enemy is not a subhuman monster but a human being, when we forget that we are not the perfect good but also flawed persons. By remembering this, our hatred doesn’t kill us or absorb us, and we can actually go out and work for justice.”

September 11th is still vivid in my memory and the need for “peacekeepers” even more so. Peacemakers at home and abroad.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.