The presidential candidates are set to debate. It is likely that the first exchange will occur in late June with the second donnybrook in September. Given recent events and the ongoing spectacle of an ex-president facing criminal charges in new jurisdictions, the debates will be unlike any others we have seen recently.
Biden plans to emphasize his accomplishments and the steadiness that he represents for the country. Trump is, well, Trump and will likely bring invective and fear mongering to the podium.
In the midst of this chaos, it may be good for Pennsylvanians to know that the current state of confusion wasn’t always the case.
George M. Leader served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1955 to 1959. Prior to that, he served a term in the Pennsylvania Senate and had run unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 1952. When he was inaugurated, he was a Navy veteran, an experienced businessman, and a savvy political leader at the ripe young age of 37. Gov. Leader passed away in 2013 but his descendants remain important figures in Central Pennsylvania, operating a system of senior living centers throughout the state.
My thoughts turn to Gov. Leader often in the murkiness of today’s politics. This is because we had a close personal relationship throughout my own career, and I had the benefit of his wise counsel on a regular basis. Gov. Robert P. Casey and I had something of a father-son relationship, but it was a kind of grandfatherly affection that I enjoyed from George Leader. While Casey and I were close working partners at the time, it was Gov. George Leader who could break through even the toughest issues and share his perspective as a true senior statesman.
What I enjoyed most was the clarity that came from a person who was grounded in faith and absolutely certain that the proper path for politicians was to serve the people who elected them with hard work and integrity.
He had no tolerance for candidates and campaign operatives who misused their public platforms by twisting the truth. In a book about his life and times, (George M. Leader 1918-2013, Michael J. Birkner and Charles H. Glatfelter, Interviewers), Leader lamented the negative impact that mass media had on politics:
“I thought television was going to be the greatest blessing America ever had, and that we would have the most informed voters in the world. But then they learned how to do those negative ads … they took a beautiful instrument that could have made our democracy work better and they destroyed it.”
No doubt, Leader would be just as heartbroken with the hyper partisanship that is impeding good government today. Let the record show that his administration brought landmark changes to the state in education, industrial development, and services for the mentally ill and disabled. He eliminated the state debt and built highways and state parks as an investment in Pennsylvania’s future.
Here is the lesson for today: all of George Leader’s accomplishments were the result of his ability to reach across the aisle to get things done. Given entrenched opposition in the state legislature, Leader made progress by applying the art of compromise.
Friend and foe alike knew of George Leader’s hard work ethic. He was working in his office up to the moment of his successor’s swearing in. He was at his post at his family’s business until days before his death. Why? In his own words, Leader said, “Because I like working. I would rather do this than eat ice cream. And I really like ice cream.”
In another biography, “The Life of Pennsylvania Governor George M. Leader – Challenging Complacency“ by Kenneth Wolensky, Leader took a dim view of political leaders of the day who were driven by ego. “A lot of our politicians are not immoral; they’re amoral. They just don’t have any moral standards.” He pointed out that 90 percent of incumbents get reelected even though many of them don’t deserve the office. Congress has become “a place for the survival of people who want to be in politics all their lives … they’re addicts to power.”
In his last years, George Leader wrote poetry. Here is a part of one called “Unselfish Souls:”
The world is in need of those generous souls
Who will give of their lives and their time,
To provide in this land a strong helping hand,
And help others to handle the climb.
There have been great leaders in Pennsylvania and in our country. We should not settle for less.
Mark S. Singel is a former Lieutenant Governor and Acting Governor of Pennsylvania
