I Hate Politicians

I love Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movies but I’m starting to hate him as a governor.

I recently read a transcript this week of his interview with Charlie Gibson.

In it, he asserts several times the idea that sometimes you have to change your core values in order to get stuff done.

WHAT?!

That’s not leadership. That’s a trap.

That’s called compromise.

Of course, I go into this extensively in my book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity. But it is a series of small compromises that changes who you are, your character, and, quite often, who you want to be. You have to live by your principles, your core values, if you will.

That’s also the trap in leadership. You want to keep your position, possibly the popularity you once had, your power. So you start to compromise on small parts of your core values in order not to risk being less influential. All along, forgetting that being principled is what got you to where you are in the first place.

I find Arnold’s thoughts on the subject a little revealing. Of course he’s going to say this, his state is going bankrupt. All the while they continue to push forward HUGE spending proposals on rail systems and environmental regulations that aren’t necessary or sensible at this time. Not to mention the huge amount California spends on social programs etc. with little accountability in the process. Let’s talk about common sense spending and budget reductions first to offset deficits. It’s like saying I can rob a bank because I’m broke or hungry. That’s not right. I need to go to McDonald’s and apply for a job.

So what’s the answer?

Stay principled and true to your core values, no matter the cost. That’s actually what true character is.