Just Stop It, Already

Okay. I was avoiding this. I really was. I just did not want to get into it.

I have to get into it. If you have a Facebook account, and I am assuming you do, have you logged on lately? Have you seen some of the anti-Obama, anti-Romney crap that has infiltrated the Facebook wall? It’s everywhere, making want to go into Facebook rehab for the next few months to get away from it all.

Every four years, we do this. We mudsling. We bring up irrelevant crap that doesn’t have a damned thing to do with anything that matters. I don’t need to see Obama’s birth certificate. I am assuming the democrats would not go to all of the trouble to nominate a candidate that is ineligible to serve in the role of POTUS. I don’t give two shits about how much Romney has made in his business ventures. I am assuming his practices are legal and indicate a sharp financial mind if he has truly made a lot of money.

So today, I log on and I see this was shared by a respected friend (who happens to have some differing political views, but who cares about that? Not me). He didn’t make the photo, but someone did.

Some (okay, many) have made Dubya a villain. And he went to Harvard Business School (HBS for those of us in this B-school world). And Mitt is a Harvard MBA. OMG, they are evil, evil brothers. There is nothing there about how they stand for the same things, of how they are cut from the same political cloth. Just that they are both Harvard MBAs and it must be a terrible thing. Guilt by association? Should we stretch this to cover all MBAs? Are we all evil? Maybe. Maybe not.

The person who can build and run a successful corporation is one who can lead. One who knows how to work with a budget and allocate resources appropriately to ensure the greatest amount of productivity. One who can look at a big picture and see where cuts can be made and where more is needed. One who can work with a team to turn nothing into something. A good leader. One who can inspire those under him or her, motivate subordinates toward a common goal. Bridge the gap between personal and organizational interest so that they are in alignment to get the most from the workforce. Put the best people in the best positions for them in order to maximize the use of everyone’s talents. Recognize where changes need to be made and has a working knowledge of how to effectively implement those changes in a systematic manner in order to do so with the least amount of ripples. Appreciate the contribution from every participant, from the smallest to the largest roles. In fact, a good leader sees no small roles, just different ones.

Interesting. Exactly what an MBA education teaches. And HBS is one of the best, most selective B-schools on the planet. (If I am correct, I think they are second only to Wharton, but I stopped looking at all of that once I got into my top-choice B-School.) As a matter of fact, my school has adopted the case method made famous at HBS, and for all of my 600-level courses, I had to purchase a digital course pack from HBS through which to study these cases.

So I may be biased, but I see an MBA from a top B-school as a strong point. Not the only selling point to be considered. Just like anything, it does not ensure success. You can teach, but if someone doesn’t have it, they, well…they just don’t have it. I could take voice lessons, but I would still have the warble of a dying cow when trying to sing. But don’t discredit someone for the wrong reason. I can live with the fact that your decision may be different than mine if it was made in an educated, logical manner. Not based on alma mater or who one’s classmate was in 1975.

So please, as this campaign process continues, can we just stick to the issues? Can we be civil and logical and not insult the intelligence of the American voter in the process? Can we talk about taxation, education, FUCKING HEALTHCARE? I mean, isn’t that what matters?