Obama does elicit fervor. Is fervor somehow considered to be a mark of religion? Perhaps it is for some, but fervor alone is not necessarily an asset. Billy Graham elicits fervor. So did Adolf Hitler. The issue is whether the fervor leads the candidate and the nation in the right direction.

Some presidents seek to reflect the point of view on issues they discover in focus groups. Lyndon Johnson was famous for that. Some are ideologically oriented and try to sell the people on following their lead in moving the country in their direction. Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt were both successful presidents in doing just that, even though on opposite sides of the ideological fence. Others seek to impose their own ideological perspective on the nation when they have no mandate to do so. The results are usually destructive. George W. Bush is the most recent illustration of that.

A politician’s vision must always be in dialogue with the people that politician hopes to lead. I do not want a president with no vision of his or her own, nor do I want a president who will not listen to the will of the people and seek to be in dialogue with them. In that way fervor and passion will serve the nation.