by Vicki Phipps

Created on: September 13, 2009   Last Updated: September 15, 2009

It might be better to ask if those who block what Obama is trying to do will prevent the success he needs to achieve what seems to be an impossible dream. Since there will always be some people who refuse to believe in dreams, it might be wise to ask this instead: When it comes to health care, are there any leaders still alive out there?"

For Obama to achieve health care reform, maybe we need to take the advice of Arnold H. Glasgow, so I'll quote,"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit." Then again when it comes to leadership, no one listens to what people say anyway, and no one knows that those old quotes were meant for the men and women who lead today. No one listens and no one pays attention to the facts of the past. In fact, when it comes to the need for change, everyone goes insane.

If people don't agree with the one who leads at any given time, they'll rant, rave and make ridiculous claims, as if being enraged could stop and block the need for change. Before we can reform health care, we have to find someone who'll think to read Harry S. Truman's advice. "Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skilled leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."

Okay, so maybe we did find the guy Truman advised us to find who will at least try to change the facts that remain, but unless someone listens to him nothing will change, no matter how courageous or skilled he might be. The facts remain the same and nothing will change if we do the same old things we've already tried, especially when they didn't work the first time. That's why it would be wise for Obama to advise all those who oppose what he tries to do to keep in mind what a guy named Thomas E. Cronin advised when he said, "Leadership is generally defined as the capacity to make things happen that would otherwise not happen," like Martin Luther King's dream.

Still, Obama should listen to the conservative view too, and what better advice to heed than the late king of the GOP, Ronald Reagan who said, "A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must be undaunted when the going gets tough." In fact, THAT would be the best republican advice for the democrat President of today, but he should also keep in mind what the past democrats learned the hard way, like JFK explained. "Leadership and

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