Application Essay on "Ethics of Leadership Applied to Clinton"

Application Essay 10 pages (3303 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Rather than follow a more pragmatic or utilitarian approach as Machiavelli would suggest, Americans tend to hold their leaders to unusually high moral standards in their personal and private lives. This is why Clinton was embroiled in the scandal; his sexual transgression was viewed as being a direct affront to the American people even though the affair had nothing to do with his duties as President. As Pfiffner points out, Americans believe that character is "just as or more important than intellect, organizational ability, television presence, and effectiveness in public speaking," all qualities for which Clinton has been heralded (7). In other words, it did not matter that Clinton was a good statesman; what mattered is that the American public viewed his affair with Lewinsky as indicative as a deep underlying character flaw. It does not matter that such a flaw existed in the personality of the president; what matters is public perception about the moral character of the president.

Duty Ethics

Duty ethics, also referred to as deontological ethics, suggests that people who endeavor to do good must in all circumstances behave according to specific rules. Deontological ethics stresses the integrity of social laws and norms. If a social norm is itself proven unethical, then a just leader must continue to work within the boundaries of the law in order to transform the society. While rules and regulations may vary according to culture, the constraints of moral behavior may not vary according to situational variables. In other words, what is wrong is always wrong, and what is right is also always right. Duty ethics are rigid. Their most familiar form is in the Biblical Ten Commandments and the list of "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots." Immanuel Kant's philosophy is rooted in deontological ethics, and most critics of Clinton refer at least sometimes to Clinton's moral transgressions in terms of duty. Duty ethics are the opposite of utilitarian or consequentialist ethics, which emphasize the outcome of the action more than the act itself.

Although Machiavelli is generally a utilitarian in his approach to leadership ethics, the author espouses a unique version of duty ethics in which it becomes the express duty of the leader to "violate the mores of private relationships if it will help them serve the stability of the state," (Pfiffner 11). In Clinton's case, his private relationships in no way served the best interest of the state, so this cannot be used as an argument in defense of the president. However, Clinton's lying can be viewed as a means by which the president sought stability. The President aimed to keep the public focused on issues that truly matter, rather than the private affairs of the president. The president's core duty is to the country, and his sex life has nothing to do with running the country. On the other hand, Clinton's duties as president do include acting with integrity.

Intention

Whereas duty ethics focuses on the act itself, some deontological ethical theories stress the actor's intent. The importance of the actor's state of mind and thought processes related to the transgression indicate that some unethical actions may have been committed with good intention: such as lying to a child about Santa. President Clinton's lie can be considered somewhat more serious than Santa Claus, and yet the president's intention was to preserve harmony and his own reputation. The President's intention in initiating or participating in the affair with Lewinsky was self-serving, but it is remotely possible that the President's performance on the job was directly related to his need for ongoing sexual servicing.

Social Utility and Distributive Justice

Both social utility and distributive justice are cornerstones of American ethics. Social utility is a subset of utilitarianism, which values actions that generate the greatest good for the greatest number of people. The quality or nature of the action, or the actor, are less important than whether an act leads to positive outcomes for a large number of people. Unfortunately for Clinton, it becomes difficult to prove that his moral transgressions served any greater good. Distributive justice, a principle developed by John Rawls, is based on two principles. The first principle is that of "original position," in which self-interest does drive political beliefs but also that people are born equal ("Rawls' Theory of Distributive Justice"). The second principle of distributive justice is that people in positions of power may use that power to the extent that it benefits all members of the society.

Distributive justice refers to the underlying belief in fairness and equitability in the law. The Golden Rule "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and the Hammurabi Code's "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" mentality both reflect the belief in distributive justice. With regards to the Clinton scandal, the consequences of the president's actions should be identical with the consequences of those actions were Bill Clinton just an ordinary person. However, with greater power comes greater responsibility; justice is distributed according to factors such as merit, performance, and contribution ("Principles of Ethical Leadership"). In accordance also with the Bathsheba Syndrome, the principles of distributive justice suggest that Clinton lacked the tools to effectively manage his own power. Being impeached seemed like a disproportionate response to the president's behavior until it becomes apparent that lying under oath could be seriously detrimental to the integrity of the office of presidency.

Justice as Fairness

The term "liberty and justice for all" resonates in the American consciousness, and is a fundamental ethical tenet of the society. Rawls postulated that all human beings are essentially born equal, blind to the fact that they may have certain talents, ambitions, or social statuses that constrain their options and behaviors. Before this "veil of ignorance" is lifted, equality is true and genuine. Afterwards, however, a series of choices and external events ensure that justice is distributed according to one's merits. Liberty is essential in a society that aims to be just, because with absolute liberty comes the ability to pursue happiness. Viewed in light of Rawls's liberty principle, Clinton can be viewed as possessing the freedom to pursue whatever political or personal path he desires. Given the sexual encounter between him and Lewinsky was consensual, Clinton did not infringe on the rights of others. Furthermore, the right to privacy is embedded in the American constitution because privacy and liberty go hand-in-hand. One cannot act freely in a police state; therefore, Clinton has the right to behave however he wants to in his private life as long as those behaviors fail to interfere with his duty as president.

Legitimate Authority and Charisma

Any office with an official title such as President of the United States is considered to be legitimate authority. As an elected official, Clinton enjoys both the legitimate authority of the office of president but also the authority that comes with the mandate to lead in a democratic form of government. With legitimate authority, Clinton can make choices that affect the whole nation. The choices Clinton makes in his private life, from what he eats to who he sleeps with, are irrelevant because they have no bearing on his official duties in the Oval Office.

Max Weber defined charisma as a quality of "extraordinary power," by which a leader is endowed with "supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities" not accessible to the normal person (Hansen 102). Using Weber's definition, any president of the United States possesses at least some charisma; some leaders more than others. Charismatic authority does differ in significant ways from legitimate authority, though. Whereas all presidents possess legitimate authority by means of their holding the office, not all presidents will possess charismatic authority. Charismatic authority transcends any legitimate title or office.

Although Clinton did possess a charismatic style in public speaking, he is not a classically charismatic leader along the lines of a Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Gandhi, who inspire people in spite of their not holding any official title of office. Charismatic leaders inspire people to take action; whereas Clinton demonstrated a far more pragmatic style in keeping with the demands of the office of presidency. As Greenstein points out, President Clinton actually demonstrated two distinct styles of leadership throughout his eight-year presidency, using each style according to the demands of the situation. One of those styles was pragmatic and measured, taking into account the immediate or quantifiable needs of any given problem or situation. The other style was "no holes barred," which does in fact rely on Clinton's possessing some degree of charismatic power (Greenstein 351). One of the reasons why Clinton may have been able to extricate himself from the tricky situation related to Monica Lewinsky without suffering undue political damage is in fact the president's inherent charisma -- the superpower that allowed him to commit a moral transgression, get caught, and yet still… READ MORE

How to Reference "Ethics of Leadership Applied to Clinton" Application Essay in a Bibliography

Related Application Essays:

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Learning) Assessment

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Learning)

How does a paradigm differ from a theory? Include information from Kuhn regarding a paradigm so that you demonstrate your understanding of Kuhn regarding a paradigm.… read more

Assessment 28 pages (7785 words) Sources: 28 Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Speech Symposium Term Paper

Speech Symposium

Dear

Today you are about to embark on a mission -- a mission to take our democratic and free America to other countries where you will come across… read more

Term Paper 15 pages (4047 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Capital Punishment With Regards to Christian Ethics Reaction Paper

Christianity and the Death Penalty

A Christian View of Capital Punishment

The issue of capital punishment is as old as the Bible itself. God himself was the first to issue… read more

Reaction Paper 8 pages (2667 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Crime / Police / Criminal Justice

---

Analyzing Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell by Oren Harari Term Paper

Powell cites that in the early years as an officer in the army, he used his experiences of youth, his first army assignments and his ROTC. He says that even… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2712 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

Health Exploring the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Term Paper

Health

Exploring the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The Tuskegee Study was intended to examine the long-term side effects of untreated syphilis. It tracked a group of 600 poor African-American men in… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2669 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>