What is the difference between leadership and statesmanship

In a nutshell, with the failure of Congress to pass a farm bill prior to the August recess, it appears that it is the Congressional leadership that has failed Agriculture. There is a reason that Congress only has a single digit confidence reading in the national opinion polls. The Senate and Senate Committee passed a bi-partisan bill. The House Ag Committee passed a bi-partisan bill. The House Leadership punted. The drought conditions have been worsening. Similarly it appears dysfunction in House leadership is worsening as well.

The ill-fated attempts to first consider a one year extension of existing policy with direct payments coupled with selective reductions to address the expired disaster relief for livestock programs fell with a thud. And, the last ditch attempt to simply approve the expired disaster relief for livestock passed the House, but the Senate adjourned and went home without giving it any consideration. Leadership walked away from agriculture during the worst drought in recent memory. There was a lot of action to create inaction and posturing for the fall elections.

It reminds me of a school bus about to drive over a cliff because the bus driver is having a heart attack and the two adults in the front seat are arguing over who ought to take the wheel, who ought to help the driver, and whether they ought to shut off the engine or stomp on the brake. Worse yet, appearing to be the savior is apparently more important than saving the driver, the kids, or themselves.

Your analogy makes a point, but it oversimplifies the gravity of the consequences of the dysfunction in Congress. The prospects in the global economy are creating a lot of uncertainty. The prospects in the domestic economy are creating a lot of uncertainty. The drought is creating a lot of uncertainty for agriculture.

Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. What is the difference between leadership and statesmanship? Ask Question. Asked 1 year, 6 months ago. Active 7 months ago. Viewed times. Is there any difference between leadership and statesmanship? Improve this question. What's the purpose of that link you've just added in? How is it relevant to the question you're asking? Yeah, I've rolled back the subquestion.

If you want to ask more, ask a new question, don't edit an existing and already answered question to expand it — divibisan. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Fidel Castro was a good leader, but not a very good statesman. A statesman is a person who stands by his ideals and does everything in his power to do what he believes is right for the people of his country.

Statesmen stand on a platform of fundamental truths. They believe in certain core values and don't change beliefs to get ahead in politics. A statesman, however, may change his policies and methods of going about achieving his goals.

He may even be criticized for doing so, but he believes that the short-term sacrifice is necessary to the long-term triumph. Morgenthau, statesmen are political realists. They look at policy in terms of its effect on the nation. Politicians may have beliefs, but they tend to be flexible and grounded in the political sphere. Most politicians base decisions on power, wealth or conformity to legal rules or morals, or, as Morgenthau states "[the] landscape of international politics is the concept of interest defined in terms of power.

Statesmen have a clearly defined vision for their country and constituents. A statesman knows exactly what he wants to accomplish during his time in office. This requires foresight to recognize that he will confront problems and will need solutions to realize his goals.