Volodymyr Zelensky is no longer “trendy” in the U.S. That wore off a while ago. You could argue it was for some sad reason—that he was more compelling when staring down what seemed like imminent demise, for example—but it was more likely just that the news cycle moved on, especially with summer hitting and whatnot. Summer’s a good time to take a break from the news. Anyway, that makes the first thought here outdated, but I’m including it anyway, because it’s been on my mind.
Thought #1: Zelensky Should Step Back From Politics (When He Can)
Unless he’s running into term limits, now isn’t exactly the time for this, with an active war going on and whatnot, but should Zelensky achieve peace, or even stability, I hope he steps back. We see too many heroes stay at the table and lose their stack. I don’t think Zelensky’s like Andrew Cuomo, but I do remember a day in March or April of 2020 when my mom—rather conservative, certainly no Cuomo fan in normal times—sent a clip from one of Cuomo’s covid press conferences everyone was fawning over. That specific admiration faded faster than most, but it always fades eventually. Rare is the person who make a great first impression and then lives up to it, and then keeps living up to it, and then lives up to it even more. Especially in an age where we see so many little things, and not just the great big stuff that gets its own headers in history books (thinking of George Washington here).
So, it would be nice if Zelesnky could go out a hero. There are plenty of practical concerns with this of greater importance than our own ability to point to a guy and say, “You know what? That guy rocked.” But, if the practical concerns ever line up, get out of here, Volodymyr. Become an elder statesman from the side.
Thought #2: The Actor-President Model Isn’t Bad
Theoretically, if you arm a good-enough actor with enough governmental skill and convince them to take on the character of a good leader, they should be a good fit for the job. This should theoretically work with any job if you can get enough of the relevant skill in there, but given how much the job of president boils down to being an effective figurehead, it overindexes towards acting. The acting-to-skill ratio in the formula is higher than it is for, say, accountants. Zelensky’s videos in those early days of the Russian invasion, videos of himself and his cabinet still defiantly in Kyiv were, more or less, good acting. Maybe Zelensky really felt the courage he showed, but whether he did or didn’t, the guy showed it. It was something to behold.
There are stories about Ronald Reagan doing something (much easier than this, but) somewhat similar, stories of Reagan—himself an actor by trade—bounding out in the cold without a coat to shake the hand of a bundled-up Mikhail Gorbachev. Again, this was easier—Reagan’s life was at no imminent risk of ending at those meetings, compared to Zelensky taking videos in between shellings—but there’s a shade of the same thing, and for Reagan disciples in my life, the moments were impactful. In certain moments, projecting confidence and calm and clarity is the entirety of the job. The job is, in certain moments, to play the part.
Reagan was more of a politician than Zelensky. It doesn’t make sense to compare the two too closely. But these Reagan stories have echoes of Zelensky’s spring performance, and as our only American actor-president, he came to mind. Zelensky, on the other hand, is the embodiment of a guy saying, “What should a president be?” and then becoming that exact character. He literally did this on a television show before being elected president in real life. This is the whole approach of Volodymyr Zelensky.
Maybe too much skill is needed in the formula, and this is harder than it sounds. But I wonder, staring at the dearth of compelling leaders running for office and holding office in America today, if an actor could do a better job. It seems to be working in Ukraine.
