Ireland Elects Poet as President

In a time of economic distress with a collapsed housing market, severe spending cuts, and massive (15 percent) unemployment, what does the country need in a leader? For Ireland, it's a poet. Michael Higgins, who has long been considered "a thorn in the side of the establishment," handily won the role of president of Ireland.

In any other setting, it's unlikely Higgins would have stood a chance. His small size (he's 5 feet, 4 inches), high-pitched voice, and resume as activist and published poet normally would have eliminated any chance of becoming a prime politician. However, these are not normal times, as everyone knows.

The people spoke (more than 1 million of the 1.8 million voting in Ireland) cast their ballots for Higgins. He then promptly resigned from his role as leader of the Labor Party so he could be "president of all the people," even those who are disillusioned with politics.

According to University College Dublin professor Diarmaid Ferriter and reported in the Chicago Tribune, "The idea that the Irish have elected a poet with a social conscience, with a track record in human rights, that's a very positive development." Perhaps those who are so tired of "politics as usual" in the United States might learn something from Ireland.

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

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