Charisma

Pope Leo, Max Weber & the dark side of charisma

From our UK edition

30 min listen

Is Pope Leo XIV quietly reversing the mistakes of his predecessor – or is he a Francis II, a ‘Bergoglio in nicer vestments’? Damian Thompson presents his argument in favour of the former position, arguing that ‘although Leo has appointed both liberal and conservative bishops and often pays tribute to his predecessor, he has not followed Francis’s example of catapulting controversial progressives into major dioceses’. ‘For a better understanding of the contrast between Francis and Leo’, Damian says, Vatican-watchers ’should look beyond theological sources – to the writings of a sex-obsessed agnostic German social theorist who died from the Spanish flu in 1920’ – Max Weber.

Pope Leo, Max Weber & the dark side of charisma

Reports of Ron DeSantis’s political death have been greatly exaggerated

A bipartisan Coalition of the Willing that includes the last two presidents, the media and nearly everyone else on the left, plus Trump loyalists, has united to try to sink Ron DeSantis’s candidacy before it begins. DeSantis has been savaged by the press for keeping Florida open during the pandemic and for fighting culture wars, yet voters still gave him a nearly twenty-point win in November. At that time, however, the right was united behind him. Can he now survive amid more relentless and bipartisan attacks? Consider some of the hit pieces/obituaries that have sought to sink DeSantis's presidential candidacy in recent weeks. NBC News: “‘I think he’s in trouble’: Growing number of Ron DeSantis donors and allies hope for a shake-up.

Yang versus Beto: a tale of two charismas

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘charisma’ as ‘compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others’ – how fortunate then that the Democrats have been blessed with two exceptionally charismatic 2020 candidates in Beto O’Rourke and Andrew Yang. The candidacies of Beto and Yang are especially intriguing as they represent a pitch to the American people delivered from two opposing ends of the charisma spectrum. Beto is the hyper-sanitized, telegenic, photogenic, focus-group optimized old-money Texan who, as he says himself, was born to be in it. He’s also physically attractive, which counts in politics. This was true for John F.

andrew yang