I have come to the conclusion that no matter who is elected president of this organization, he will not be able to please everybody. Not even Jesus could, so what hope does a mere mortal have?

I have been in industry for over 30 years in some capacity or another and have been in positions of great authority. NONE of it was easy and it took work to make it work. When problems arose I had to make decisions and justify them to my superiors and face the consequences of those decisions. The people who agreed with me were easy. The ones who disagreed were another matter. As the person in charge I had to try to convince them of the benefits of my decisions and persuade them to see things my way and to cooperate with my philosophy. When that didn't happen I had to sometimes assume the position of "Boss" and say "That's the way it is, now that I have heard your objections and disagreements, I stand firm in my decision".

Some times the toughest thing in the world can be standing your ground. Just make sure your motives are honest and above reproach and you are doing what is best for the largest number of people.
This can only be accomplished by hearing what the largest number of people have to say on a subject.

My main objection to any elected body of people is their assumption that they already know what the people whom they represent are thinking and want.

I know, I know, many people have said that the majority of the members in the AMA don't want to get involved in politics, Well, I don't believe that. Every person I have talked to, except our 12 year old female member, had an opinion on something that was going on in the AMA. Frustration is what is keeping people from speaking up and voicing their opinions. When you are ignored for a long enough period of time you stop being concerned.

If you want to see an upswing in turnout start asking individuals what they think on a subject, and be specific. You will be amazed at the responses. Now there will have to be a certain amount of BS filters applied to these response but read between the lines and you might be surprised at what you find.