Dr. King could not have anointed Jesse Jackson or Andrew Young or others as his successor. Had he done so, he would have undermined the very power and influence that was key to his leadership. Likewise, if Nader pulled out of the presidential race in Florida or asked his followers to vote for Gore, it would have destroyed his leadership in The Green Party. Nader's vision is to create a viable third party that focuses on traditional liberal issues like the environment, protection of America's blue collar workers in the global economy, and social justice. For the charismatic leader, this type of strategic insight, unconventional behavior and strong convictions reinforce the followers' perception of the leader being extraordinary.
Transactional leadership is the antithesis of charismatic leadership.
Political transactional leaders exchange jobs, subsidies and lucrative government contracts for votes and campaign contributions. Many of these new followers want to incorporate a heroic social identity into their self-concept. This is evident in a statement he made two days after the election. His initial goal was to win five percent of the national vote to qualify for federal matching funds. He won about three percent.