As a staffer in the US Senate, I found government works best when elected representatives bring their ideas to the table and, with equal conviction to cooperation and collaboration, commit their full intellect and energy to solving America’s problems.
Too often elected officials walk in lockstep with party ideology rather than using their own best judgment to arrive at consensus on the issues. They stick to the extreme right or left of the political spectrum, and expect us to view them as leaders. For them, all problems can be solved easily; the choices are always “either/or.”
In my view, the best solutions are not found using a black and white “either/or” approach; they are most likely to be crafted from a “both/and” approach.
Today, that is hard for Republicans and Democrats to practice…but they must. The economic picture for America – and indeed, the entire world – is dire.
The economic environment represents a great opportunity for the man who would be our next President.
We need someone who will seize this moment as an opportunity to unite the nation, and that is best done by steering neither hard right nor hard left. It is my hope that Barack Obama will take the time at the debate next week to help calm fears, pull the country together, offer words of hope and encouragement as well as a clear, easy to understand plan, to all who need to hear. A plan – or at least a set of operating principles that represent the best thinking from both sides of the aisle and middle ground, too.
As I write this, I hear the news that Obama is negotiating with the networks to buy a full half hour of network time. I don’t know the details, but it would be good news to all if he used the time to describe how we might get out of this mess – together.
I am confident Barack Obama has the courage to tell us what we need to hear and will let the chips fall where they may on November 4th.
No comments:
Post a Comment