Blog
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Your Personal Election Assessment
One week out from Election Day, and there's much to consider. You probably already know who you'll vote for, so that's done. But how are you feeling about the state of things these days and about where we're headed as a country? And what about your own efforts to create hope and change -- how might they change given the election? Take the self-assessment and see where you come out.
For me, it often feels like the general election never really took off, which is strange given just how many deep challenges the nation confronts. The short list includes an economic collapse, two wars, global climate change, and the housing crisis, not to mention all the issues that exist beyond these immediate headlines.
It's enough to make your head spin. So, what's next? No matter what, we'll have a new president in just over a week. Given that, here are some questions to consider:
1. What two or three big priorities should the country tackle, and how optimistic are you that we can make real progress?
2. What's the condition of politics and public life in your local community, what should be done in the next six months to make a positive difference?
3. How much hope do you feel today -- and why?
I hope you'll think these questions over and respond. I'm curious as to how you see things, and how you feel about them. We're potentially at a major juncture in history. So, please, jot down your responses and post them in the comments below or email them to me at rharwood at theharwoodinstitute.org. I'll be in touch. -
Stand Up on the Table
In this week's video blog Rich explores the difference between data and knowledge, between information and understanding and sets forth a litmus test for each of us to check whether those in our community are likely to see us as holding authority.
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When Hate Wins
The people's fury has been unleashed and it isn't pretty. During this past week we've witnessed outbursts of hatred and name-calling at presidential rallies as intense economic pressures mount and when people feel heightened insecurity about their future. We all have a stake in how this plays out. The task is to draw the line on hatred and name-calling -- and this goes for supporters of both candidates.
Hatred and name-calling are insidious. They seep into our public discourse, sometimes without us fully realizing it, until they hit us on the head and demand our attention. What occurred this past week at McCain/Palin rallies was deeply troubling. Unseemly supporters called Senator Barack Obama an Arab, accused him of being a terrorist, and shouted "kill him" and "off with his head." In Virginia, the Republican state party chair continually referred to Obama as "Hussein," an obvious ploy to make people fear the candidate.
Rhetoric from supporters on both sides can get overheated these days. And while the insults and denigration heaped on Palin by those who believe her unqualified to be VP are not as troublesome or hate-filled as those exhorting violence against Senator Obama, they do force each of us to consider whether we're willing to take a stand against such acrimony and divisiveness. Criticism is one thing, denigrating someone is something else.
Ultimately, at one rally last week, McCain grabbed the microphone from a supporter, a woman who said Obama was an Arab and declared that Obama is a "good and decent man." But was this too little, too late? I don't think so. Everyone's attention is now fixed on the campaign, and there is no better time to take on such hate-filled, name-calling.
I hasten to add that Obama has done more in this regard than McCain. Recall when news broke that Palin's daughter was pregnant; Obama was quick to step forward to say family issues were off limits. Or, just the other day, in response to McCain stepping forward and drawing the line with his supporters, Obama thanked McCain for the "reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other."
But my point is bigger than any one incident or single week of campaigning. We all know that people are rip-roaring mad about the state of the economy, not to mention politics and public life writ large. They feel increasingly insecure about their economic condition, and they worry about the direction of the nation. It is in moments like these that overheated rhetoric that starts as a small brush fire can ignite into a raging blaze.
There are special moments in public life when lines need to be drawn. This is one of those times. Both candidates, and their campaigns and surrogates, must step forward and demonstrate a different kind of political debate for the good of the nation and our people. They must speak out loudly against hatred and name-calling. They must speak directly and unequivocally.
We all know when candidates speak in veiled terms either to strike fear in people's hearts or to give lip service to some pressing issue. Now is the time to discard both these tactics, and to prevent hate and name-calling from spreading, even winning.
The candidates must start today, and then they should speak directly to this challenge in their debate on Wednesday, and then continue thereafter. You and I must also be part of this: keep track of what you say to people about the opposing side and their supporters, and see if you are adding to current conditions. It is by word of mouth that positive and negative conditions spread in society. In each election, each side wants to win. But, no matter the outcome, hate and name-calling should find no hiding place in our society. -
October Surprise
When I opened the newspaper this morning, I had a distinct sinking feeling. The presidential campaign was about to descend into more lies, hypocrisy, and deception even amid the economic tailspin and people's rising anxiety. Is this approach what we need over the next 28 days, and what can we hope for?
Every four years during a presidential race, at this very time, we are encouraged to guess what will be the "October Surprise." This year, some onlookers have suggested we already know: the Wall Street crisis. No doubt, the economic crisis took the country by storm and is changing the dynamics of the presidential race. John McCain, who was once even with Obama in national polls, now trails Obama nationally and in major battleground states.
But, sadly, the dynamic that is most shaping this race is not the economic crisis, but the increasing intensity of lies, hypocrisy, and deception that rule the day. When this campaign started, many people, including myself, thought it was a golden opportunity for a real debate between competing visions for the nation's future. Remember that? Here were two men of honor, both remarkable in their own right, both passionate and eloquent defenders for what they value, both clearly patriots, who would engage each other and us.
I always thought these debates would be energetic, tough-minded, and highly-spirited; this is no time for Kumbayah and empty niceties. But I was wrong. Instead, it appears that we are about to witness a scorched-earth approach to campaign politics. We are told that the debate will now descend into attacks on Obama's associations from decades ago, McCain's Keating Five involvement, and whatever else can be dug up. More negative ads that seek to strike fear into people will bombard us. Each day I go online and to newspapers and see another campaign ad declared untruthful, inaccurate, or deceptive.
I've worked on campaigns (over 20) and understand that they are tough business. And I know that campaigns are about winning. There are real consequences at stake. But I cringe as I sit here and think about watching tonight's debate. Will it be more of the same trash talk? Will they blatantly distort one another's records? Will they help prepare us for the tough work that stands before the nation?
Here are just some examples of what I mean:
Will they squarely address what it might take to get the nation out of this economic mess? This isn't simply about positioning a single policy proposal, as if this problem can be fixed with a magic wand, but requires a larger and longer discussion.
How will their ideas actually affect people living in small and large towns in, for instance, Pennsylvania and Ohio that I visited recently? I don't want to hear the litany of proposals they usually offer, but a real sense of what can be done in these towns and what, if any, role the federal government can realistically play?
What's their vision for America in a world in which relationships, issues, and nations have been turned on their heads?
What does it mean for individuals Americans to re-engage with each other and in public life to rebuild relationships and address common concerns (and please don't reel off a new "program" that will involve a relatively few people).
Of course, my biggest hope would be for a genuine October Surprise. Imagine this: one or both of the candidates taking their place on stage at tonight's debate and declaring that their job is only to outline a clear vision for how America can move forward and what role we all can play -- without any lies, hypocrisy, or deceptions. I know both have tried this approach, to varying degrees. But now we need it more than ever. This is an October surprise I would welcome.