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Dear Sarah
In the time of a few short weeks, your nomination as vice president has imploded, plain and simple. Since your selection, you have been belittled on Saturday Night Live, silenced by your own campaign, and humiliated on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. With Thursday's VP debate fast approaching, you face two fundamental choices, neither of which is easy, but which will define your candidacy. Not long ago, I wrote that people should give you a chance, but now time is running out. What are you to do?
Apparently, Sen. John McCain's attempt to shake up the presidential race by selecting you as his running mate has backfired. Sure, his strategy worked for a matter of days. But then he and his handlers decided to marginalize you, sensing that deep trouble was ahead. Even conservative leaders, many of whom once championed your cause, have started to jump ship. You are now widely seen as a liability to your party, perhaps the nation as a whole. All alone, what should you do?
I believe you face two basic choices. First, you can withdraw. I suspect many people are cheering as they read this choice. They may see your nomination as an affront to politics, an assault on the seriousness of our times, an insult to their intelligence. My bet is that these individuals are yearning for a distinct combination of inspiration and competence in their national leaders. They want to know that we, as a nation, are headed in a new direction, with enough smarts and insights to figure out how to get there. And for some of these people, you are, Governor Palin, seen as an impediment on that path to change.
Perhaps all this is true, except I still do not believe you should withdraw. For better or worse, John McCain invited you to join his ticket, and the Republican convention delegates gave their approval. You should stay on the ticket, but only if you are willing to take the second choice.
What made you appealing to certain voters was your authenticity, except that now you and the campaign have come dangerously close to totally undermining it. In the span of just a few weeks, since the convention, you have sought to do what no one in public life should ever do: become something you're not. From what I can tell, you were selected because you were a governor who addressed various state-related issues (such as energy), a stand-up reformer, and someone who would excite the Republican base. Now, people are testing you on what you know about Russia, Pakistan, and other foreign policy issues; you have been asked to undertake a cram course and declare your expertise. But is success even possible?
Instead, this second choice is to be truly authentic about who you are and what you know. It is to step forward and say what is obvious: you are a young governor, of a rural state, who has had to deal with a host of issues, and that, from your perspective you have done a good job with policy and political reform. Only a few governors could come into this realm with expertise on foreign policy issues. For you, that expertise will be gained only over time. Meanwhile, a President McCain and his advisors will need to guide the ship, with your insights and help.
But let's be clear: taking this path will require real courage on your part. The game of turning Sarah Palin into someone and something she is not will need to end. You will need to stand up to the McCain handlers who have cynically put you forward on campaign posters, only to muzzle you publicly. You will need to reclaim your own voice.
You will also need a healthy dose of humility. For this choice requires self-awareness -- that even though you have been nominated for vice president (heady stuff), you are not well versed in certain issues and matters. You can cram policy and position papers all you want, and still not know all that much about the topics covered. This second choice demands that you represent your campaign's positions, but that you not try to fool anyone, most of all yourself.
So, Governor, these are the two options as I see them today. My own hope between now and Election Day is that the nation engages in a genuine debate about our future. But for you to take part in this debate, you would be well-advised to come clean with your present state of affairs. Time is running out.
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Wall Street: A Rush to Judgment, Again
Redeeming Hope by Rich Harwood. Wall Street - A Rush to Judgement I can't help but think that the financial fiasco we now face has similar markings to the War in Iraq. This is not something I say lightly, but is something that needs to be said. For why is it that on the most vital issues of the day we so quickly rush to judgment, while trivial matters receive endless attention? When it comes to Wall Street, let's not make the same mistakes we made in Iraq.
Last night I finished Bob Woodard's latest book, "The War Within." It's a good read, even though key parts of it seem overwritten, especially where Woodward switches from reporting to outright editorializing. But the facts speak for themselves: time and again the president and this administration put their heads in the sand and refused to acknowledge and adapt to on-the-ground realities. What's more, they failed repeatedly to square up with the American people.
Just as troubling were Bush's military-advisors who seemed AWOL, while Democrats on Capitol Hill were nowhere to be found. Both groups appeared timid, afraid to risk their political capital or, more likely, their political position. Recall the lead-up to the war in Iraq, where most everyone was cowed into falling into line, fearful of assaults on their patriotism, worried that they would seem less than manly if they asked for evidence of danger.
Will this same dynamic takeover in the current financial crisis? While it's clear that some form of action is required to stabilize our nation's financial situation, I'm not an economist so I cannot adequately "blog" on various technical solutions. But I do know that when a herd mentality takes over in public life, it is not a good sign. Nor is it promising when people are told not to raise tough questions because "We need to get the job done." And I don't take comfort when all of a sudden a few people huddle together with the President and declare a solution.
By all means, leadership is required now. 535 members of Congress should not get the opportunity to place their personal imprint on this legislation. But rushing to judgment on a $700 billion remedy; bypassing any kind of real oversight into the future; allowing Wall Street executives to run off with millions in golden parachutes while hard-hit Americans must forfeit their homes -- well, are these the values we want in place? Before we act is the right time to reveal, debate, and choose the values we want to guide our choices.
There is always a delicate balancing act between moving ahead quickly and making room for genuine debate. But this is not a simple "either/or" choice, and we ought not to let it become one. In fact, real leadership is the ability to understand this tension and to move ahead deftly.
If Woodward's reporting is to be believed, at critical moments in the Iraq War, the president failed to seek out the advice of his military leaders, only to be counseled by those individuals who already supported his views; meanwhile, those left outside his inner circle did not adequately raise their voices and push a different point of view. There was a rush to judgment, and a failure to engage.
Now, we face a domestic crisis, which could spill over into a major global crisis, and similar questions haunt us. Will we rush judgment, again? And will there be a failure to engage? My hope is that this time our response will be different.
If we expect our elected officials to put their political capital and positions on the line are we willing to stand next to them and stand by them? Learn more about what it takes to support a new breed of leaders in Rich's latest essay: Make Hope Real.
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"Next time, knock his teeth out!"
Redeeming Hope by Rich Harwood. A blog about making good on your urge to do good, and about imagining and acting for the public good. "Next time, knock his teeth out!" This is what a parent told her son to do the next time a kid hits him. At first I thought that she and her three friends were talking about the kids on the lacrosse field, where our sons were playing. But I soon found out this story was more complicated than that. It is a story that reminds us of how out of control things feel nowadays, how angry people are, and how something we cherish can get away from us. It is about the condition of our society and our lives.
There were four parents in all, each one more frustrated and agitated than the next. They were standing so close to me that it was impossible not to hear what they were saying. They started out talking about how they had told their sons that the next time they get hit to make sure they hit back so hard that the other kid can't get up. That’s when one of the parents said, "I told my son, if you're going to get hit, make sure you knock his front teeth out. Make sure he doesn't have any teeth left." Her rage and vehemence was palpable.
My initial reaction was to take a step closer to them to say something: that we shouldn't be instilling such rage into our kids; that I don’t want my son knocking some other kid's front teeth out; that sports should be about more than cleaning someone's clock. But it became clear that there was more to their story. Their kids had been repeatedly bullied at school by a kid who evidently had been known for misbehaving and charged for burglary and other misdeeds. When their kids had fought back, school officials punished them by tossing them off the school's cross-country team.
The parents were trading stories of how they furiously called the school to talk to administrators, they sent emails, and they even worked the local news media angle. No response, which produced even more anger. Standing there at the lacrosse game, they recounted how the school essentially had become a fortress, with people inside being unwilling to answer questions and engage in any way. All these parents knew was that their kids had been forced from the cross-country team, and the bully remained in school, untouched, seemingly protected by the system.
What's clear is that I don't have the facts, just hearsay. But I recognized the raw frustration and anger in these parents' voices. It was rooted in their experience with yet another public system letting them down, ignoring their voices and concerns. In response, these parents decided to create their own rules to regain some semblance of control, retribution, revenge, even satisfaction. My own travels across the country tell me that this scene is not uncommon; instead of a bully, other antagonists and unresponsive systems are at work in people's daily lives.
I understand these parent's anger, but I must say that I was repulsed standing there and listening to them spew such rage, even hatred. I don't want any parent, however angry, saying to their kid that "Next time, knock their teeth out!" I don't want parents assuming that they can make up the rules of society and produce a sense of mayhem simply because they're pissed off. I didn't read this in some parenting book or magazine; I just know it in my gut.
That said, we must recognize that people are out of sorts, they do not feel they are being heard, they are feeling squeezed. This is not simply a middle class dilemma; it exists all across the spectrum. Calls for "hope" without acknowledging people's anger and frustration will not do; nor will simply tapping into people's anger, egging them on, even telling lies, to win the day. Rather, we have a lot of work to do to create a sense of being heard and belonging -- and mutual responsibility -- if we are to regain our footing.
This is a challenge we face at every level of society. Each and all of us must know this; we must address it. We must see it as "our" concern.
Meantime, I keep wondering what I might say to those parents when I see them again, perhaps this weekend.
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Seven Questions for Ugly Times
Redeeming Hope by Rich Harwood. A blog about making good on your urge to do good, and about imagining and acting for the public good. These are ugly times. Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The economy is going downhill. Two wars remain open-ended. The presidential campaign is in danger of becoming a caricature of itself. In times like these, we want to say, "Enough!" Here's how.I could give you a long treatise on where we are, or a prescription for what to do next, but neither would hit the mark of what I sense is needed right now. At issue is how you and others of goodwill can change the dynamics of how we're living and where we're headed. How can you gain some semblance of control over current affairs? What can you do to feel that your good values and authentic hopes are better reflected in these ugly times?
To tackle these challenges, I offer you these 7 Questions for Ugly Times. My goal here is not some kind of silly engagement ploy -- you know, "Let's get more people holding hands and singing Kum-ba-yah," or something like that. Rather, it is only by talking with others, in real ways, that any of us can sort out and know what we really think; it is only then, that you can begin to see and hear yourself.
When you step forward and join with others you can change the current conditions.
I urge you to think about these 7 Questions for Ugly Times on your own, and then to find one or two other people to talk with. (The questions are in a particular order to help you think about things, so you'll want to follow the sequence.) Here are the questions:
1. What do you think of how things in the country are going today -- and why?
2. What are you most concerned about?
3. What aspirations do you hold these days?
4. What urge exists within you to make your community and life better?
5. Name 2 things (and only 2) you can do, starting now, that can help you fulfill your aspirations and meet your urge within.
6. Looking ahead, how will you know you have made progress on these 2 items?
7. What does it mean to you to make good on your urge to do good?Please send me back any and all of your thoughts. You can reply here on the blog, or send me a direct email at rharwood@theharwoodinstitute.org. My hope is that not only you will share your thoughts with those closest to you, but with our growing network, so that together we can create the kind of change we need.
Each of us knows that none of us alone can change the direction of the country, or even our local community. But when we become clearer about what we hold to be valuable in our lives, when we come to more fully understand and express those beliefs, and when we take small steps forward, we will find ourselves moving in the right direction. Our choices can better reflect who we are. We can create the community we want. These steps are the beginning of all small change, and it is the seedbed for larger things to come.
Today, there is a vast reservoir of untapped energy in the country -- in you, and in others. People want to be a part of something larger than themselves and they want to make a difference. Now, turn your frustrations into something good.
Answer these 7 Questions for Ugly Times. In doing so, you can find ways to better fulfill your own hopes, and you can make good on your urge to do good.
I'm anxious to hear from you.
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Do you know Governor Palin?
Redeeming Hope by Rich Harwood. A blog about making good on your urge to do good, and about imagining and acting for the public good. An examination of Sarah Palin, and what our comments about her, really say about us. John McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is raising a helluva lot of questions -- not only about McCain and Palin, but about us. What values and filters do we bring to this scene? What assumptions about other people do we make? How fast are we to judge others? I know there's some risk in what I'm about to say, but here it goes.
Over the long Labor Day Weekend, I found myself involved in a number of conversations about Palin. Since last week's announcement we've learned more about Palin and with each passing day comes a new disclosure. At first the focus was on her experience; then it moved to whether a mom of five kids, one a special needs child should even be running for VP; then there was the disclosure of her 17-year old daughter's pregnancy. And I'm sure more will follow.
Amid these stories have been our own conversations, within our families, among our friends, at weekend get-togethers. I have felt increasingly uncomfortable in these conversations. I have heard people state with great assuredness that Palin should never have returned to work so soon after the birth of her four-month old child; that parents of a special needs child should be at home full-time, because that is what is required; that Palin cannot work with five kids and still be a good mom.
In these conversations, I remained silent at first, wondering to myself how people can be so sure of themselves. They imposed a set of values they are convinced are the right ones -- indeed, the only ones -- and that no alternatives exist. I sat there and asked myself how many people like Sarah Palin do they know? I wish they would come with me into the homes of people I have met and worked with all across the nation, people who live their lives with goodness, decency, and sincerity, but in ways different than their own.
In each conversation, I found myself saying that many people work because they have to -- they have no choice. Moreover, I have said that I know two families with specials needs kids where both parents work, and where there is so much love and affection that I would be more than willing to have my own two kids join those families. Further, I have wondered aloud why stay-at-home dads who were once professionals are okay, but not Palin's husband.
My questions and thoughts were dismissed out of hand. There's more, too. For instance, the reflexive disdain I've heard against evangelicals is as bad as any discrimination I have seen. The belittling of any notion of creationism (that is, that there may be some higher force at work larger than science, which is in fact what many of the best scientists in the world say), is swift and punishing; the unwillingness to even understand what proponents are trying to say is unfortunate. The assumption that small-town America is irrelevant to the experiences of a growing nation is also mystifying to me -- and a sorry state of affairs.
Let me be clear: I am not defending Sarah Palin. To me, there is some virtue in her selection, but also the rolling of dice. But how we talk this choice is just as important as our final judgment. Why? Because so many of us want a different kind of politics in America, a politics that is more reflective of reality, more thoughtful, and more hopeful. We want a politics that transcends Red States and Blue States. We want a politics that encourages honest and tough debate, but not unnecessary discord and divisiveness. Now is our chance.
In 1984, I worked for Walter Mondale when he nominated Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as his choice for Vice President. Of course, the initial burst of excitement for Ferraro dissipated quickly as she found herself mired in family problems, with Mondale losing in a landslide. While Palin's selection and her running mate may take a similar route, the race is still far from over. But no matter what, my question is, what route will you take?
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