Politics is one of the few professions where it matters as much
for what we say...as what we do!...and therefore as JFK once
said..."we must offer a special pledge - to convert our good
words into good deeds - in a new alliance for progress - for this
peaceful revolution of hope".
As we struggled to move past the Fiscal Cliff this past week, I
was also reminded by Kennedy's provocative challenge to "begin anew -
remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness,
and sincerity is always subject to proof." - "Let both sides explore
the problems that unite us instead of belaboring those problems
which divide us - not because we seek their votes, but because it
is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it
cannot save the few who are rich".
The irony is that those comments were not directed at the opposing
political party...but to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
I don't think this was the progress that he was envisioning for a new
generation.
But with President Obama's 4 years gone and 4 years yet to be - I am also reminded when another great American Leader, Martin Luther King said that " It would
be fatal for the Nation to overlook the urgency of the moment... and
even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, " I Still
Have a Dream."
And so do I...
"I Still Have a Dream"
That one day - the world will know "My America". An America
that knows how to open its heart and when to close its door to
lobbyists, Birthers and intransient politicians who wouldn't know
a Grand Bargain, even when it was $10 dollars of spending cuts for
$1.00 in new taxes.
An America that knows its rightful place in the world because we
have taken the responsibility to help make the world right.
An America at home that knows the difference between a limited
government and a nation of limitless possibilities - "I Still Have That
Dream."
A dream that the next 4 years won't be filled with constant negotiation
but our best imagination - a dialogue where celebration outweighs
condemnation and a different ideology is simply a call for debate and
not a basis for vehement hate.
I Still Have a Dream that in 'My America" -whether we support our
banking system, our manufacturing base or someone on an unemployment
line - a bailout will never be called a handout when it's an investment in our
future.
I dream that Healthcare will become a symbol for how much we care about
each other and not how little we understand the need to help each other.
That Immigration will have a welcome mat instead of a sign post up ahead
that says "Please Go Back".
And that technology and innovation will create an economy that leaves our
youth - crowding our classrooms and not our battlefields.
I Still Have a Dream that "climate change" is not just for Polar Bears or to save
the Whales but a new environment in Washington where politicians go to serve
their country and not just their party.
I Still Have a Dream that every child goes to school and comes back safely and
if their parents choose to get married they don't have to worry about their sexes.
But most of All...I Still Have a Dream that JFK was right... and that we are up to the
task as a Nation. To no longer struggle with Fiscal Cliffs, "but against the common
enemies of tyranny, poverty, disease and war. That the energy, the faith, the
devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it
- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world".