-
A lost voice in the immigration debate
In spending much of
last week in New Mexico, I heard a great deal
about Arizona’s immigration debate. Each day
a new story appeared in the newspaper. Each
night the television news would run another
piece. When I finally got home late last night,
I hopped in a cab, pining for my family. But no
sooner did the cab pull away from the curb,
than the conversation with my Pakistani cab
driver began. His voice is nowhere to be heard
in the raucous immigration debate. It should
be .
I remember working with the Orange
County Register back in 1994 when they were
covering Prop 187, also known as “Save our
State,” which called for the screening of all
individuals and families before receiving
health care, education and other social
services, in order to keep out illegal
immigrants. Ultimately, that law was struck
down by the courts. But, at the time, one of
the things the Register editors told me was
that they had regretted their coverage of Prop
187 –
...continue reading
-
What we can learn from Las Vegas
Last
week I was in Las Vegas where I discovered a
community once on top of the world fighting to
come back in the wake of the Great Recession.
What people in Las Vegas are doing offers a
vision of what it will take for communities
across the country to rebound from this tough
economic and social time. It’s not a mere
roll of the dice that’s bringing Vegas back,
but intentional actions to create real change
and community.
The Harwood Institute worked in
Las Vegas earlier this decade with the support
of the Omidyar Network. In 2004 we produced a
report entitled, On the American
Frontier . It captured the incredible
“can-do spirit, confidence, proven track
record of growth, and innate sense of
vibrancy” of Southern Nevada. For many
people, Vegas was the best, last chance to
pursue a customized version of the
American Dream. But even then people were
starting to wonder if
...continue reading
-
Sarah Palin's New Movement:"Moms Awakening"
Maybe you can feel the earth
trembling as the stampede of “pink
elephants” comes thundering toward
Washington, DC, their arrival slated for
election-day November 2, 2010. This is Sarah
Palin’s vision out in her new
(beautifully-produced) 2-minute video found on
SarahPAC. Palin seeks to rev up women to vote
for conservative candidates this fall. She
tells us there is a “mom awakening”
happening across America, so watch out! But I
want to know, toward what end?
I’m all for moms. I myself
have a great mom, and my wife is an incredible
mom to our two children. But when Palin talks
about moms in her video, she means only
“conservative moms.” She tells us that she
speaks for those conservative moms who are
“rising up” for “common sense
solutions,” moms who are as strong as “mama
grizzlies” and who are weary of anyone who
might “attack their cubs” and “do
something adverse.”
I’m off to Chicago
...continue reading
-
Would you let the mosque be built?
Last night while driving
home I heard a live broadcast of a
gubernatorial candidates’ debate in
Tennessee. One question was about whether the
candidates would allow a mosque to be built in
a neighborhood. As I listened to their
responses, my stomach began to turn, and then
I considered my own question: Is this the
country we want?
It would be enough to write
this morning about the silly format of the
debate itself. Indeed, when I first tuned in,
it would have been easy to mistake the
broadcast for a bad TV game show. In one
segment, each of the four candidates had 15
seconds to ask another candidate a question,
and in turn that candidate had a mere 30
seconds to reply. When a candidate went over
the allotted time, a bell would go off –
“ding.” This happened to one candidate who
was asked why he voted for the TARP bill in
Congress. So, on and on the debate went, with
two moderators, chattering together as
...continue reading
-
How to re-engage and mobilize Americans
Last week I
told you that I had “banned” the phrase
“civic engagement” from the Institute’s
work and I got quite a reaction – some in
support, others not. My point was simply that
engagement needs to be more about people and
impact, and less about endless discussions
over inputs and process. For people in the
country want to re-engage and get to work; at
issue is our response.
We sit amid
the morass of a continuing recession, two wars,
and the BP oil disaster, to mention just the
highlights of the nation’s current
challenges. As I travel the country, there is
a deepening sense the nation is barreling off
course. People are searching for, well… a
sense of “hope.” But experience tells us
that the upcoming mid-term elections won’t
be the tonic. They will surely produce more
cynical electoral maneuvering from both sides
of the aisle and from all quarters (including
the
...continue reading
-
Why I banned "Civic Engagement"
Sometime ago
I found myself standing in front of a thousand
people giving a speech and saying that I had
banned the phrase ‘civic engagement’ from
The Harwood Institute’s work. The phrase has
become a catch-all, a kind of Good
Housekeeping seal that we’re doing honorable
work in the name of community and the common
good. But what I find is that the phrase gets
in the way of our very goals.
As soon as the phrase ‘civic
engagement’ enters a conversation people
become activity happy. Right away, you’ll
hear them launch into an animated discussion of
how many forums they want to hold, the number
of flip charts they need, how many different
color magic markers they want (and whether they
are scented!), and concern over what to do
with all the pages of newsprint they put up on
the wall. It’s enough to drive me
crazy.
Somewhere in the litany of
activities we lose sight of our real purpose
and the real people that we
...continue reading
-
Organization-First Report goes International
Amazingly, all across the U.S. and in 24
countries and territories people have ordered
The Organization-First Approach Report. After
20 years of innovation with communities in the
U.S. we are excited by the strong interest and
applicability of this report across the globe.
So far copies have been
downloaded in: Algeria, Australia, Belgium,
Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Ghana, Great
Britain, India, Iraq, Israel, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal,
Puerto Rico, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Thailand, Virgin Islands.
Please help us continue the spread
of this report. If you haven’t already done
so, order your free copy of The
Organization-First Approach
Report , and send free copies to
friends and colleagues in your community and
abroad.
...continue reading
-
Office of the Repealer
People’s anger over politics
and more continues to envelope the country, and
the question is: what should we do with it? One
answer comes from U.S. Senator Sam
Brownback, who is running for governor of
Kansas. He’s proposed an “Office of the
Repealer,” a new state office to terminate
stupid, idiotic, and silly laws and
regulations. Why not, right? Well, there’s a
better path for us to take.
I don’t doubt that there are numerous
laws and regulations that need to be repealed.
I often argue with my colleagues and friends
who believe government action must be the
solution to every problem. I fear when any
institution gets too big or too powerful. In
fact, that’s one of the reasons why I do the
work I do: I believe in a strong civic culture,
made up of many groups, organizations, networks
and individuals, all working out what’s best
for society over time.
But I also disdain cheap shots like
“Office of the Repealer,” and especially
now, when so many
...continue reading
-
Voter Antipathy Rising – Now What?
The
Washington Post released a troubling new poll
this morning which captures the depth of
people’s anger and disgust sweeping the
country. Anti-incumbent sentiments have reached
an all-time high. But no matter who wins the
upcoming primaries in 12 states, the rest of us
will have to deal with this antipathy as we try
to get things done in our communities. Here’s
how.
The Post poll reflects what so many of
us already knew: business as usual will not
enable us to solve problems and build stronger
communities. The pervasive sense of acrimony
and divisiveness throughout the country is
palpable. It reminds me of when I wrote
Citizens and Politics: A View from Main Street
in June 1991 with the Kettering Foundation.
Then, as now, people were fed up with the
negativity and finger pointing in politics and
public life.
But there was another finding in that
report that I think applies to our situation
today. While people had lost faith in
“politics,” they still wanted to
...continue reading
-
A Simple Prayer for Memorial Day
Welcome back from Memorial Day,
which always offers us a day of rest from work
and eases us into the summer months. But over
the years I have found that for many of us
there’s little real connection to Memorial
Day itself – I know that’s true for me. The
meaning of the day somehow gets lost amid
cook-outs and busyness. So, today, I offer a
simple prayer for Memorial Day to remind us of
the day’s importance.
I was struck by a photo this morning of
President Obama standing under an
umbrella during an intense thunderstorm at
Andrews Air Force Base trying to give his
Memorial Day remarks. Eventually he had to tell
the audience to disperse for fear of
lightening. You’ll recall the president was
highly criticized for not attending the
traditional Arlington Cemetery activities when
he decided to go to the Lincoln Cemetery in
Illinois. When it rains it pours. I fear that
his words were lost in the storm.
But what would any of us say if we had
the opportunity to
...continue reading
-
The Life and Death of Libraries
Across the country, public library systems
are being gutted as states and localities slash
their budgets. Libraries are an easy target –
often seen as non-essential services. But our
support of libraries is a test: do we believe
communities are important? The truth is that
public libraries don’t need to be protected
from budget cuts; their budgets need to be
expanded. Here’s why.
In Illinois two weeks ago, the Alliance
Library System laid off 22 staff people,
shuttering entire functions that support
libraries throughout its region. On the same
day I was the keynote speaker for an online
conference on innovation in public libraries,
which attracted people from across the U.S. and
other countries.
When growing up in Upstate New York, we
had a fine library for a small town. It sat
right at the town’s center for everyone to
see and use. But I do not pine for those days.
Instead, as in so many communities, the bonds
that once existed in many communities have been
...continue reading
-
Protecting The Urge Within Us
How do we protect our urge? How
does our urge within help us to stay focused
and create change?
-
Woman football coach shows the way
I can
imagine many people might be asking why Calvin
Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. named
Natalie Randolph, a woman, as their head
football coach. But when I read about her, I
didn’t wonder why a woman was the head coach,
but how the rest of us, of either gender, can
be clear on what really matters.
Randolph was the focus of a lengthy
article in yesterday’s New York Times: A
Coach Used to Tests Insists Players Pass
Theirs. In speaking of her players, Randolph
told the Times, “I hope that they know that I
really don’t care about winning football
games. But I do care about school.”
When kids learned of her appointment,
one said, “I was like ‘Ms. Randolph? The
science teacher here? No way.’” But even
though she may not look like the prototypical
football coach, she has the kids’ attention.
The Times reported, “After school,
Randolph’s players must attend an hour-long
study hall, where they do homework and receive
tutoring or help with SAT
...continue reading
-
The BP Oil Meltdown
Like you, I
have been watching the BP oil spill spread
across the Gulf Coast. The potential negative
effects are beyond imagination. Or, as BP might
say, they’re “Beyond Petroleum,” the
company’s clever tagline. So, when things go
wrong, as they have with BP, I’m wondering:
is there a difference between contrition and
responsibility? Since the spill, the
head of BP, Tony Hayward, has been on nearly
every television and radio program, in
newspapers and online, and seemingly everywhere
else. He’s done an admirable job of
representing his company. One can only imagine
the number of crisis management consultants
that have schooled the BP exec in pinpointing
the exact language and pitch to use.
But saying you’re sorry – indeed,
being contrite – should never be confused
with embracing responsibility and, ultimately,
accounting for one actions. For someone like
Tiger Woods to be contrite but not accept
responsibility is one thing; for BP it is
something entirely
...continue reading
-
Why Relevance = Accountability
Each of us
wants our work and efforts in community and
public life to be relevant. It’s something I
hear everywhere I go. Last week, when hosting
the Hands
On Network LEAD Summit at the Newseum in
Washington, D.C., I found myself saying: to be
relevant requires that you are accountable.
This notion of “relevance” is
critical nowadays. It goes to the heart of
whether people in communities and in our larger
society view what we’re doing as important,
meaningful and useful. Funders also want to
know that what we’re doing is relevant; it is
one gauge they use – either explicitly or
implicitly – to determine who and what gets
supported. But what does it to say that to be
relevant one must be accountable?
To be relevant means that
we’re accountable for knowing the context of
our communities – to clearly understand
people’s aspirations, their issues of
concern, and the kind of change they seek.
Otherwise, how can we be relevant?
To be relevant means
...continue reading
-
Obama the discussion leader
There’s a
desperate need to re-engage Americans in the
work of our communities – the work of our
country. The first step is not to launch into
yet another new program, but rather to pry open
space for people to see and hear themselves
again. This is at the heart of our nation’s
challenge today. The perfect leader for this
discussion is President Obama.
Just last week at the Nuclear Summit
the president demonstrated once again his keen
ability to lead tough conversations. He seems
to relish being in such spaces. Such skills
were at work during the health care summit,
too. Now we need them in a new arena.
This Wednesday is the one-year
anniversary of the Serve America Act. Many good
things have emerged from this initiative, but
there’s so much more to do. Our challenge
remains how to engage people in the work of
communities and to rebuild trust among people.
I’ll leave the programmatic side of this task
to another time. For now, I want to focus on
something even more
...continue reading
-
A West Virginia Miracle?
" We did not receive the miracle we
prayed for.” This is what West Virginia
Governor Joe Manchin said when he announced the
deaths of the last four coal miners found after
the April 4 accident at the Upper Big Branch
mine. But it wasn’t a miracle that they
should have wanted, but responsible human
action taken months before the accident ever
happened. Let’s not confuse the two.
The Upper Big Branch mine is owned by
Massey Energy Company, which dominates West
Virginia coal and politics. Its safety record
is appalling, cited for 30% more violations
than similar mines. But as someone on National
Public Radio said this morning, mine safety in
the U.S. is akin to someone being able to drink
and drive without repercussion – even after
they kill someone. Back in 1985 I went
to West Virginia to work with people along
what’s called “Chemical Valley” to
explore the kind of safety they wanted after a
local Union Carbide chemical plant blew. Just
eight months earlier, the
...continue reading
-
The Fire Next Door
My house still smells from ashes.
Out of the blue last week I got a call that the
house next door was engulfed in flames and that
my home would be next. At the time, my family
and I were in Upstate New York and could do
little but wait. But what would constitute good
news in this kind of situation? What does one
hope for, or even expect? Here’s what I’m
thinking about today. I don’t know
that I learned anything new – like some new
revelation about life and death – as much as
I witnessed once more the beauty of goodness
amid loss. We all have our own stories about
such scenes; so I don’t mean to suggest that
mine is special or unique, only that it holds
meaning. For instance:
1. The
neighbor who called-in the fire saw that
neither my wife nor I was home. So, she went
online to our neighborhood list serve and asked
if anyone knew how to get in touch with us.
Joan, who lives around the corner, and is a
school teacher, saw the message during one of
her breaks. But she
...continue reading
-
When Incivility Rules
In recent
days, many people have urged me to write about
the acrimonious and divisive public discourse
that has gripped the nation around health care.
But each time someone has made this request, I
found that they themselves would engage in some
form of incivility. The question is: Where are
we right now, and where do we want to go?
Whether you like the legislation or
not, the passage of the historic health care
bill has revealed glimpses of the worst in us.
You’ll remember that much of the nation’s
discord hit a noticeable low during last
summer’s infamous town hall meetings. Perhaps
then we thought the worst of our lousy
discourse was over; and yet now we know that
assumption would have been wrong. In just the
past week we’ve reached new lows as we’ve
witnessed the spewing of homophobic and racist
comments, and with some congressional members
being labeled “baby killers.”
I hear such comments and wonder what
has gotten into those who utter them, those who
repeat
...continue reading
-
Sister Rose and the Jocks
Today,
on the front page of The
New York Times , is a must-read story about
a 77 year-old nun who is demonstrating that
big-time college sports can work. Sister Rose
Ann Fleming is the academic advisor for Xavier
University athletics, where all 77 senior
basketball players have graduated since she
came to Xavier. That’s remarkable in age when
too many people are willing to dumb-down
expectations for jocks. It’s well
known that many universities graduate
relatively few ballplayers. Just take the 65
teams that will take part in “March
Madness,” the NCAA men’s basketball
tournament. The Times reports that a new study
by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in
Sport at the University of Central Florida
shows that one in five tournament teams have
graduation rates below 40 percent. Where are
all those kids going?
When such topics arise, you can usually
hear apologists say, “But that’s big-time
sports, get over it,” or, “At least those
kids get to go to a
...continue reading
-
Obama: Call more summits
I know
people have said the health care summit came
and went with scant notice – that it was
either a naïve or cynical political move. But
we should look again. There’s genuine
potential in holding a series of summits that
the Obama Administration should seize. It would
be good politics; even more, a real
contribution for the country. Before you
dismiss me out of hand, please read on.
At the moment, our politics are a mess.
Battles between Democrats and Republicans are
at fever pitch. There seem to be new scandals
revealed each day. The name of the game is to
corner your opponent and do as much damage as
possible. The dominant frame of reference is
now the mid-term congressional elections –
not taking substantive action on major issues.
Ordinarily, I have pooh-poohed efforts
like one-day summits. What in God’s name
could ever be accomplished? But these are no
ordinary times. The demonization of opponents
without any accountability for what one says
leaves the
...continue reading
-
O Canada, You Hockey Puck
Just to the north of us sits a
grand and vast nation that just hosted the 2010
Winter Olympics with grace and aplomb. As I
watched the Olympics unfold, I was reminded of
what it means to have a neighbor you respect,
even adore. And I was reminded of the beauty of
patriotism that comes in the form of humble
devotion. First, before another word,
let me get something off my chest: I am a
devoted hockey fan, and I was crushed when
Canada defeated Team USA on Sunday, 3-2 in
overtime. I remember standing in a Skidmore
College dorm, watching the 1980 Miracle on Ice
with my buddies, when Team USA defeated the
Soviets and then went on to win the Gold. That
was an incredible moment, and this year’s
team was comparable.
And yet, truth be told, I was also
filled with joy for Canadians on Sunday. Just
watching the game, you could feel the swelling
pride of the nation as Team Canada asserted
itself. The red and white uniform of Canada was
adorned by almost all fans – perhaps all
...continue reading
-
Health Care Summit - Do or Die
Lots of
people are saying the televised health care
summit on Thursday will be all show and no
substance. While the meeting itself may produce
little, the nation is at a critical inflection
point. There’s a way out of the current
gridlock and acrimony, but it will take real
courage and humility by President Obama and
congressional leaders to make progress.
Here’s how to start.
It’s safe to say that public
discourse on health care has reached an
impasse. No one is budging. That shouldn’t be
a surprise given that the nation itself is at a
classic impasse stage. People of all political
persuasions said in the last election,
“Enough is enough!” in terms of the
nation’s silly and vacuous politics; but all
agreement ends there. It’s a mistake to
confuse people’s desire to change politics
and public life with common ground on how to
move forward on major issues. In this
situation, the more one pushes, the more people
dig in.
At issue is how best to move ahead.
...continue reading
-
Patrick Kennedy's Redemption
I was filled with sorrow when I heard
about
Patrick Kennedy’s recent decision to leave
Congress. My reaction to his announcement is
completely different from how I feel about the
many Congressional members now lining up to
leave town. Patrick Kennedy helps us to see
what personal redemption might look like. As a
nation, we need him. Here’s why.
Over 15 years ago, I received a series
of major grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts
to work on issues of political conduct. As part
of that work, we convened Citizen Assemblies
with citizens to create what became known as
the Harwood
Barometer for Political Conduct . In those
citizen sessions, we showed a PBS Frontline
documentary about Patrick Kennedy’s first
Congressional race – an ugly, disheartening
look at politics as usual. Unfortunately, young
Kennedy was off to an inauspicious start.
But something happened to Patrick
Kennedy along the way. He found himself
face-to-face with personally harrowing
challenges, including
...continue reading
-
Lessons from Snowmageddon
I was stuck
in my 43-degree house for days after the power
and heat got cut off during our recent snow
storm. It’s been a cold and dark house; and
all time seemed to stop. But there’s been
some light. Indeed, sitting with layers of
blankets draped around me, I’ve had lots of
time to think. Oh, the lessons from Snowmageddon .
1. Did you hear the uplifting stories
about Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints
quarterback? He’s the real deal, a real
leader. He’s not just a football player or
budding celebrity. In listening to people in
New Orleans talk about him, he is an example of
someone who deeply knows his community, acts
with affection, and stays connected even when
the cameras aren’t rolling. He has found a
way to keep his balance even as he has
transcended sports, celebrity and public life.
He’s a good role model. 2. Then,
there’s Sarah Palin. I listened to her speech
to the Tea Party convention on my
battery-operated radio, in the dark, and have
since seen
...continue reading
-
5 Ways to Mobilize America
Amid all the
calls for economic and policy packages in
Washington, it’s time to mobilize Americans
to rebuild their communities. Let’s not
delay. But let’s also be smart. Because the
truth is, we’ll need more than ordinary
volunteer programs to make hope real. We must
take a different path. Here are 5 keys.
I spent much of January in Michigan.
Discussions about the state and other hard-hit
communities are usually framed as though these
places are nothing more than “job sites”
– mere locales for economic development. We
often assume that most people want to flee
these communities. But, in Detroit, Battle
Creek, and Greater Lansing, people tell us they
want to stay in their hometowns. When asked
about what changes need to occur, they
consistently express the desire to create safe,
connected, and caring communities. Of course,
people want jobs. But let’s be clear: people
want to rebuild their communities, not simply
create a job site.
The good news is people are
...continue reading
-
Four Keys for Obama and Us
On Wednesday
night, President Obama will give his first
State of the Union Address. I’m less
concerned about his specific speech than I am
about the overall trajectory of the nation –
and whether he speaks to it. At issue is how we
get the nation on the right trajectory. Here
are my four keys. You’ll remember
that after the 2008 presidential election,
people thought there would be a fundamental
shift in the nation’s politics and people’s
engagement. I didn’t buy that notion then, or
in 2004 when President Bush assumed he had a
clear mandate after defeating Senator John
Kerry. Make no mistake: people yearn for a new
kind of politics, but there’s little
consensus in the country about what to do.
At issue is how to navigate these
troubled waters and make hope real.
Here are four keys for President Obama,
and others, who seek to move the nation forward
and restore a sense of possibility in politics
and public life.
1. Your authority
(and support) is rooted in
...continue reading
-
Haiti's Cry of Grace
Like you,
I’ve been watching the news from Haiti and
wondering how that small nation will lift
itself up from despair. So much has been
destroyed, ruined, and wrecked. So many lives
have been lost, and those which remain are
tattered. But all is not lost in that nation.
Listen closely and you can hear people’s cry
of grace. I watched on the news last
night as a husband vigilantly kept watch over
the site where a bank once stood and his wife
once worked. Now a pile of rubble, people told
him that his wife would never be found. He
should go home – wherever that might be now.
But, he kept returning and he kept digging with
whatever make-shift tools he could find, and,
ultimately, he could hear the faint voice of
his wife coming from below. He then waved down
a visiting Los Angeles rescue crew to help him,
and they dug some more, eventually lifting her
out from the debris. The news report’s final
scene was of the woman driving away with her
husband in their car.
What was
...continue reading
-
My Michigan Wish
When you
think about Detroit and the state of Michigan
what do you see and hear? What emotions come
over you? What kind of response do you want to
give? All last week I was in Lansing, MI for
our Public Innovators Lab and I came away more
hopeful than one might expect about the
situation there. Now, I have one simple wish
for Michigan and other communities.
Times are tough in Michigan, as they
are in many places across the country. Severe
budget shortfalls plague both state and local
governments. Unemployment and under-employment
riddle people’s lives. Progress and hope can
feel out of reach. At times it seems that
everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.
But look again and listen to what people have
to say.
At the Lansing Lab we had more than
fifty participants go out onto the streets to
“Ask Lansing” about people’s aspirations
and thoughts about the community. Sure, many
people talked about the need for more jobs. But
the thrust of what Lab participants heard
...continue reading
-
Back to Michigan - Updates from the Lab
This week we are returning to Michigan.
In June we made a commitment to the people of
Detroit, the people of Michigan to bring the
Public Innovators Lab to that city. This week
we're again bringing the Harwood Public
Innovators Lab to Michigan - this time to
Lansing.
Each day this week we'll be sharing
Rich's Reports - video essays from Lansing-
touching on the kind of challenges facing our
communities, and the kinds of change we can
create if we turn outward.
...continue reading
-
My Response to Sarah Palin’s Book
At Thanksgiving I wrote about Sara Palin’s
new book, Going Rogue, and said that I planned
to read it over the holiday break. That brought
quite a response from many of you. Now, I want
to let you know what I found out.
The good news is that I finished the
book at all – it’s 400 pages! But it’s a
quick and easy read. And it’s worth reading
– I urge you to buy your own copy or get one
from the library. But there’s more – much
more.
All of us are shaped by our childhood
and surroundings and Palin is no exception. She
presents herself as an avid outdoors-woman, a
person of the land and water, a no-frills
individual. She even says she was a nerd all
through school. She wears these attributes
proudly. But at the same time she seems to
leave little room for others, their background,
and the things they value. In the book, you get
very little sense that she’s thought much
about, or appreciates, the rest of America –
people who live in urban Detroit, suburban
...continue reading
-
How Ken Armstrong is Working to Make Hope Real
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
...continue reading
-
Obama's Afghanistan Speech
Tonight,
President Obama will give his long-awaited
speech on his Afghanistan strategy, and he’ll
do so from West Point. There will be much said
about his strategy in the coming days. But,
today, I wonder what would have happened if the
president had chosen to give his speech before
a crowd of young campaign supporters, rather
than before the nation’s best warriors.
Here’s why I ask.
Dana Millbank in this morning’s
Washington Post reported that until the
presidency of George W. Bush, most presidents
had given very few speeches before men and
women in military uniform. One can only guess
that President Obama has chosen West Point
because he wants to look strong. I also suspect
he did so because he wants to look the young
men and women he plans to send in harm’s way
right in the eye as he lays out his thinking.
If that’s the case, then I applaud his
actions.
But I wonder how this moment might be
different if the president were to speak
tonight before a crowd of
...continue reading
-
Sarah Palin-tology
My
question to you on this Thanksgiving is, “Are
you planning to read Sarah Palin’s new
book?” I keep hearing people ask one another
this question as they watch others line-up at
Palin’s various book events. During this
Thanksgiving, I plan to buy and read her
400-page bestseller, and I hope you will, too.
Keep reading…
I remember being taken to task when I
wrote here that Palin should be given a chance
after Senator John McCain named her as his
running mate in the 2008 presidential race. I
urged people then not to stereotype Palin and
to simply write her off. I still get sharp jabs
from people about that blog posting.
After watching Palin campaign and then
return to Wassila to resign her governor’s
seat, my own views evolved. Indeed, I wrote
after her resignation as governor that she
should have stayed in office and fought for
what she believed; but she chose to give up her
office and give in. That’s not the kind of
leadership we need.
Now, we are
...continue reading
-
How to do good work in hard times
I keep getting asked the same question no
matter the stetting I’m in. People wonder,
“How can I get those I’m working with to
stay upbeat and engaged in such hard times?”
It’s not an idle question. Funding for many
groups has been cut just as community needs
have gone up. Here’s what you can do.
The frustration that so many people
feel about these changing times – indeed,
even the anger and resentment that I often hear
– is real. Many people are struggling with
why a foundation funds one effort and not
another? Why aren’t funders investing where
it matters most? Why have some partners pulled
out? People ask, “How can we make progress
under these conditions, and does anyone hear my
concerns?”
I do. I have heard so many people who
are doing such good work express deep concerns
about their ability to make a difference in
these hard times. They often tell me they’re
deeply frustrated with the very people they
work with – their colleagues, partners,
...continue reading
-
Andre Agassi's Redemption
Watching
Katie Couric interview Andre Agassi on 60
Minutes this past Sunday was painful. Agassi
recently revealed his past drug use in his new
book, Open. His admission raises the question
once more for me about when and how does
someone find redemption in their life. I
have vivid memories of Agassi as a player. He
always seemed to be living on the edge, pining
for people’s attention through his unorthodox
play, dress, even appearance. He was a fighter
on the court. Now we know that he was fighting
internal demons, too.
It was striking just how Agassi
answered Couric’s intensely personal
questions that probed and picked at his
lifestyle, mental health, and drug use. But
throughout Agassi never once blinked; he
directly answered Couric’s questions, never
seeking refuge to hide. What emerged over the
course of the conversation was the sense that
here is an individual who has taken the time to
closely examine his life and account for his
actions.
We’ve all seen someone in
...continue reading
-
Today's Elections: A referendum on what?
According to pundits we’ll soon know which
way the country is “leaning” once election
results pour in tonight. But I wonder, is that
really true? Exactly what will we know in this
crazy time? Here’s a quick set of
questions for you to sort out what’s really
happening. Let me know what you think.
1. What if the Republican candidate
for Governor wins Virginia the year after
President Obama won the state? Does it really
mean there’s been some kind of fundamental
shift (once more) in the American mood? If so,
what is that shift? If not, why not?
2. What if any of the three
gubernatorial candidates win in New Jersey
after such a horrid, negative race? That’s
right, what if one of them actually gets
elected! Indeed, what would it say if Chris
Daggett, the Independent, holds his own,
garnering maybe 10% of the vote?
3. What about the circus-like
congressional race in Upstate New York (not too
far from my hometown)? The Republican drops out
due to pressure from
...continue reading
-
Dithering in Afghanistan?
Yesterday, 8
American soldiers died in two separate
incidents in Afghanistan, making October one of
the deadliest months in that war. Meanwhile,
former Vice President Dick Cheney has been
saying that President Obama is “dithering”
in making a decision about what to do next.
What kind of decision-making is needed here,
and what do we expect of our leaders, and
ourselves?
This morning the pressure to take
decisive action in Afghanistan grew as Matthew
Hoh, a former Marine who fought in Iraq, and
has served in the Foreign Service in
Afghanistan, up and quit. He says the war there
is a mistake – largely an internal civil war
in which the U.S. can only play a marginal
role. No matter which way the president turns,
there’s no clear path.
I’m not a great fan of endless
planning – thinking over every option,
turning over every stone. At some point, such
discussions can become counterproductive. I
often see people bogged down, unable to move
ahead, paralyzed by fear and
...continue reading
-
What do you make of “Balloon Boy?”
I can’t help but wonder what
was going on in the minds of those parents who
used their children to gain national attention
flying that home-made balloon. Maybe, at
first, our interests were piqued, but then it
became clear that those parents were dangerous
and deceptive. What do we make of such flagrant
violations of human decency – and where do
they lead us in our own lives?
Of course, there have always been
pranks. Think Orson Wells and the War of the
Worlds. Now, that was quite a prank! I can
think of lots of other pranks closer to home
that simply involved my older brother and which
I can’t tell you about; or, that I did as
part of any number of school athletic teams.
Let it be known, I love pranks.
But there are lines to be drawn in what
we do. I sometimes worry that we are becoming
immune to things like the Balloon Boy episode.
We look at them, we know they’re wrong, we
shrug our shoulders, and we move on. It’s
true that in some ways there’s nothing we can
do
...continue reading
-
Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
Most everyone I know was stunned
by President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace
Prize. But it’s not people’s initial
reaction that I want to discuss, but rather
their second and third thoughts, which tell us
a lot about our collective condition. It’s
also something we have the power to do
something about.
I must admit that I was among those who
were taken aback when the Nobel Committee named
Obama. In fact, I remember going online that
morning only to see the headline and wonder if
this was some kind of news spoof. Had he
achieved enough, yet? Of course, it wasn’t
some kind of trick. The Nobel Committee awarded
Obama the prize as part of his aspiration-based
approach to politics and world peace.
What followed maybe says more about us
than about either the Nobel Committee or the
president. Those who consider themselves
Obama’s loyal opposition came out swinging.
Rush Limbaugh said, “This fully exposes the
illusion that is Barack Obama." He was joined
by a chorus of
...continue reading
-
Where will the Vazquezes go?
I had planned to write today about how so many
pundits are now pronouncing President Obama’s
presidency in danger of coming apart at the
seams; but, then I read a piece in The
Washington Post this morning that brought me
back to a more-grounded reality. It was about a
Virginia family’s slide from middle class to
a homeless shelter. I ask you: Isn’t this
what we should be focusing on?
The article
chronicles the lives of Ron and Yolanda Vazquez
and their three children, who have fallen
upon hard times. Ron is an engineer who lost
his job months ago; his wife, Yolanda, a
part-time property manager. They were evicted
from their three-bedroom townhouse and are now
in their second shelter. Tomorrow, their time
at this shelter runs out, too, and they’ll
need to move yet again. The plight of
Vazquezes is not uncommon these days. According
shelter managers quoted in the Post’s story,
they’re seeing schoolteachers, computer
technicians, and interior designers come
through
...continue reading
-
When forgiveness is possible
This is one
of my favorite times of the year, when Yom
Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, calls me
to atone for my sins from the past year.
Everything stops, and a new sense of
possibility emerges. But in order to atone, one
must engage in forgiveness – asking others
for forgiveness, and forgiving yourself. It is
the latter part I want to focus on: What it
means to forgive yourself. On New
Year’s Eve many of us make “resolutions”
for the coming year. We vow to exercise more,
visit our parents, or pick up a new hobby. We
make these resolutions with gusto, only for
them to flag a few weeks or months into the New
Year. But Yom Kippur is not about looking ahead
so much as it is about looking back; the task
is to see how we’ve done in the past year and
to account for our actions, words, and deeds.
What’s clear in all this is that no
one can be perfect. There’s no way for
everything that we do to hit the mark. But nor
is there a place to hide from our imperfection;
...continue reading
-
September 11th - Where has it gone?
I don’t know about you, but
for me, September 11th came and went as a
“national day” without much notice this
year. And yet, personally, this day will
forever be ingrained in my own consciousness,
as I lost my college roommate in one of the
World Trade Towers. I can’t help but wonder
about our nation’s response to losing Frank
and other innocent bystanders on that day.
Each year since September 11, 2001, we,
as a nation, have engaged in the ritual of
remembering those who lost their lives, and
declare our re-commitment to fighting terrorism
wherever it may dwell. Maybe because of the
recent health care debate, or other
distractions, this year the 9/11 rituals seemed
to gain little traction. Tell me, did I miss
something? I often wonder if we have squeezed
out the meaning from this day – with all the
speeches, declarations, seminars, press
conferences, and the like. What do they add up
to?
This year, the president even declared
9/11 to be a National Day of Service,
...continue reading
-
Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Representative Joe Wilson calling
President Barack Obama a “liar” during the
president’s health care speech last week is a
sign of a coming inflection point in U.S.
politics and public life. But brace yourself,
Wilson’s comment in only the tip of the
iceberg. So be it, this inflection point
can’t come soon enough. I think it’s all
for the good. I watched President
Obama’s speech on TV and was dumbfounded when
I heard Representative Wilson call him a liar.
Had I ever heard such a thing before? Did I
hear what I think I heard? Indeed, even before
his outburst, the noisy and rambunctious
chamber sounded more like the British
Parliament than the U.S. Congress. It felt like
at any moment things could spiral out of
control.
But in people’s haste to condemn
Wilson, we shouldn’t lose sight of a bigger
issue. Wilson’s outburst is yet one more sign
that our political discourse has run amuck,
that it’s producing very little value for the
American people or the
...continue reading
-
The leaders we need in a nasty time
Amid the
rising anxiety and
anger vexing Americans today, I wanted to write
about what it means to lead in
this nasty environment. First I thought about
focusing on the president, then congress,
or corporate leaders; but each time I started,
I found myself veering back to
one person in particular: my high school tennis
coach, who just won a national
award for his exemplary leadership, and who has
some lessons to inspire us all.
There are more than
enough
examples these days of challenges of leading in
a nasty world. But anything I
would say points me back to Rich Johns, a real
life example of a genuine
leader. Last week, Rich won
the Starfish Award given out by the United
States
Tennis Association, for his “no-cut” system
of high school coaching. Every kid
who comes out to play is on the team. But
that’s only the beginning of the
story.
First off, don’t
misread how
or why he won the USTA award: he’s no
pushover. Lesson #1, He
...continue reading
-
The President's Vacation Questions
Listening to
the car radio on my way into work this morning,
I heard more rumblings about whether President
Obama should be on Martha’s Vineyard
vacationing when his agenda seems to be
spiraling out of control. My hope is that he
takes a serious vacation – he
needs and deserves one! But during his time
away I would ask him to reflect on
three key questions.
The president left for
vacation not a moment too soon. People on the
left are complaining the
president isn’t driving “change” fast
enough. Those on the right argue that all
he wants is big government. If you believe the
polls, independents are peeling
off, increasingly dissatisfied with him.
Fearing this situation, The White
House is now scheduling the president for more
and more press events while he’s
away.
Living right outside
Washington, D.C., I can still remember the
feeling during President Obama’s
inauguration.
The crowds on the mall were overflowing; the
sense of pride throughout the
...continue reading
-
The Michael Vick Question
About two
years ago Michael Vick, then the Atlanta
Falcons’ star quarterback, was convicted for
running dog fights and for that and other
crimes was swiftly sent off to prison. Now,
he’s out, and he’s playing football again,
and people are split about whether that’s
right. The Vick case raises a question for all
of us: when do we forgive someone?
This past Sunday, Vick sat for a
lengthy 60
Minutes interview . As I watched the
interview, I kept wondering whether I should
believe him, even forgive him. Here’s a man
who was on top of the world before being
convicted – a star athlete, with $135 million
worth of contracts in his hip pocket, and a
promising future.
Now, he’s served his time, and so in
a legal sense he has paid his debt to society.
But forgiveness often goes deeper than serving
time. It involves people believing that you
understand your transgression, that you seek to
better yourself, and that you are willing to
walk a different path.
In our
...continue reading
-
Turning Outward: The Strongest Predictor of Success
The blog this week is a video excerpt from Rich
Harwood's “Stations Turning Outward”
videoconference. The videoconference was a call
to public broadcasters and others to turn
outward toward their community. In this
segment, Rich argues that the strongest
predictor of success and impact among the
numerous organizations he's worked with was the
extent to which they were turned outward.
“If you want to reengage and reconnect with
your community you must turn outward. It’s
about what our purpose and intention is in
doing our work.”
Download
The Organization-First Approach Report
which documents the pressure to turn inward and
put one's organization before the
community.
...continue reading
-
Finding (Public) Solitude
I’ve been thinking
lately about “solitude” and what it means
and where we find it. Maybe it’s because so
many people I know feel under the gun, rushing
around trying to make their organizations,
their jobs – indeed, their lives – work.
All this busyness can produce the desire to
retreat or hunker down. But solitude is not
about that; rather it’s a way to deeply
connect with the individual and
public lives we
lead.
I’ve long been
interested in language and its implications for
community and public life. For instance, I’ve
looked at the connection between “grace”
and one’s public work, as well as notions of
“devotion” and “civic faith” and
“hope” and the relationship between
“imagination and reality.” Each word or
phrase holds special meaning for us in our
public efforts, and special implications for
what we say and
do.
“Solitude” is no
different. So, my first question for you is:
“Where do you find
...continue reading
-
Sarah Palin the Quitter
When Senator John McCain asked Sarah Palin to
be his running mate in the 2008 presidential
campaign, I
begged people not to judge her too quickly .
Many people told me I was nuts, but I'm still
glad I did it. But her recent resignation as
Alaska's governor changed my views of her. Her
contorted logic and political maneuvering
represents the worst of politics as usual.
You probably recall when McCain
picked Palin. She revved up America's
conservative political base and even drew
bigger crowds at campaign rallies than McCain.
Sometimes the campaign had her flown in for his
rallies to gin up crowds. Now, some Republican
operatives, like Grover Norquist, president of
Americans for Tax Reform, and conservative
columnists, such William Kristol, tout her as
genuine 2012 presidential timber. Maybe so.
My goal isn't to make political hay
over Palin. Rather, my chief concern is her
resignation and its meaning. Here is a first
term governor who left the state to run for the
vice
...continue reading
-
A Reminder of What's Important in Life
Every so often something comes across your desk
that reminds you about the basics of life. I
don't mean about how much money you make, or
your most recent promotion, or even how you're
going to make next month's budget given these
hard economic times. I'm talking about your
sense of humanity -- what it means to be alive
and the choices we make. Watch this video, and
you'll see what I mean.
The video was
sent to me by my wife's friend because she
knows I have coached boys and girls soccer for
years. You may have seen it already. The video
tells the story of a group of girls playing
competitive softball, and what happens when
they realize there's more to the game than
simply winning. Or, put another way: You
should always do all you can to win, but still
make good choices.
When a player from Western Oregon
hit a home run during the conference
championship, she tore a ligament while
rounding first base, and couldn’t get up to
finish running the bases. Her opponents,
...continue reading
-
The Sotomayor Hearings: Are We Hearing Anything Real?
In this week's video blog Rich asks, if the
nomination hearings for Judge Sotomayor are as
important as everyone says, why is there so
much pretending from our political leaders.
What question could possibly take 8 minutes to
ask? Are we hearing anything real?
-
Hooray for South Carolina Gov. Sanford's Wife
South Carolina Governor Mark
Sanford is holding onto his job for dear life.
The state capital and TV and radio talk shows
are abuzz with political gossip and elbowing.
On many levels, this is an open and shut case:
Sanford got caught in an extramarital affair
and moreover went AWOL for five days – he
should go. But, before we slam shut the door on
Sanford, I can't help but ask, "What can we
learn from Mrs. Sanford?"
I followed the unfolding news about
Gov. Sanford, when he couldn't be found by
either his staff or the news media. At first we
were told he was away, getting some much needed
rest; then, it was said that he was hiking the
Appalachian Trail. Eventually we found out that
neither his staff nor his wife knew his
whereabouts. Such a disappearance would be odd
for anyone, let alone a governor who holds
responsibility for state affairs. After all,
what would have happened if there had been some
kind of emergency?
Of course, in reality, there was an
emergency. A governor
...continue reading
-
Iran, Twitter, and the Human Spirit
The events overseas
in Iran have been nothing less than
breathtaking.
Just weeks ago the conversation within the
U.S. was focused almost
entirely on Iran’s nuclear weapons, but today
the most powerful weapon
in Iran may be the smallest voice that comes
from a Tweet. And, by
far, the most important lesson of all may be
about the human spirit
itself.
I remember watching TV during the weekend when
the Iranian election
returns had been “counted” and many pundits
and onlookers declared
that U.S. foreign policy would need to go back
to square one. The
incumbent in Iran had been declared the victor,
and the U.S. policy of
engagement had been declared over. But what
these observers failed to
notice was the strong undercurrent within Iran,
the sheer force of
people declaring that enough was enough.
Many of us rushed to focus on the role of
Twitter in this surge of
public action, and there is little doubt of the
power and force of
this technology. Twitter and
...continue reading
-
The Compelling Moment
Is this really happening? What are we to make
of all the changes occurring around us now,
and what can we do to tap into the emerging
energy, momentum, and possibility? For
those of us who seek hope and change, the
question is, "Now what?" Here are some quick
tips for making our way forward. In
just the last week, there have been any number
of changes that are compelling in terms of
the possibilities around us. Just watching the
Iranian election and reform movement in the
past few days has been
absolutely incredible. Of course, the usual
talking heads on weekend news programs
quickly reported that the election results
signaled more business as usual: no
new openings, no real progress, and no hope!
But the people of Iran are demonstrating
their yearning to create a more open society
and their fundamental desire to re-engage
and reconnect. The same could be said
about my recent week in Detroit, the same week
GM announced its bankruptcy. As we engaged
Detroiters we discovered
...continue reading
-
My Covenant with Detroit
I believe that we rise or
fall together. It’s how I was raised as a
kid, and
it’s a belief that still guides me. At issue
today is what happens to hard-hit
communities like Detroit? What commitments are
we willing to make? Here’s my
covenant with Detroit, my pledge about how we
will work with the people of Detroit.
First, we held the Harwood Public
Innovators Lab in Detroit last week. It was
the largest Lab in our 20-year history.
Originally the Lab was planned for Las
Vegas or Miami; but instead we chose Detroit
– I believe we needed to stand by
the community. Right now, it’s too easy for
many of us to turn our backs on
hard-hit communities and people. Rather than
run from Detroit, I wanted to
actually go there and show support and engage
with people. This is the first
part of my covenant – we must see and hear
all Americans; we must not turn away.
Second, during the Lab, participants
went into the streets to “Ask Detroit”
residents about
...continue reading
-
Letting GM go, finally
I'm writing this post on Monday afternoon while
sitting in downtown Detroit
looking out my hotel window at the humongous GM
building. Hours ago I drove in
from the airport and listened to President
Obama on the radio announce GM's
bankruptcy. The situation felt surreal; the
unbelievable was now reality. Truth
is, maybe now, Detroit and the rest of us can
move on.
Something as big as the GM bankruptcy is hard
to imagine, and even harder to
take in. How could this be? Is it real? GM
isn't just any company. And it wasn't
the product of some wacky Wall Street merger or
acquisition the likes of which
create behemoth companies overnight. Instead,
many of us grew up with GM as a
fixture in our lives -- with their ubiquitous
cars, dealerships, and television
ads. GM was part of American history, and had
come to represent American
strength and power.
But we all know the story: GM had become
complacent, resting on its laurels. I
won't repeat here the oft-heard litany of
...continue reading
-
Obama's Notre Dame Speech
This past Sunday I
flipped on the TV only
to hear President Obama’s much awaited
Notre Dame commencement
speech. I was stopped in my tracks, only to be
immensely moved. The
president’s message is not new, and that
is its very power.
Obama’s message is one I encounter
daily. It is one of love
and grace and holding our hearts and minds open
long enough so that we
may see and hear others. Only then may we
actually learn about others,
even ourselves. Only then can we make progress
in our communities.
Of course, the need to see and hear one
another is often trumped by
our own reflex to dominate, win at any cost,
gain attention, and turn
inward. It is not that we want to operate in
this way; rather, it is
that we get caught up in, sometimes swept away
by, forces we believe
are beyond our control. But things don’t
need to be this way.
Take the “controversy” over
Obama’s visit to
Notre Dame. I had listened to various TV
...continue reading
-
Ten Ways to "Live United"
About one year ago the United Way of America
unveiled its new brand
and tagline, “Live United.” This week
United Ways from
across the country are reconvening in Detroit,
and the question is:
What does it mean to Live United in tough
times?
I remember sitting on stage with four
colleagues during the opening
session of the United Way of America’s annual
conference last
year in Baltimore. As moderator of the panel,
my job was to shine a
light on the challenges inherent in the Live
United approach. Brian
Gallagher, head of United of Way of America
wanted folks to see what
it would take to move the needle. I admire his
vision and willingness
to put tough issues on the table.
When I returned from that conference I wrote
a piece entitled,
“The Top 10 Ways to ‘Live United.’” In
the
past twelve months times have changed; the
challenges we face have
become only more difficult to address, with
fewer dollars to go
around.
Nonetheless my counsel for
...continue reading
-
The School Bus Incident
This morning I came upon a yellow
school bus that had stopped to pick up kids,
with its red lights blinking, signaling all
cars to stop. And yet one driver
insisted on going around the bus. But before he
could pass, a woman, with a dog
in tow, stepped out in front of his moving car,
put her foot on his fender, and
proceeded to lecture him. I sat there and
wondered what would I have done?
A school bus full of kids is a good
test for any of us when it comes to standing
up for community norms. We all cherish
children; they're often innocent
bystanders to events around them, and our role
as adults is pivotal in
protecting them and helping to raise them. This
guy who attempted to bypass the
bus was in clear violation of a long-standing
norm we all know.
Indeed, he could have simply looked
around to see that other cars had stopped
for the bus. But he either didn’t care, or
didn't take the time to look. Either
way, his judgment was off.
Last week I wrote about the first
...continue reading
-
Take the Obama 100 Days Citizen Test
As President
Obama's first 100 days near completion, the
question is: Where do
you think we are as a nation? The pundits and
pollsters and press will try to
steal the limelight by pontificating endlessly
and giving us their
prognostications. Let them do their thing, and
in the meantime let us think for
ourselves. Take the First 100 Days Citizen Test
below, and let me know where you
think we are.
For many people Barack Obama's election last
November signaled a dramatic change
in the direction and tone of American politics.
In fact, in the last month or
so, I've been with civic leaders from numerous
other countries, and many felt
compelled to tell me how positive they feel
about the U.S. now that Obama is in
office.
Since before his inauguration, Obama set out to
aggressively put forth his
agenda. Action has been taken, or initiated, on
a whole host of fronts -- including the
financial bailout, the stimulus package,
auto-company supports,
health care, and various
...continue reading
-
When inflection points haunt you
We've all come
face-to-face with inflection points in our
professional lives and
our personal relationships too. In these
moments it is clear we must
address a
deep problem or make difficult choices; the
current trajectory must
change. But
the problem is most of us run away from
inflection points just when we
need to
face them.
During these topsy-turvy times you've probably
encountered some wicked
inflection points that are causing sleepless
nights and much
consternation. How
you deal with these moments will determine your
effectiveness and
success. In
just the past few weeks I've seen a number of
inflection points:
*At a board retreat, participants who had
traveled from across the
nation, and
some from around the globe, became agitated
about the direction of an
afternoon
strategy discussion, and brought it to a head
by pointedly saying that
much of
the meeting was a waste of their time. What to
do, and was all lost?
*Many organizations,
...continue reading
-
Tax Day: What Are You Willing to Pay?
The dreaded April 15th
Tax Day is upon us, a day it’s safe to
say no one likes. But this year, perhaps more
than any other in recent
times, a basic question confronts us: What
will we pay to help the
nation, our communities, families and
individuals get through this
tough time and create a better future? As you
race to meet the April
15th deadline, would you pay more?
Make no mistake there is a growing battle
within the nation over
government spending and taxation. For instance,
the “Tea Bag
Protest” is urging Americans to mail a tea
bag to the White
House to protest current tax policies and
President Obama’s
budget. I’m not sure placing a 42 cent stamp
on an envelope
demands the same bravery as those involved in
the Boston Tea Party,
but the protest is noted.
Few of us will send a tea bag to the
president, but there are
plenty of people of all political persuasions
concerned about
government spending – from the bailouts of
financial
...continue reading
-
Detroit's Call
Driving through Detroit yesterday
it was clear this town is barely
hanging on by its fingertips, but that many of
the people who will
bring it back are already here. The question
for me is what will the
rest of us do – will we hear Detroit’s call
or turn away.
I know what I want us to do.
The NCAA championship game between North
Carolina and Michigan State
was played just blocks from my hotel. Outside
my hotel window last
night I could hear and see droves of people
filing down the street
making their way to Ford Field. A festive mood
had come over this part
of town.
But I could also see from my hotel window the
towering GM building
hovering over this city, a constant reminder of
looming bankruptcy and
failed manufacturing. Indeed, everywhere I
looked I could see
buildings draped with for-lease signs, begging
for occupants.
I found myself speechless as I drove through
some of Detroit’s
neighborhoods. Blocks of boarded up, burned
out, stripped
...continue reading
-
Dear "Mr. Auto-Community Recovery Czar"
Today, "Mr.
Auto-Community Recovery Czar," President Obama
will
announce your appointment as director for the
recovery of auto
communities and workers. That's good news.
Simply providing yet more
financial aid to auto companies alone is not
enough. But in the
process of taking this new step, I can only
hope we keep the ultimate
goal in sight. Here's what I hope you consider
as you undertake this job.
Many communities tied to the auto industry are
reeling. Lost
employment, plummeting tax revenues, empty
storefronts, deteriorating
neighborhoods, and other maladies ail these
places. I know these
hardships first-hand after working in Flint, MI
for many years, and
with people from Youngstown, OH, St. Louis, MO,
and many other auto
industry-based locales. This June, we're
launching a new initiative in
yet two more Michigan communities, Detroit and
Battle Creek.
According to news reports, the new recovery
effort will help
communities find ways to create jobs and
...continue reading
-
Finding Relevance in Tough Times
The economic
downturn has sent a shiver throughout the
non-profit and
civic community and among funders, too. Money
is in short supply, and
people are scurrying about to secure their
organization's future. But
where are we running to, and why?
What I hear most often these days is
people's belief that they must
prove their worth and value to their funders,
members, Congress, and
others if they are to remain viable. The result
is a mad dash to
create new, highly targeted initiatives that
will appear relevant and
significant to our communities and society.
But this race to produce short-term
benefits will not deepen one's
relevance or significance to communities or the
people who live there.
Indeed, we must know that this approach is
organization-centric, with
the main goal of improving the organization's
status and funding, but
not necessarily improving the community or
people's lives.
Another response to the economic crisis
is for organizations to hunker
...continue reading
-
A Major Step for Us: Why we're going online
Today, I'm excited to tell you that we're
making a major down payment
on opening up our ideas, frameworks and tools
so that anyone,
anywhere, can use them, at anytime. We are
launching Harwood Online.
This is a pivotal step in the evolution of our
work. Especially in
these hard times, people want to make their
efforts in public life
more relevant, effective, and connected to
communities and the people
who live there. I want to do everything I can
to support them. So,
here's why and how, we're moving in this
direction.
A couple of years ago, the Board and Staff at
Harwood decided it was
time to move from a projects-based
organization focused on public
innovation, to an organization focused on
getting our learnings of
twenty years out to Public Innovators
everywhere.
While the projects we work on are terrific,
their benefits often
remain with the people we are working with.
Even the individuals,
organizations and communities using our work
have been
...continue reading
-
Why I'm Investing in Detroit
Lots of people and
jobs are exiting Detroit these days. Some say
the
final death knell is about to be rung as the
life of domestic auto
companies hangs in the balance. But now's not
the time for any of us to
turn away. The city needs our investment and
commitment, which is why
I've decided to put our Harwood Public
Innovators Lab in downtown
Detroit, June 2-5.
Nothing seems to be going Detroit's way. For
decades the city was said
to be dying, only to rebound in recent years
with pockets of
rejuvenation sparked by the rise of new
businesses, new construction,
and a new attitude. But the emerging signs of
progress could not hold
off larger economic trends that have engulfed
Michigan in an economic
tsunami. To
make matters worse, the city had to endure the
embarrassment of misdeeds and misfortunes by
its former mayor, until finally he was pushed
from office. And it continues to suffer the
notoriety of its much-maligned football team,
the Detroit Lions, which went
...continue reading
-
Mourning in America
When Ronald
Reagan first ran for president, his ads proudly
proclaimed it's "morning in America." But
30-second spots and pep rallies won't address
our current economic ills. For there is
"mourning in America" this time, and if we wish
to move forward, we must first understand and
engage our sorrow head-on. Just
yesterday California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
began the process to lay-off 20,000 state
workers. Every day the economic bad news piles
up with seemingly no end in sight. Perhaps the
end is just around the corner. I know I keep
hoping for us to finally bottom out, and then
start the process of recovery. But in
our eagerness for a quick fix, we may miss a
key point. We are experiencing
fundamental changes to our economy, and our
society, too. Take, for instance, America's
auto companies. Their restructuring plans are
due out today, and even if they re-emerge as
healthy companies, they will have laid-off tens
of thousands of American workers and shuttered
scores
...continue reading
-
Is Bipartisanship Dead Already?
The bipartisan
vultures are busy at work, nit-picking to death
President Obama’s desire for a more
bipartisan approach. Too bad their
short-sighted political maneuverings on the
economic stimulus package blur them from seeing
the emerging picture: a new political
environment is just what people want. And make
no mistake it will take a certain toughness to
bring it about. First, there are
legitimate concerns about different facets of
the timulus package, and good people on all
sides will disagree. But the fact that the
president’s economic package received only
three Republican votes in the U.S. Senate has
led many pundits and naysayers to proclaim that
his bipartisan vision for the nation’s
capital is dead on arrival. It’s true that he
hasn’t received the kind of Republican
support in either chamber that he had hoped
for. The president went to great
lengths to reach out to Republicans since
assuming office, hosting a Super Bowl party,
traveling to the Hill to
...continue reading
-
Do You Believe We Need Change?
Do you believe we need change? I suspect for
most of you that's an easy question to answer.
After all your work is about creating change.
But if we believe we need change, it also
follows that we need to think about and examine
if we're being effective.
How can we be effective and still stay true
to our aspirations?
-
Obama: "Start by Listening"
President Barack Obama sent his
new Middle-East envoy former-Sen. George
Mitchell off to the region last night with one
clear directive: "Start by listening." It's
good advice not only for Mitchell, but all of
us. But what does it mean?
Obama made his comments in his first
formal interview after being sworn in as
president. The interview was with Dubai-based
Al-Arabiya network, where he said,"What I told
(Sen. Mitchell) is start by listening, because
all too often the United States starts by
dictating."
We all dictate to others, and too much.
Too often our impulse is to get out in front of
problems, opportunities, and daily hiccups, by
attempting to demonstrate our "strong
leadership," our vigorous approach, and our
expertise. We may think we're listening, but
are we?
Sometimes when we're pushed up against
the wall, we'll declare, "We need to listen
more." But what do we do then? Here are phrases
you hear, and what they seem to mean in
practice:
"Listen up"
...continue reading
-
My Prayer for Barack Obama
This time next Tuesday, Barack Obama will be
our 44th president. As we approach
his inauguration, I offer these simple words as
a prayer for our next president.
My hope is that you'll add your own
words. My
Prayer for Barack Obama
I pray that you always
remember that you are now part of an enduring
axis of hope -- tracing from
Lincoln to Roosevelt to MLK -- and that we can
leave behind the empty rhetoric
of recent years.
I pray that you are bold enough to
scale the mountain of challenges
before us, even as you remember that the years
of mistrust and blame run deep,
and can only be washed away over time with
sound deeds.
I pray that "We, The People" give you
the benefit of the doubt when you
err and stumble, because you will and we must.
I pray that you remember
on your worst day what you said on your best:
there is a difference between
false hope and authentic hope, and only one is
worth fighting for. I
pray that you challenge us to become
...continue reading
-
Hyundai's New Social Contract
Over the
holiday break I saw this incredible -- well,
truly unbelievable -- ad for Hyundai cars: If
you experience involuntary loss of income, you
can return your new car. Hyundai's move, I
believe, represents the early signs of
emergence of a new social contract in America.
That's good news. Now, Detroit, where are you?
Hyundai's tagline is, "We're all in
this together and we'll get through it
together." Your first reaction to this ad
might be, "Right, show me the money!" Too many
times companies try to snooker people with
their slick commercials, and then add the
fast-talking voice over at the end who reels
off all the product’s restrictions and
possible side effects.
But Hyundai puts their money where
their mouth is. If you experience involuntary
job loss, a physical disability, job transfer
or other life-changing event within the first
year of your purchase, Hyundai will take back
your car. You can read the details at Hyundaiusa.com,
and even I could understand them.
...continue reading
-
Detroit: A Public Rorschach Test
The whole Detroit automaker bailout
has my head spinning, and there’s no easy
answer in sight. The people I talk with seem as
torn about what to do as I am. The current
debate raises fundamental questions about how
we see critical public issues, what we value
most, and the inherent conflicts we’re trying
to work out. Detroit, and its ailments, is a
public Rorschach test. So, please, pull up a
chair, and let’s see what we think.
It’s hard to talk about Detroit
without mentioning two vital pieces of context.
First, the $700 billion bailout of the
financial markets, which to date seems to have
produced far less benefit than anyone expected.
For many of us, this situation undermines our
confidence that yet another set of loans will
produce any better results. Second,
Katrina, where our government’s response only
deepened what was an unforgiving disaster. The
nasty taste left from government’s
ill-conceived and incompetent response still
lingers. Even after all this time,
...continue reading
-
Decency and the Detroit Automakers
Amid all the bad news nowadays,
there is a rising sense of decency trying to
break through in our society. This emergence is
no accident; nor is it the result of pure
altruism. Rather, it is being foisted upon us,
like it or not, by the jolting reality of an
automaker bailout, persistent financial crisis,
and growing unemployment. The question is will
we seize this moment to make this new sense of
decency real, or will we let it slip in-between
our fingers.
The poster child for "anti-decency" is
none other than the three amigos who run the
big automakers. Their sheer stupidity of flying
private jets to Capitol Hill in search of
federal assistance was absolute hubris. Worse
yet was their tone deaf public relations people
who concocted the brilliant strategy of having
them drive cross country to this week's
hearings. I'm not sure which antic is more
insulting to the American public's
intelligence. What's more, after years of
incompetence, indecision, and ineptitude, they
showed up
...continue reading
-
Your Proverbial Turkey Chase
I've never been on a real turkey
chase, and maybe you haven't either, but as we
approach Thanksgiving, I suspect we're all in
pursuit of something. But where will your own
chase lead you, and why are you headed there?
Here are some thoughts concerning "the chase"
to think about this Thanksgiving.
Turkeys hold a special place in
American culture -- from defining early
historical meals and current Thanksgiving
menus, to Wild Turkey whiskey, to calling
something we deem unsatisfactory "a turkey!" It
was even the bird Benjamin Franklin suggested
be our national symbol instead of the bald
eagle. And on every Thanksgiving, there are all
kinds of "turkey runs," 5K and 10K races
sponsored in support of some charitable cause;
if you're so inclined, it's probably not too
late to find one in your community. And
yet, the notion of "a chase" conjures up the
pursuit of the unattainable. Think: "chase
dreams," where you cannot bring closure or
finality to something in your life. Think:
...continue reading
-
Making Hope and Empathy Real
In so many
ways, the country is unraveling before our
eyes. Yet, I have no doubt that in time we will
respond effectively. But which paths we take
will be crucial, and there are two key
ingredients that we must bring to our
collective efforts. As I see it, the urgent
task is to restore a renewed sense of hope and
empathy. Progress depends on it and here's why.
The news these days can be dangerous to
your mental health. Just yesterday Citigroup
slashed 52,000 jobs. General Motors is
teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Home
foreclosures continue to shake the very
foundation of people's lives and community
life. AIG will receive up to $85 billion in
federal help. We continue to fight two wars,
and the costs keep spiraling up. The list goes
on.
My belief is that we must find ways to
tap into our history of hope to sustain and
fortify ourselves and our efforts; and we must
renew our sense of empathy so that we can
understand reality for what it is, and shape
the future we want.
...continue reading
-
Turn Outward in Tough Times
Last week I was in San Diego with public
broadcasters who were asked what they would do
if they had to cut their budgets by 15-40%.
Unfortunately, such a question is no longer
academic for many groups and organizations.
Hard times are here, and notwithstanding
promises of "change," a quick economic rebound
isn't likely. But so many times when we face
crises and choices, our instinct is to look
inward for answers. My advice: turn outward
first.
There's a great deal of talk among
foundations, at national conferences, and in
many publications about the tough times we
face. For many groups, money is tight. I
suspect very few groups will be immune from the
current economic downturn. Budgets are being
slashed, staffs cut, programs gutted.
Experience tells me that when most of
us feel under intense pressure, we turn to some
trusted tools. Many organizations undertake new
strategic planning, rebrand themselves, and
figure out ways to generate more membership
dues while trimming
...continue reading
-
What Obama's Grandmother Tells Us
I've resisted writing this piece
today, but as I sat down to type this morning,
it has just poured out. Just 24 hours before
Election Day, the nation learned that Senator
Barack Obama's grandmother passed away, unable
to experience the (expected) joy of watching
her grandson become the next president of the
United States. But her death at this late
moment in the campaign introduced something
that can easily be lost in campaigns and
governing, and which our country so desperately
needs: a renewed sense of humanity.
My resistance in writing this piece is
because I feel that I should be talking about
the larger history Obama might make tonight, or
the larger trends that are at work in this
election cycle, or the larger meaning of this
election for people doing public work on the
ground. Writing about his grandmother? Yes, I
confess I am pulled in that direction this
morning.
The senator stands at the precipice of
monumental achievement in what seems like an
unfolding fable. He
...continue reading
-
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
...continue reading
-
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. Learn more
about authority and The
3As of public life
>>
-
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
...continue reading
-
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
...continue reading
-
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
...continue reading
-
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
...continue reading
-
"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
...continue reading
-
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
...continue reading
-
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
...continue reading
-
Dear Barack and Friends
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.
This week's article is an examination of the
challenges facing Barack Obama.
"The Democrats still don't
know how to go negative. Until
they do, they will lose." That's how a CNN
commentator ended Monday night's
coverage of the Democratic Convention. Is he
right? What does it mean for
someone to offer hope -- and strongly defend it
-- when public life and politics
is marked by acrimony and negativity, and
shaped by pundits who unrelentingly dispatch
such nonsense? Here's how.
Any individual seeking to
promote authentic hope and change
in today's society must be clear about two
things: keep focused on what truly
matters and be certain of your desire to win.
Your pursuit to make a difference
in the world cannot simply be about "fighting
the good fight." Those of us who
toil in the vineyards of hope and change should
want to harvest
...continue reading
-
Have you answered Jon Stewart yet?
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.
Last night my wife handed me a
Sunday New York Times article
on Jon Stewart -- Is
this the Most Trusted
Man in America? -- telling me that I
had to read it. She was right. You
should, too. During a time of record-breaking
Olympics, a decidedly mixed
presidential race, and general social anxiety,
Jon Stewart's success on "The
Daily Show" holds some key insights for those
of us who want to make good on
our urge to do good.
For me, there are at least three components to
Stewart's success:
1. He
and his staff display an uncanny ability to
puncture false realities, a great
gift at a time when so many people feel that
their realities are being actively
distorted in public life and politics.
2. He
consistently shines a bright line on a range of
issues the mainstream news
media often handle with kid gloves or
...continue reading
-
Re-awakening
Redeeming Hope by Richard Harwood. A
blog about making good on your urge to do good,
and about imagining and acting for the public
good.
This week we're sharing some "Voices from the
Summit." Throughout the week participants in
the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their
experience, their work and their thoughts. This
reflection comes from Jean Feraca, Host of
"Here on Earth."
Ever since I came back from the Summit
I've been living in state of grace. It's a
little like being born-again.
Imagine having forgotten who you are,
what your real name is, why you were sent
to earth in the first place, and then being
re-awakened. That's what it was
like for me. Before I left for the Summit ,
I had no idea how far I had strayed from my
original purpose in creating Here
on Earth: Radio Without Borders . Simply
stated, it was to show who we are
at our best, we humans, and how much we have in
common. It was to bring the
world a little closer together and to
...continue reading
-
Space for the quiet
This week we're sharing some "Voices from the
Summit." Throughout the
week participants in the 2008 Summit will be
blogging about their
experience, their work and their thoughts. This
reflection comes from Wendy Willis of the
Policy Consensus
Initiative.
I've often asked friends and
colleagues
toiling in the civic engagement trenches if
there is such a thing as "social
capital poisoning."
While many of our
fellow citizens are struggling to find
meaningful ways to participate in public
life, those of us who have turned our passion
for engagement into
a vocation can find ourselves meeting and
talking and collaborating ourselves straight
into exhaustion.
Sometimes, we just want to be left
alone.
It was
in that state that I showed
up at Skamania Lodge two Fridays ago --
depleted and unenthusiastic about more
meetings -- even optimistic ones.
Everything in me wanted to hide
out.
But, there I was -- nametag in hand
...continue reading
-
No More Hopeless
This week we're sharing some "Voices from the
Summit." Throughout the week participants in
the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their
experience, their work and their thoughts.
This post was written by Steven A.
Smith for his blog "News is a
Conversation. The editor of the
Spokesman-Review (Spokane), Steven has worked
with the Harwood Institute for more than a
decade. What follows is his post
reflecting on the experience of attending his
first Harwood Public Innovators Summit: I just returned home
from the three-day innovators summit in
Stevenson, WA. I
need some time to synthesize what I learned.
Suffice it to say for now
the innovations most helpful to newspapers
probably won't come from our
own industry. This conference was a chance to
spend time with
innovators in a variety of business and
non-profit roles. The ideas I
will steal from them will help push our own
transformational change, I
hope. But today's end-of-conference
discussion did have an
...continue reading
-
Busy
This week we're sharing some "Voices from the
Summit." Throughout the
week participants in the 2008 Summit will be
blogging about their
experience, their work and their
thoughts.
These days, when I ask a
friend or colleague how they're
doing, I almost always get the same one-word
response: "Busy."
I don't just interpret this as a reflection of
the pace by which we live our
lives; in fact, most of the people I know are
busy doing things that either
matter deeply to them or to people who depend
on them. So it's not necessarily
the pace that's the problem; it's the way the
word choice reveals what we
choose to illuminate and, by extension, value
in ourselves and the world around
us.
It's almost as if the word "busy" has become a
short-hand way to
describe what it feels like to live in modern
society. Is this an accurate
description? Is there a difference between
feeling busy and feeling highly
engaged? If so, what does the predominance of
the
...continue reading
-
What's our business
This week we're sharing some "Voices from the
Summit." Throughout the week participants in
the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their
experience, their work and their thoughts.
This post comes from Farhana Huq, Founder and
CEO of C.E.O Women.
I started
volunteering with citizen sector organizations
when I was 14. My
sense of the sector
was myopic in that I was on the front lines
most of the time, focused primarily
on direct service.
When I founded
C.E.O. Women -- an organization dedicated to
helping low-income immigrant and refugee women
to become entrepreneurs -- I did
so with the goal of helping women.
However, what has evolved for me, over
time, is a commitment to
addressing the systemic barriers faced by these
women. I've come to believe
that this requires a very different mindset and
tool set. It also requires
dialogue. My
thinking is now less about
the direct service and more geared towards
creating solutions and
...continue reading
-
The View from the Summit
This week we're sharing some "Voices from the
Summit." Throughout the week participants in
the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their
experience, their work and their
thoughts.
Summit has always been one of my favorite
words. When I reached the
summit of Mount Rainier some years ago, we
broke through a thick layer of
clouds and the sky above was absolutely clear.
From the summit, we could see
the horizon but not the land or cities below.
The "real world" was
obscured. It was a reflective moment of beauty
and clarity, a time for looking
upward and outward.
The Harwood Public Innovators Summit affected
me in somewhat the same
way. Being there made me look in many different
directions and reflect on new
possibilities, while leaving the day-to-day
world behind for a while.
Everyone there seemed to be in that space and
share that spirit. All
seemed willing to be transparent, open and
accountable for their work and
themselves.
Whatever our
...continue reading
-
The Starbucks Trap
The Starbucks juggernaut
has flipped its lid in recent
months, experiencing a downturn most never
expected. Over the years, Starbucks
had emerged as a new social icon, a reflection
of a brilliant business strategy
rooted in a keen knowledge of people's
yearnings for connection. But somehow
Starbucks got burned when it tried to occupy
too much space. Any of us can fall
into this trap.
The story is a familiar
one: a great idea, terrific
execution, rising demand, and then expansion,
expansion, expansion! Starbucks
coffee can now be seen virtually everywhere.
Not only did stores pop up on nearly
every corner, they embedded their beans and
brand in grocery stores, hotels, even
in the air.
Originally, Starbucks was
about intimate coffee houses where
people could meet, chat, read ... in essence,
be in public. Company leaders often
talked about carving out "third spaces" in
communities -- neither yours nor
mine, but "ours." But things started to
unravel, and on
...continue reading
-
The Last Lecture
This past week, Randy
Pausch ,
the man who made famous " The Last
Lecture " passed away after battling
pancreatic cancer. The lecture, intended for
his children, moved millions of
people -- but why? On the surface, many of his
comments were cliche. But he was
on to something real, something we all wrestle
with, and these are the same reasons
why my own work is moving more and more in the
direction of answering this
question: "How can you make good on your urge
to do good?" Upon learning
of his cancer, Dr.
Pausch, a professor
at Carnegie Mellon
University, decided to give what the
Pittsburgh-based school calls the "last
lecture." The topic: how to live life. Millions
of people have now watched the
lecture on YouTube ,
and tens of thousands have bought his book.
Most major news
outlets covered his death. Pausch offered
simple insights into life, including these
highlighted in a USA
Today article:
Never
underestimate the importance of having fun.
...continue reading
-
Where is the room for individual dignity?
Most of us never intend to turn someone else
into the "other," but the exigencies of life
have a way of wringing out individual dignity
from our work. We can find ourselves running so
fast to reach the finish line that we lose
sight of why even started to run. We use
certain words and phrases as short-hand, only
to lose their meaning. We go all out to win
vital arguments, only to create needless
divisions that fail to reflect people's
everyday experiences. How in your own efforts
to create change are you making room for
individual dignity?
In my own memory, it was around the time of
Ronald Reagan that our nation took a sharp
detour deep into the land of celebrating the
power of the individual and shoving individual
dignity to the side. Of course, the
"individual" has always played a central role
in American history and myth, but since Reagan
we have increasingly viewed the individual as
the almighty consumer, the all-knowing
political force, the free-agent
...continue reading
-
Great Books: Chasing the Flame
What
flame are you chasing, and through the years
what have
you learned about yourself and what you need to
do to make a difference?
Maybe this is too simple a question to
pose, but
more and more I find people wrestling to figure
out the right answer. This
question is at the heart of the new book, Chasing
the Flame: Sergio de Vieira De Mello and the
Fight to Save the World , by
Samantha Power, which I highly recommend to
you. You may be wondering why I am
suggesting a book on the United
Nations and one of its star officials; what can
this story teach us? Bottom
line: Sergio Vieira De Mello came face-to-face
with many issues that those of
us involved in change must ultimately
address. Vieira De Mello led critical UN
missions at major
flashpoints in recent history, including in
Iraq, Bosnia, Lebanon, Cambodia,
Rwanda, Kosovo, and East Timor -- each with its
own thorny set of issues involving
peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, and human
rights. He was tragically
...continue reading
-
A Wimbledon Tennis Lesson: The Grace We Need
We often see in sports what we wish
could be true in everyday life. This weekend's
epic Wimbledon men's final was
the best example I've seen in years, when Roger
Federer and Rafael Nadal
exhibited in the heat of battle a sense of
grace that each us can only hope to
embrace. There are lessons here for each of us
and for public life.
Much has been written about the
superior play in the Wimbledon
final, but for me the most magical moment came
when play ended. As Federer and
Nadal approached the net for the customary
handshake and perfunctory passing
comments, something remarkable happened. The
two men stood there grasping the
other, their deep sense of affection for each
other on clear display for all to
see. In their on-court, post-match interviews,
both spoke more about his
opponent than about himself; each sung the
praise of the other; neither sulked
nor gloated.
Put yourself in their shoes: is this
what we expect of them or
ourselves?
Their display of grace
...continue reading
-
Yet Another Patriotism Hangover
Maybe
it's no accident that Senators Obama and McCain
are knee-deep in a war of words over the
meaning of patriotism as July 4th approaches.
But when our two presidential candidates spend
their days in a war of words over patriotism,
the queasiness from my post 9/11 patriotism
hangover comes racing back. Unfortunately, the
after-taste is strong and the symptoms are
all-too-familiar. The recent war of
words began in earnest when retired Army
General Wesley K. Clark went after McCain on
Sunday's "Face the Nation". "I don't think
getting in a fighter plane and getting shot
down is a qualification to become president,"
he said. Of course, the McCain camp fired back
and even questioned Obama's rebuke of
Clark. Then on Monday Obama gave a
defining speech on "patriotism" at the Truman
Memorial Building in Independence, MO. The
speech had been planned before the war of
words, all part of a week-long effort on
patriotism to shore up his standing among
Americans. The week before TIME
...continue reading
-
Mayor Bloomberg and the Jews
On Friday, New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood before some 200
people at the Jewish Federation of South Palm
Beach County to set straight a nasty rumor
about Senator Barack Obama, intended to strike
fear into the hearts of Jews. The rumor holds
that Obama is really a Muslim, who will not
support Israeli or even American interests.
Bloomberg went to South Florida to tell Jews
the real story, and his actions lead to this
question: Will each of us stand up when our
turn comes?
Over the years Bloomberg has not made it a
habit to talk publicly about his Jewish faith
or ties to the Jewish community. Nor is he an
Obama supporter. He even tested the waters for
his own presidential run this year, and he is
known to be close to Senator John McCain. But
according to The
New York Times , Bloomberg told the
Palm Beach crowd that the rumors about Obama
represent "wedge politics at its worse, and we
have to reject it - loudly, clearly and
unequivocally."
In Make
Hope
...continue reading
-
What Al Gore's Really Saying
While
channel surfing last night, I stumbled upon Al
Gore's endorsement of Barack Obama. At first I
wanted to listen to Obama's response to Gore,
but then I found myself enveloped by the power
of Gore's comments and his stature. Be clear,
I'm not writing to underscore Gore's
endorsement; rather I want to take notice of
Gore himself and to heed what his journey
potentially means for each of us.
For one of the first times in this
campaign season, I heard a public figure stand
up before an audience and articulate a clear
and compelling view of the challenges we face
and the need for a different approach to
address them. His comments were not wrapped in
poetic words or raw partisan appeals or a
litany of policy proposals. Instead, Gore
outlined his cogent view of the challenges
before us in the 21st century - from climate
change to international affairs to energy to
the economy.
I found myself drawn in by a man who still
cannot deliver soaring rhetoric or move
...continue reading
-
Who do you want to be by the end of this year?
In December of 2007 I asked:
Who do you want to be in a
year? Today, six months later, I return today
to that question. Who
do you want to be? What choices will you
have to make to get there?
What support do you need to create and
accelerate the kind of change
you want for your community?
Click
here and tell us who you want to
be
...continue reading
-
The Top 10 Ways to "Live United"
Two weeks ago the United Way of America
unveiled its new
national branding campaign "Live United," along
with a bold strategy for making
an impact on education, income and family
stability, and health care. I like
the phrase "Live United." It's forward-looking,
energetic, and reflects
people's aspirations. But beyond a damn good
slogan, what would these two words
mean in daily life for those of us seeking to
create hope and change? Here are
10 keys to living united in America. 1.
We
must help people in our communities to see and
hear those individuals who are
different from themselves, or who live in other
parts of the community. At the
heart of living united is the ability to see
beyond ourselves so that we can
begin to understand and work on common
challenges, or support others who face
challenges different from our
own. 2. We
must root our work in the public knowledge of
our community - for instance, in
how people see and define
their
concerns,
...continue reading
-
Activity vs Action
As we
work to create change we face any number of
difficult choices and barriers. One of the
most common is the dilemma of activity vs.
action. If you're really honest with yourself
is your work generating more activity, more
tasks or are you working to take action that
creates impact? Learn more about the
difference between activity and action -- download
a free copy of Rich's essay Make Hope Real
...continue reading
-
Will You Risk The Money?
What if
the more attention we paid to issues of equity
and
race, the more supporters and funders of
"community causes" dried up? That's the
question I posed at two events last week. For
me, the issue is whether we are prepared
to lose precious support by seeking to see and
hear all people in our
communities, or will we take the path of least
resistance and follow the
money?
First, some important
context: The ease with which we can
actively turn away from those we don't wish to
see or hear makes it increasingly
difficult to address issues of equity and race.
For instance, we can pick and
choose our own news on the Internet, screening
out unwanted or undesirable
stories. Meanwhile, many of us have retreated
into close-knit circles of families
and friends, essentially turning away from
public life and those who are not
like us. According to The Big Sort , a
new book by Bill Bishop and Robert
G. Cushing, more of us are moving into
increasingly homogeneous areas. And
...continue reading
-
What do you want, really?
It's a simple enough question,
isn't it? What do you want
when it comes to your work in public life? I
feel rather stupid asking this
question because its answer often seems so damn
obvious. All that's required is
a basic, straightforward response. And yet,
truth be told, I find so many of us
struggle with what we want, and even more with
whether we are really getting to
where we want to be. Something is in our way,
but what?
Most people I know seeking
to bring about change in public
life are working mighty hard, for relatively
modest pay, and over long hours.
Let's face it: there are easier ways to make a
living. But you and I and many
others do not consider this work simply to be a
"career." It is a calling; we
have an urge within us to do good, to right
wrongs, to repair breaches, to give
voice to the weakest among us.
But today I am not writing
about the reasons that get us out
of bed every morning, but rather what stands in
the way of our fulfillment. In
...continue reading
-
Not All Hope Is Created Equal
My fear all along has been
that "hope" would become a
casualty of this campaign - that its very
meaning and currency would be
diminished through overuse and sloganeering.
Now, on the day of
the Indiana and North
Carolina Democratic Primaries, I wanted to
return to this topic to make an
urgent case for a particular meaning of hope in
politics and public life. For
not all hope is created equal.
Tonight the pundits and
spin-meisters will talk about hope
as if it is on trial. Some will say that if
Hillary Clinton wins it is proof
that talking about hope is a reflection of a
naive view of politics. If Barack
Obama wins, there will be those who will
declare that the audacity of hope remains
a brilliant strategy. But no matter what
results emerge from tonight, I believe
we must see hope differently if we wish to make
it real. We must distinguish
between authentic and false hope. Here are some
basic tenets to guide us:
Hope is an
orientation, not a platform -
...continue reading
-
The $100,000 Flop
Ive had this dream for
years now: A major funder gives me big
money to design an initiative that
intentionally fails in full public view. I
find myself sharing this dream with people when
I visit their communities and
talk with them about creating change and
authentic hope. While in Binghamton,
N.Y last week, I found myself talking about the
dream again. For most my
dream would be a nightmare; me, I want to
make it happen.
What I call the $100,000
Flop is based on an actual experience
I had years ago working in a community that was
down and out. Jobs were scarce,
trust was fleeting, and there was lots of
finger-pointing and placing of blame.
Many people in the community felt so beaten up
they were afraid to step forward
and take any action. Like many of us, they were
afraid they might fail.
At the time a major
foundation was funding various change
efforts in the community, including the
Institutes work. But progress was
slow. No matter how much
...continue reading
-
The Pope and the Pennsylvania Primary
The Popes recent visit to the
U.S. offers us a glimpse into what our society
so desperately needs at this moment, and which
is so glaringly absent from the current
Pennsylvania primary campaign. If only the
presidential candidates would address the
so-called regular people of Pennsylvania with
the same forthrightness that Pope Benedict
chose to handle the Catholic Churchs child
abuse scandal during his recent visit.
From the outset of his visit, the Pope
answered the call to address the explosive
issue of child abuse which came at the hands of
Catholic priests. Now, I know many people
believe the Popes visit was a triumph of
public relations and spin over truth. They
argue that the Pope sought to masterfully
manipulate public opinion to blot out a stain
on the Catholic Church. They rightfully point
out that he was merely here for a handful of
days, and that many skilled public figures
could manage the maladies he had to confront.
Time will tell. But I see a leader who
never
...continue reading
-
What's Missing in Obama and Clinton's Bitterness Battle
In the face of peoples real lives, Senators
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's escalating
war of words about bitterness seems to be an
utterly silly, even a potentially destructive
distraction. As this battle is fought on 24
hour news networks, I cant help but think
about my waitress this past weekend at a
Dennys Restaurant in rural central
Pennsylvania.
I walked into Dennys at 6AM last
Saturday morning. I was in town taking my
daughter to an accepted student's day at a
local liberal arts college, while most the
other people in the restaurant were readying
for a day fishing or hunting. One of only two
waitresses on duty, my waitress scrambled
between 10 tables and the kitchen, all the
while calling me honey each time she stopped
by to refill my coffee. As I went to pay my
bill, she told me that she had been at the
restaurant since 6AM the previous day, and that
she was to work until 2PM that afternoon.
As I quickly totaled the number of hours
she would working
...continue reading
-
Standing with Those on the Edge
As a Washington Capitals season
ticket holder I've come to cherish the moment
at each game when fans are asked to salute
guest soldiers, many of whom are being treated
at nearby Walter Reed Army Hospital. To a
person, everyone rises to their feet and gives
our guests an extended standing ovation. It's
an amazing feeling to be among 15,000 people
expressing such love and respect. But when the
applause gives way to life's daily drudgeries,
I wonder what happens to those brave soldiers,
especially those in need of mental health
support? Are we asked to stand up then?
This weekend, The New York Times ran
two articles on the mental health of our troops
serving in Iraq. One, " Army
Is Worried by Rising Stress of Return
Tours, " detailed how each tour of duty
significantly raises the odds that a soldier
will return home with "anxiety, depression or
acute stress." The second piece, " After
War, Love Can Be a Battlefield ," told of 19
couples who attended a weekend retreat called
"Strong
...continue reading
-
Warning: Beware of Political Giddiness
Like many
people, I'm excited to see how people are
stepping forward to engage in this year's
presidential race. Indeed, as I travel the
country there's a growing contagion of
giddiness spreading throughout the land. But,
lurking beneath the surface of our national
"feel-good" is a warning we must heed, or else
run the risk of promoting false
hope. The challenge before us is to not
misread people's shared anger and renewed
energy for common ground about how they wish to
move ahead. The general urge for change is not
at all the same as an endorsement or readiness
for particular change. The presidential
candidates must know this, and so too must the
rest of us who see ourselves as catalysts for
change. What we are witnessing in this
election cycle is people saying "Enough Is
Enough!" over the state of the union and our
overly partisan and rancorous politics. They
believe that, as a society, we have failed to
make real progress on the pressing issues
before us, and that matters have
...continue reading
-
Why Race Still Matters
It has been nearly a week since
Barack Obama gave his speech about race in
America, and I can already feel the nation's
focus on race starting to slip away. Many have
interpreted the speech through the lens of
campaign tactics: "Was Obama successful in
getting Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his
incendiary comments off the front page?" And
yet, in our hopes to embrace a post-racial
politics, we may miss the very discussion on
race that remains essential to our society and
politics. Let me start by saying that I
do not believe a so-called "national
conversation" on race is the way to go, if that
means a repeat of former President Clinton's
effort on this matter. Remember the national
commission he appointed, which soon became
embroiled in endless issues about its focus?
That initiative had all the negative trappings
of a high-falutin' blue-ribbon panel: formal
hearings with far more posturing than
conversation. After a much ballyhooed launch,
the commission landed with a thud. Nor
am
...continue reading
-
The Meaning of Reverend Wright
(Written for publication on Monday,
March 17) The
Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's
pastor, has caused quite a stir, as various
news outlets have aired excerpts from some of
his sermons. Now the question is, What should
we make of it? This is a dangerous topic,
because no matter what one says or writes,
there is a very real chance that it'll be
twisted and turned to fit another person's
narrative. So, I weigh in with these thoughts,
knowing full well that I run that
risk. Let me say from the outset that I
do not endorse - indeed, I flatly reject - much
of what I have heard Reverend Wright say that
is now being reported in the news, comments
like these carried by MSNBC.com: "We bombed
Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far
more than the thousands in New York, and we
never batted an eye. We have supported state
terrorism against the Palestinians and black
South Africans, and now we are indignant
because the stuff we have done overseas is
brought right back
...continue reading
-
The Sad Saga of Eliot Spitzer
I am
watching the saga of Governor Eliot Spitzer
unfold in disbelief. Spitzer was nabbed in a
prostitution ring. His governorship, maybe his
family life, hangs in the balance. But beyond
any immediate personal or political
ramifications, this saga can tell us something
about our own views on leadership and
imperfection. Spitzer was a rising
star. For eight years as New York's attorney
general, he won battles against corporate
corruption, Wall Street leaders, and organized
crime, so many that he took on mythic
qualities. TIME magazine once called him a
"crusader." 60 Minutes featured him. He won the
New York governorship in a landslide. Until
yesterday, some people had mentioned him as
presidential timber. On one level,
Spitzer's story is similar to that of many
leaders in our society. We become infatuated
with them, even begin to worship them, believe
they can do no wrong, assigning them qualities
and expectations that too often are not humanly
possible to fulfill. Meantime, the
...continue reading
-
The Red Phone
It's
jolting and ominous. Indeed, the dueling
Clinton-Obama "red phone" ads are a throw-back
to previous eras, a time of the cold war, a
bear in the woods, daisies and detonation. The
red phone is an icon of fear, often used when
other arguments fail. But that's just it: the
red phone is about the past. I want to look to
the future, one rooted in our present-day
reality. This campaign has given us
Senator Obama, who has captured many people's
imagination; Senator Clinton, who has
demonstrated just how tough she is; and Senator
McCain, an American hero. But my concern here
is not about media buys, "get out the vote"
operations, or how to excite people and
motivate them to vote. I have no problem with
tough-minded ads. My concern is that I
want candidates who call us to look to the
future by genuinely reflecting and
understanding the present. We're squarely
barreling into the 21st Century, whether we
like it or not and things have changed
dramatically from the 1990s, or even from
...continue reading
-
The Tyranny of Techniques and Process
The messages of hope and change
that dominate our political discussions these
days have made many people giddy about the
possibilities for public life and politics.
But, if we do not wish to slip back into
business as usual, we must beware of our own
inclinations and proclivities to rely on
techniques and process as a substitute for
making hope real. Instead, our task now is to
reorient ourselves outward, toward the people
and communities we serve, or risk squandering
the opportunity before us.
In our rush to re-engage people and
marshal civic resources, we can fall prey to
our own good intentions. Good intentions aren't
enough, and alone won't get us where we want to
go. In our use of techniques and process, we
can crowd out the very judgments we must make
to create conditions for hope and change. We
can assume a false sense of progress and
security, and sidestep the very battles we must
fight to produce change.
There's so much to say here, but let me
offer a handful of
...continue reading
-
Dear Hillary
I was asked during the Q&A
session following a speech last Thursday what
tactics I'd suggest you embrace given Senator
Barack Obama's ascendancy. I write this before
anyone has cast a vote in Wisconsin, though
what I have to say would be the same whether
you ultimately win or lose. My chief goal here
is not to pretend to be your campaign
consultant, because I'm not. Rather, I simply
want to let you know what I told the person who
asked the question.
Attacking hope won't get you where
you want to go . The emerging response to
Senator Obama by both you and Senator McCain
has been to try and undermine notions of "hope"
that he has spoken about. But attacking "hope"
as a fluffy concept that won't put food on
people’s tables or keep jobs in America
denies something of critical importance to many
Americans. People are in search of something
that has been missing in our society for far
too long. And, there is, indeed a huge
difference between false hope and authentic
hope,
...continue reading
-
The Joy of Voting
Today is
Maryland 's
presidential primary day and I'm damn happy
about it. Usually I make a point to
downplay the importance of voting, because I
believe that so much of the change
we need in society will only come through our
daily efforts. But there's
something special about voting which I want to
celebrate today.
I love the process and
ritual of voting. I love driving to
my local polling place at the Waldorf
School , a
former
neighborhood elementary school and one of the
places where my soccer teams have
played over the years. There, each voter is
welcomed by the army of campaign
workers handing out literature for their
candidate or slate. I used to try and
avoid these folks, but now I simply smile and
say, "No, but thanks!" It's true,
I do not want their literature; but I deeply
admire their tenacity and
enthusiasm, especially as people's engagement
in public life has waned.
I love standing in line to
vote, where I inevitably bump
into a neighbor or
...continue reading
-
Michelle Obama's Message
Last week, on
the night of the Clinton-Obama debate, I found
myself racing from a Kellogg Foundation meeting
in downtown Washington ,
D.C. to
Bethesda ,
MD to pick up
my son and drive him
to basketball practice, hoping to catch the
debate on my car radio. No such
luck. But what I found was arguably more
interesting and compelling: Michelle
Obama.
In the weeks leading up to
the final debate, former
President Bill Clinton had become a topic of
discussion, as he and Senator
Clinton pulled out all stops to win in Nevada
and try to forestall Senator
Obama's victory in South Carolina. The former
president came under intense
criticism for what some deemed to be
underhanded campaign tactics. And while
Bill Clinton soaked up the limelight, I came to
find that it was his
counterpart, Michelle Obama, who deserved our
attention. Last Thursday night, while
waiting for my son's practice to end, I heard
the most incredible speech by
Mrs. Obama.
Her
...continue reading
-
Where Will You Stand?
Let’s
start with Monday’s news. In his endorsement
of Barack Obama, Senator Ted
Kennedy sought to position the young candidate
alongside his brothers, John and
Bobby, both of whom sought to usher in a new
day in politics, one infused with
service and idealism rather than triangulation
and fear. Now, once again,
there’s something undeniable emerging across
the nation: a new breed of leader
who sees public life and politics differently.
Two basic questions stand before
us with concern to this new breed of leader,
and only you and I and others like
us hold the answers to these questions.
Whether
Barack Obama is one of these new leaders
remains to be seen. But there is a
growing cadre of such leaders dotting the
American landscape including, for
instance, mayors such as Cory Booker (Newark),
Adrian Fenty (DC), Jay Williams,
(Youngstown) and, yes, Michael Bloomberg (New
York City). In my essay Make Hope
Real , I write about this new breed of
leaders as:
...continue reading
-
Five Personal Questions for Public Innovators
This week
I am getting ready for our upcoming Public
Innovators Lab , which always makes me go
back to first principles about what it takes to
make hope real in communities. At the Lab, we
guide participants through key Harwood
Institute ideas, frameworks and tools that
we’ve developed over the years, and which
people will take back home to accelerate their
own efforts to create change and hope. But, no
matter the topic, what is always present in the
room is a set of personal questions people
bring with them to the
Lab , questions that sit in the back of
their minds waiting to be answered. These are
questions that each of us hope to answer.
It is only over the last 20 years that
these questions have come into sharp focus for
me. There are of five of them in all, each one
speaking to us as individuals, to our souls and
hearts, to our appetites to make the world a
better place. Listen to these questions as you
read them to yourself, and see how they sit
with you, what they summon
...continue reading
-
Trumping the "Race Card"
The
news cycle the past few days has been dominated
by the Clinton and Obama camps
arguing over race and its role in this campaign
and America ’s
history. All of this
upheaval and consternation comes as MLK Day
comes upon us. What are we to make
of this? Where does this growing feud lead us?
I
have written here before about race, racism,
and race relations. I do so today
knowing that whatever I say could easily be
twisted or misconstrued. That’s the
risk we all take when writing about important
and deeply emotional issues. But
something must be said.
Some
argue that Senator Clinton has injected race
into the campaign solely for
political gain. Meanwhile, some writers and
pundits have suggested that Barack
Obama has studiously avoided talking about race
so he might transcend race, or
make himself more acceptable to whites. Indeed,
in last Sunday's Washington
Post article , David Greenberg wrote:
“Obama – whose strongest appeal has
thus far been
...continue reading
-
Candidates: Make the Ask
As the presidential primaries
roll on, there is an opening
that the candidates must now seize. The
candidates have people's attention and have
heightened our sense of possibility for
changing the tone and direction of
politics and public life. But there's a
critical step they must take: to ask
individuals Americans to step forward and be
part of the change in America .
We all remember after 9/11
when President Bush had the
chance to ask people to engage in new ways, he
told Americans to go
shopping. Perhaps
that plea helped push
the economy ahead. But what it didn't do was to
galvanize Americans to work
together in communities or to consider new
policy options such as a bold energy
program that might have asked changes of each
American. The window of
possibility opened, only to slam shut.
Now, the presidential
candidates have discovered that "hope"
is the coin of realm and that "change" is
required. Campaigns have a way of
dressing up ideas,
...continue reading
-
Iowa: A Call for Change
No matter who wins the nominations, the message
out of the Iowa Caucuses is
clear, strong and unmistakable. It is a
call to bring about change and
hope in America
. The call for change and to make hope
real have long been cornerstones of our work at
The
Harwood Institute. That is why a few months ago
I wrote, Make Hope Real .The
essay,
helps each of us think about how we can do the
work that must be done within
our communities to create the kind of change we
want.
It is why we
established an alliance with the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting to help
public broadcasters nationwide innovate new
ways to strengthen the civic health
of communities through their work.
It is why
we have been developing new boundary spanning
organizations to bring people
together across dividing lines, incubate new
ideas, and hold up a mirror so we
can see our shared realities and take
common action.
It is why
we have been working in communities across the
...continue reading
-
Who Do You Want to Be in a Year?
Creating change requires that we ask and answer
two questions: who are
we and who do we want to become. As this
year comes to a close, ask
yourself: Who do I want to be in a
year?
-
Now what, Oprah?
The crowds have been
incredible and the speeches melodic and
beautiful. You can feel movement in the
electorate. I admire Oprah's sense of
clarity and conviction about the state of
politics and the possibility for us to
change our nation's course. But the question I
am aching to ask is, "Now what,
Oprah?" If I could speak to Oprah, here's what
I'd say. Oprah:
You have
stirred the pot in the nation in a really good
way.
People are talking, and about things that
matter in our public lives, not just
our individual private lives. Whether or not
people follow you in support of
Senator Barack Obama is still unknown; but it
is clear that you have people's
attention about politics and public life.
I can remember
no other moment like this in my lifetime. I
urge you to seize this moment.
I wish for you
to announce that you will dedicate the next
handful of days and the months to follow
focusing attention on how we, as
Americans, can change the
...continue reading
-
How Public Broadcasting can better serve the public good - and you too
I want to give you an update on
our collaboration with the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting,
which is producing some really promising
results for public broadcasters
seeking to improve their community’s civic
health through their work and deepen
their own local significance. The good news:
this work holds important insights
for any potential boundary spanning
organization in any community. Here’s
why. Last week my colleagues and I met in
Las
Vegas with the 12 public
television and
radio stations we’ve been innovating with
since the beginning of the year. It
was our third workspace with these stations,
and our work will extend through
2008. We’ve been working with CEOs, station
managers, producers, community
engagement directors, and others to apply
Harwood ideas, frameworks, and tools
to their own context. As you know, no one size
fits all!
One of the most
exciting parts of the Vegas session was when
each station took time to draw a picture of
...continue reading
-
Can you hear the bells?
While in upstate New York last
weekend, I saw a news article that said
the Salvation Army was in need of more people
to ring bells at their ubiquitous
Red Kettle holiday fund drives. For me, when I
see those Red Kettles and hear
the bells, I feel a strong calling to step
forward. Even more, I am absolutely smitten
by the Salvation Army's tagline: "Do the Most
Good." But what exactly are each of
us called to do? During the
holiday season, some see a need in the
community
– such as those without winter coats or heating
or holiday meals – and feel
compelled to help out. And so we give to a
variety of charities. Our donations
are vital to help ease the immediate pain
of others .
Still, I’ve said many
times that while charity is necessary,
we ought not to be lulled into thinking that it
is sufficient. So much of what
we need to do in society demands "change," not
simply charity. Change, so that
hunger is defeated and not
simply placated with stop gap
...continue reading
-
Where are you headed?
Over the
years I have come to love Thanksgiving as a
time to
be with family, watch some football and, this
year, enjoy my mom’s incredible
home cooking again! But it is also a time that
causes me to pause and think
about where I am headed and why, and if
that’s where I want to go. How about
you, where are you headed on this
Thanksgiving?
I know many of
us are racing to finish up our work and get
ready for the holiday. But will this
Thanksgiving be as meaningful as we want
it to be? Here’s an easy way to get centered
this year: find a pen, take a few
minutes, and answer the following
questions:
What
three things are you most thankful for on
this Thanksgiving and why? If you
could give thanks to just three people,
who would be they and what would
you say? If
there is a central insight or message for
you from your first two answers
- something you could use in your daily
life - what would it be?
I ask these
...continue reading
-
Regarding the Pain of Others
Maybe this topic will be a bit
off-putting, maybe at first
it will seem irrelevant to you and your work,
but I urge you to read on.
Please, read on. My concern here is that in
communities large and small people have
slowly disconnected themselves from the pain of
others. Such pain is easy to
ignore, to skate over, to disregard. It is too
easy to say that we know about it
by pointing to the onslaught of daily news and
claiming, "See, we do know!" But
what do we really see, and hear, and feel,
especially when so many of us are
hunkered down and have separated ourselves from
one another and from public
life?
In some ways we have
learned to manage the pain in society much
like a doctor allows a patient to self-medicate
with morphine. We see disasters
like Hurricane Katrina, and we reach for our
wallets and pocketbooks to write a
quick check, much like we would reach for more
morphine to deaden pain. Once we
write the check, we are allowed to believe that
the pain
...continue reading
-
Is This You?
I keep hearing from people that
they can feel overtaken by too
much “busyness” in their work and lives.
We’re all stretched and tired. Many of
us feel like we can never get enough done.
Recently, after speaking at a
Corporation for Public Broadcasting board
meeting, I was in a hurry myself,
rushing off to my next appointment. I went to
get my car from the parking
garage, but when I drove up to the ticket booth
I couldn’t find my wallet. I was
out of luck. Then a woman I had never met
before changed the course of my day.
Cars lined up behind me as
I frantically searched for my
wallet. Unable to find it, I started to gather
the few loose dollar bills and
coins littered across my car. Pushing the small
piles of money to the woman in
the ticket booth, it was clear that I was
short. I started to mumble something
when she stopped me, saying, “No problem,
I’ll pay the rest.” I looked up at
her and said, “What… are you sure?”
Smiling, she
...continue reading
-
Do You Have a "Deserving" Family?
This was my reaction
when listening to an ad on WFLR 96.7
FM—a Christian-contemporary station—while
driving from Detroit
to Battle Creek .
The ad began simply enough, asking listeners to
help support families unable to
meet their winter heating bills. It was
actually heart-warming. But then the ad
abruptly changed.
It went on to tell
listeners about WFLR’s holiday-season
partnership
with Aspen Heating and Cooling, and that each
listener was now invited to visit
the station’s web site (myflr.org) to
nominate “one deserving family” who would
become eligible to win a new furnace from the
good folks at Aspen. The web site
says, “Nominations are being accepted until
November 7, with the winning family
announced on November 14.”
Twice more I
heard this ad while in Michigan . And
with each subsequent airing,
my disbelief grew.
Since
when do we anonymously “nominate” poor
neighbors to receive such care? Is
this some
...continue reading
-
Dear Barack:
(Photo: David McNew/Getty
Images) Last week the Washington
Post ran a front page
story
that Americans may be too angry to
embrace your message of hope, and instead are
aching for a heated partisan campaign of
division and resentment. I think they’re
wrong. But I also believe that you and other
leaders who care about hope must be vigilant in
how you engage Americans on hope. It is too
easy to misstep here and for politics as usual
to triumph. Thus I’ve listed below five key
points for winning the public fight on hope.
Know that my concern here is not your election,
though I wish you luck; instead it is the task
of rebuilding hope in our land. One of the most
searing insights I have gained from my 20 years
of work across the country is the centrality of
hope in people’s lives – and also its
fragility. I say this after tirelessly seeking
new ways for individuals, organizations, and
communities to address social ills and act on
their
...continue reading
-
Why Do We Need Public Innovators?
Many people have written
about the talent deficit in the
non-profit and civic sector. Today, I want to
focus on one big part of it. While
the talent deficit is very real, maybe the most
pressing facet of it is our
lack of public
innovators . These civic change agents are
essential to helping
organizations and communities create change and
authentic hope. But we need many
more public innovators if we are to make the
progress we seek.
Consider the following
challenges and think about the kind
of person it will take to create meaningful
progress:
Recently,
my colleague John Creighton and
I completed a report for the Kettering
Foundation which found that many
organizations believe they cannot
undertake civic engagement and deliberation
efforts because they lack the staff
capacity and know-how to design,
implement and follow-up such efforts. The
work is hard to do and do well.
In
their new book, Come
...continue reading
-
What Would Lincoln Say Tonight?
Today’s Republican debate is a vital test to
see whether any
candidate is willing to authentically engage
voters – to step forward and speak
to us honestly. Just over a week ago the
top-tier Republican candidates skipped
the Morgan State/PBS debate focused on African
American and Latino concerns. I
have returned to issues surrounding the
Morgan State
debate because I believe it offers a crucial
lens through which to view the
candidates early in this campaign. Weary
of the acrimonious and divisive nature of
politics and
the lack of adequate progress on a host of
issues, people yearn for leaders who
can pull us together, get things moving in a
positive direction, and engage
with the realities of our lives—we are
searching for a “new breed of
leader.” I wrote about a “new breed
of leader” in my essay, Make Hope
Real .
Unlike many of the “outsider”
leaders who
emerged in the 1990s and spoke about a hostile
takeover of government,
disparaged
...continue reading
-
Would Lincoln Have Gone?
Last week a stunning event occurred: Republican
presidential candidates were invited to
Morgan State
University ,
a
historically black university, by Tavis Smiley
and PBS for a live debate, where
the Party of Lincoln could muster only the
bottom tier candidates to show.
Missing in action were Mitt Romney, John
McCain, Fred Thompson, and Rudy
Giuliani. You can bet that if Abraham Lincoln
were alive, he would have made
it. I write to neither
support Democrats nor undercut Republicans, but
to shine a bright light on the
need for authenticity and hope in public life
and politics. People have had
enough of acrimonious and divisive politics and
now yearn to find ways back
into the public square. Authenticity and hope
are essential for any candidate who
seeks to reconnect and re-engage with Americans
and cut through prevailing conditions
in society to foster a new can-do spirit. To engender
authenticity and hope requires candidates to
step forward and show their face.
...continue reading
-
Planned Serendipity
The emergence of change is
truly inspiring to watch. It
takes the right conditions and the right people
to ignite and sustain something
real and in Central
Texas signs of change are
emerging.
I went to
Austin , last
week
to give a keynote speech at a luncheon put on
by the United Way
and St.
David's Community Health Foundation that
attracted nearly 600 people
from the 10 counties of Central Texas .
Unbeknownst to me the event was named the
“Harwood Summit” and served to kick
off their Community Engagement
Initiative.
What’s so
compelling to me about this is that neither I
nor
my staff had anything to do with it– at least
not directly. Debbie Bresette
serves as Executive Vice President of
United
Way and attended
the 2006 Public Innovators Lab.
After returning to Austin she took it upon
herself to become the pied piper of our ideas,
frameworks and tools, seeking
out and engaging fellow staff and community
members in a meaningful
...continue reading
-
9/11 and A Way Forward
Last year on
9/11 I wrote about my good friend and college
roommate Frank, who died in the World
Trade
Center ,
where he worked for Canter, Fitzgerald, some
one-hundred stories up. I said then
that I didn't want to talk about the condition
of public life and politics; I had
simply wanted to wonder aloud about him. Today,
one year later, I can't stop
thinking about where we have come.
Another year
has not taken away the sting of Frank's death.
Maybe part of that reality for me is that we
find ourselves increasingly mired in
a war in Iraq .
With each passing day, I understand this war
less.
As I travel across the
country, especially when I am in
airports, I find myself staring at soldiers in
their green fatigues and heavy boots.
I wonder where they are going; what will meet
them wherever they arrive. I
cannot help but cringe when I consider their
fate; that one day their parents
or some other loved one may receive a visit at
the front door
...continue reading
-
The Day after Labor Day Plea
On
the heels of this Labor Day, I have a plea: as
leaders and public innovators I wish for each
of us to consider the meaning of our own
humanity in our work. I’m not talking about
how to create more connections or connectivity
in society; nor is this about how to build more
social capital or get more people together in
your community. Instead, I am appealing
directly to you and others we work with. I know
that making this plea may sound silly or
vacuous or simply obvious. Well actually it is
obvious and that’s all the more reason to
talk about it. A little more than a
week ago we held our second Annual Public
Innovators Summit. About fifty public
innovators and leaders spent three days talking
about issues that often are in the back of our
minds but which require our full attention.
Much like things you’ve probably been
involved in this conversation was amazing to
watch unfold. People moved from being
professionals in the grip of their work to
telling stories about their
...continue reading
-
Michael Vick's Dog Days
Maybe
the Michael Vick story is striking such a rich
vein in American life because it holds up a
mirror of reality to us and we're not sure what
we see or feel. For many of us, the
first response to hearing about Vick's
involvement in dog fighting and his sundry
repulsive acts was outrage. How could anyone
commit such heinous acts? One can only hope I
am asking a mere rhetorical question here, but
we all know I'm not. Just take the three young
people recently gunned down execution style in
Newark, NJ. Such matters reflect a side to our
society that many of us feel unable to change.
So, many of us retreat from public life and
turn inward where we try to gain some semblance
of control over our lives. There's the
issue of Vick's contract as well. Tell me how
anyone could be worth a $137 million to play
professional football? It makes me think about
what Tom Cruise gets paid per movie or to try
and understand Paris Hilton's notoriety. The
extent to which sports figures and
...continue reading
-
Independent Minds
Just this week we witnessed the
phenomenal product launch of the new iPhone.
Americans of all ages
waited in long lines to claim the first
offering of these hot consumer
products. These gadgets will purportedly
produce a transformative leap
in people’s ability to connect with one
another. At first glance one
might view these purchases as just another
example of consumerism run
amuck.
Meanwhile, the daily calls continue from
all corners for an end to
the American occupation of Iraq. President Bush
views such calls as a
“Cut and Run” mentality. His opponents say
it’s time for our troops to
come home. And yet, no matter the bumper
sticker slogan one chooses to
sum up their own heart-felt point-of-view, the
reality of war and
terrorism and global mistrust was front page
news yet again this week
when terrorists in London sought to destroy
innocent lives. News from
Scotland the following day only reinforced all
our fears. This
past Sunday the top story in
...continue reading
-
Readers Respond: Authenticity and Presidential Candidates
I want to respond to a number of
interesting comments from readers about my last
blog on authenticity and presidential
candidates. It hit a nerve and for good reason:
the rash of challenges we face today – from
the war in Iraq to the Katrina aftermath to
immigration – call for leaders people trust.
Authenticity sits at the heart of this
challenge. One reader wrote
me: This is one of the very few times
when I’m not certain you’re on target.
Krugman, if I understood him, was talking
mostly about the news media and about the
phony, superficial way that ‘authenticity’
is determined by the columnists, commentators,
and talking heads of our time. And how they get
bamboozled by image makers or fall into group
think about the most nonsensical things while
missing the big picture. Yes, I agree,
Krugman is upset about how political reporting
is done and the extent to which reporters, as
you say, get bamboozled and fail to see
candidates for who they are as opposed to who
they
...continue reading
-
Authenticity and Our Presidential Candidates
What does “authenticity” mean in the
current presidential race and for that matter
in public life in general? Not much, according
to Paul Krugman in his scathing op-ed column,
Authentic?
Never Mind , in yesterday’s New York
Times . Too bad he’s wrong.
Krugman rips those who would argue that
authenticity has a place in today’s public
discourse. People, he says, should instead use
as a gauge the policy proposals a leader puts
forth and the motives behind those offerings.
It’s the only real way to judge a
candidate. But authenticity is central
to how we see and judge presidential
candidates, presidents themselves, public
innovators, and how others in public life
conduct themselves. Authenticity goes hand in
hand with two other “A’s” I often write
and speak about – namely, authority and
accountability. I’m especially
interested in how the 3A’s can inform and
guide our own words and deeds, rather than to
use them in judging others. Far too much time
is
...continue reading
-
The Skidmore Challenge
This past week I spent an amazing three
days at my 25th college reunion.
(I know I’m getting old.) At the same time I
have been reading David
Halberstam’s bestseller, The Best and the
Brightest. What do these two things
have to do with each other?
Everything!
While at Skidmore College I gave a talk about
the conditions of public life and
politics. During the Q&A, my fellow
graduates focused a great deal on how so
many of us are now overwhelmed by the avalanche
of unfiltered news, a lack of
trust in political leaders and the belief that
few good ones are on the horizon,
and a nagging worry about how change can be
created when so many of us are
focused inwardly on our own needs.
Meanwhile, The Best and the Brightest is a
story of a group of people who
believed that they knew answers to the tough
questions of their day. But the
tale reminds us that no one individual, or
group of self-selected individuals,
has a lock on the vision or the knowledge
necessary
...continue reading
-
The Flag - A Memorial Day Message
On this Memorial Day, the assembly of little
flags in the photo below reminds me of fallen
American men and women who have given their
life in the name of our country. Each flag
could be a person, limp and alone; and yet, the
stars and stripes remain strong and bold,
reminding us of an enduring
journey. photo
by Ernest Morin (click on the photo for
additional
photos)
On this Memorial Day,
what comes to your mind when you see our flag,
the American flag? During this extended
weekend, each of us will
encounter the Red, White & Blue. When we
see it, what will we make
of it?
Remember the old game some of us once played as
kids, “Capture the
flag”? Since September 11, it can seem that
the flag has been captured
by those who believe they hold the truth about
patriotism; many may
even believe they have received Devine
inspiration about this truth.
But look up patriotism in the dictionary
...continue reading
-
What space should Public Broadcasting occupy in the community?
Guest Blogger, Brenda Barnes,
President, KUSC, Los Angeles, CA
There are foundational documents which include
statements of
aspiration for public broadcasting (the first
Carnegie Commission report
for example) that are still relevant today, but
which we do not yet meet
because the initial aspirations were so high.
The large, decentralized
network of radio and television stations we
have created is much better
positioned now than in the 1960s to meet the
aspirations of our
founding mothers and fathers. Therefore, I
think we need to review
those aspirations and evaluate our own
communities and stations and
determine how best to chart a course for the
present and future.
We also need to be mindful that part of our
agenda is local and distinct
and part is common and national. We will work
most efficiently and
effectively if we know the difference between
the local and the
universal parts of the agenda and operate
accordingly.
...continue reading
-
The spreading of Wall-Mart
In many communities a heated debate rages about
whether to welcome
a new Wal-Mart to town. But there’s another
Wall -Mart we should
be debating. It’s the marketing of Walls to
keep people different from
ourselves out. These Walls can be seen from
Israel to the US-Mexican
border to your nearest gated community to now
Iraq.
What is it about Walls? People have used them
throughout history to
keep others out. They can make us feel safe;
they can even produce
safety. Look at Israel’s Wall in the West
Bank. Suicide bombings and
other forms of attacks are reportedly way down
since its construction.
Just this morning I heard on National Public
Radio that American soldiers
have started building a Wall late at night in a
besieged Sunni
neighborhood. The Prime Minister of Iraq now
says he wants the
Americans to
stop. According to NPR, people in the
neighborhood don’t want to
be “caged in.”
During a recent speech a gentleman asked me
whether the
...continue reading
-
The antidote to today's news
The last seven days have made a week to
remember. We started off with
Imus in the Morning, abruptly returned to the
Duke rape case, and now
find ourselves facing the unimaginable tragedy
at Virginia Tech.
Meanwhile, troubling scenes from Iraq and
Afghanistan of U.S. soldiers
(and locals) being maimed and killed, only
escalate. All this activity
makes one wonder if we have momentarily lost
our senses.
• Could it be true, for instance, that a
relatively silent but corrosive
racism lingers just beneath the surface of
society – and that it exists to a
much greater extent than we are willing to
admit or deal with?
• How was it that a popularly-elected
district attorney could hijack a case
that put three college-aged kids through hell,
while much of society stood
by and cheered him on, reflexively assuming the
students were guilty?
• How many U.S. soldiers must die – and how
many Iraqi and Afghan
people must perish – before there is an open
and
...continue reading
-
The painted desk and our charity
I have a visceral negative reaction when I hear
about “charity” these
days. I’m not sure my reaction is either
healthy or wise, but then again it
keeps coming up. I can’t seem to escape it as
I travel the country.
Maybe someone can set me straight.
Think about the following:
• When I brought my daughter to visit
colleges this past week, all the
schools talked about “service.” Indeed, at
one university, the tour guide
proudly proclaimed that a few “needy
students” are brought to the
campus green every year to paint their desks
with the help of college
students. She beamed when telling us how great
her fellow co-eds feel
about the experience.
• I am running into more and more people who
have taken or plan to
send their kids to Costa Rica (or some other
destination) to build housing
for the poor.
• During my recent visit to New Orleans, I
was taken aback by the sheer
size of that community’s challenge and yet
how long it takes
...continue reading
-
Innate goodness of people
Among the key ideas I find myself emphasizing
as I travel the country is
the following: I believe people are born with
innate goodness and they
are in search of ways to express it –
especially nowadays. This may
seem like either pure pablum to some people or
obvious to others. But
in my travels, neither is true.
Indeed, when I remind people of this notion –
when I voice it
publicly – their faces quickly show a
sign of relief and possibility.
What I am not suggesting is that evil or bad
things don’t exist; we all
know they do. But so too does our innate
goodness.
Of course, this goodness is seen clearly and
convincingly from time-to-
time when we are called to respond to a major
crisis like Hurricane
Katrina, or when we witness it in our
individual private lives.
But in public life the notion of innate
goodness is too often missing or
even belittled. It has been crowded out by the
acrimony and divisiveness
thrust upon us; by a politics which
...continue reading
-
The Edwards Situation
John and Elizabeth Edwards have tapped into and
stirred up an important
conversation. It’s about politics, but much
more, too.
We Americans are thirsty for authentic leaders.
So many of us are tired
of the
false hope and silly bravado of many national
figures. Our presidential
candidates
are packaged through and through, so much to
the point that they
endlessly try to
find ways to make their campaigns more human
and believable. But
these efforts
can further distance the candidates from us
when they seem
manipulative, which
many do.
So, last week, the Edwards announced the
recurrence of cancer in
Elizabeth. There
they stood at the Carolina Inn, a place I
visited just a couple of months
ago,
taking questions from a large news media
contingent. I suspect many
people may
have asked, Is this simply a made-up media
event? Are they gently
trying to
manipulate their personal story to win votes?
Such questions may make us uncomfortable.
...continue reading
-
Thoughts from New Orleans
How is it, I wondered, that we could leave a
city in such utter despair
and destruction – and for so long? This past
week, I traveled to New
Orleans for a Hands On Network conference and
took two hours to
quietly ride through the city. Not too long ago
the phrase “shock and
awe” was used so cavalierly to describe our
military prowess in Iraq; in
New Orleans (and perhaps other parts of the
Gulf Coast) that phrase
applies, too, but only to describe what
remains.
What I came to know through news accounts
failed to prepare me
for what I encountered in person. In some
areas, the destruction goes on
for block after block. Many homes are about to
literally fall down. Boards
have been ripped off their frames; windows and
doors are gone. Parts of
New Orleans are unfathomable ghost towns. Many
owners have put their
homes up for sale; but who among us would buy
these homes?
On occasion you will find a rebuilt house
amid the rubble. From time
to time, I could
...continue reading
-
"The Relevancy Challenge"
I spent almost all of last week talking about
what it meant for
organizations to
be “relevant” in today’s changing
society. On one day alone I met with
five
different national organizations on this very
challenge. On the face of it,
the
relevancy challenge sounds like it should be an
easy one to meet. But it’s
not. And
yet, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Why does the relevancy question even come up?
Here’s some of what I
hear:
• Some organizations
know they’re losing or have lost
their standing in
communities; they are in search of what it
means to be “essential”;
•Others have burst onto the
civic scene, having gained
local or national
attention, and now wonder how to fulfill rising
expectations and still
maintain their
relevance;
•Still other organizations
find themselves somewhat
outdated and even
calcified; they want to respond to changing
conditions around
...continue reading
-
Finding the 'Sweet Spot'
Increasingly, as I travel the country, I find
myself talking about
the “sweet spot of public life” – how we
can take action on specific issues
and build community at the same time. This past
week was no different. I
spent two days with 40 leaders of local
collaboratives in Newark, NJ,
good people who are urgently focused on
strengthening families and
children.
The challenges in Newark (and Essex County) are
tough, long-standing,
often depressing – but doable. In these
communities, people often feel
that no one speaks for or listens to them.
Finding sustainable pathways
for improving their local conditions can be
hard. People worry that they
are being left behind. Truth be told, many
people are falling through the
cracks.
The collaboratives sit at two critical nexus
points in relationship to these
challenges. They work among people in
neighborhoods trying to create
change; and they sit in-between “official”
city structures and the local
...continue reading
-
On this President's Day
On this President’s
Day, who is your favorite president? Take a
moment to think about that
and then write back so we can all see. For me,
it’s Abraham Lincoln –
hands down.
Of course, there have
been many U.S.
presidents I admire.
And there have been some I could do without.
How about you?
Lincoln , for
me, was the most special. Yes, one can cite
chapter and verse his
leadership during the Civil War, the
Emancipation Proclamation, and the
Gettysburg Address not to mention other
achievements.
But what emerges
most for me is his personal strength in the
face of enormous adversity –
and I don’t just mean the Civil War. Indeed,
his story, as we all know,
was not one of an easy journey. History books
tell us that he suffered
some kind of melancholy; he had to weather the
storm of his child’s
death while in The White House; he lost
multiple elections before getting
to The White House; he barely
...continue reading
-
Time for self-reflection
The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation
is a 4 day journey of personal discovery, new
organizational structure for engagement and
aspirations for community involvement and
hope.
The workshop was inspirational and had
concrete tools to help us move our communities
to a much better place.
One of the many kernals of thought that has
taken root during this time is the challenge
for those of us working in larger organizations
to identify key "boundary" spanning groups who
can share a vision of community and work
together with others for common goals.
The ideas, tools, aspirations, and group
commitment will help me help others reach our
goals.
Debbie Bresette, Guest Blogger
-
Lab thoughts
I have often wondered what it would be like if
we were all moving in one direction, now I
know. Brenda Dizon, Guest Blogger
-
How does one convey to a broader audience the potential that exists in the public library to transform community?
How does one convey to a broader audience the
potential that exists in the public library to
transform community? This probably sounds
at first like a pretty big assumption for what
many people still see as a rather passive
institution. But stop to consider the
library's assets. Public libraries tend
to be institutions that are trusted. This
is huge in today's world where there is a
tendency to question the motives and intent of
private and public institutions. The
library has been able to retain this trust in
part because it has been able to preserve its
heritage of providing service that is very
individualized. At the same time it has
adopted technologies that enable it to reach a
wider mass audience. It's not uncommon
for libraries to boast of the fact that more
people pass through their doors than many of
the most high profile events in their community
combined. Libraries tend to be places
that all aspects of the community visit on a
...continue reading
-
How will online and other electronic commuications impact the capacity of civic life?
In thinking about electronic forms of
communication and the implications for civic
life, it is important to think about the
socialization patterns of today's youth, human
development, and the function of
community. First of all, today's youth is
very different from times past. Where
back yard games were once played out with the
negotiation of rules and the determination of
who was safe and who was out decided by one's
peers, we now have organized leagues controlled
by some form of adult authority. In truth,
children are rarely unsupervised these days.
They need day timers to keep track of their
schedules and no schedule is made without
parental involvement and the guarantee of adult
supervision. Whether it is soccer moms or
football dads, parents are out there or at
least making sure that someone is out there
providing "proper" supervision. This
means that the determination of who's out and
the rules of play are no longer negotiated
between peers.
...continue reading
-
Prisoner of Hope: Notes from a Would-be Library Innovator
Since my childhood there has always been an
impalpable but very real tether binding me to
libraries. Though I read often and widely as a
child, it was not so much the books, but the
physical space that libraries offered—a
Bermuda Triangle for the mind of sorts, where
readers could unapologetically get swept up in
stories and daydreams—that compelled me. I
remember my grandmother and I making weekly
pilgrimages to the public library. The rows and
rows of volumes seemed infinite and in my
frustration with the improbability of ever
being able to read them all, I would sometimes
walk along the shelves lightly toughing the
spine of each book as if comprehension could
occur simply through osmosis. Every week I read
a book that made me want to be something
different when I grew up, one week a detective,
the next week a fashion designer. In the
library I could read about and try on so many
lives.
The library offered a space for dreaming and
for learning how to make those dreams come
...continue reading
-
10 questions for public innovators
Are you a public innovator? If you’re reading
this, I suspect you are. And I
want to engage you on 10 questions I hear from
public innovators repeatedly. I’m
sending these questions to you just one week
before the next Harwood Public
Innovators Lab, which we sold out! See what
these questions spur in you and
write back. 1. How can I position my organization so that
it not only provides worthy
services or programs, but is catalytic and
creates systemic change in the community? 2. How can I genuinely engage other people to
see why I’m pursing the path that
I am in my work – and when do I decide to
keep moving forward despite their
resistance? 3. How do I move my organization or group to
focus on the tough, underlying
questions at hand rather than to reach for the
easy answers? And how do I avoid
watering down our mission? 4. How do I keep our efforts aligned with the
reality of our capacity, so that
we have a chance to achieve results, and avoid
doing things
...continue reading
-
What we owe our people in uniform
I can’t get the pictures from Iraq out of my
mind – soldiers who will never come
home, others with multiple missing limbs and
ingrained psychological trauma.
Now, amid the rising hot air of the 2008
presidential campaign, a moment of
sanity last week when U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel
(R-Neb.) implored his Senate
colleagues to “step up” and confront the
Iraq issue squarely. “We owe it to
those men and women that we send into that
grinder,” he said. Hagel asks nothing short of accounting for our
own views, to me the most basic
of public acts we must do in public life. In an
impassioned two-minute plea, he
asked his colleagues: “What do you
believe?” “What are you willing to
support?”
“What do you think?” I do not know questions any more fundamental
than these. After all, it is the
answers to such questions that reflect our
deepest values and expectations; such
questions prompt and prod us to reveal our own
logic and take stock of our own
heart. We can
...continue reading
-
Your State of the Union speech
Tomorrow night the president will stride into
the House chamber to deliver a
challenging State of the Union speech, which
could easily be dead on arrival or
so soft-peddled it goes flat. But what if you
were to deliver the speech – what
would be your main talking points? Let’s
create the citizen state of the union
speech! I ask this because I’m wondering what people
really want to hear – that is, how
people want to be engaged? It’s clear that
people want less rancor and
partisanship in public life and politics;
it’s also quite clear that there are
tough issues before us. Honest to God, the recent rhetoric around
“let’s all get along” turns my
stomach. It’s the polar opposite of the silly
bravado and testosterone-driven
shenanigans we’ve seen for all-too-long. Now,
instead, we run the risk of false
passivity, a kind of wolf in lamb’s clothing
that will rise up to bite us all in
the rear just when we’ve been told change was
in the offing. I’ve
...continue reading
-
The Drum Major Instinct
"The Drum Major Instinct" is one of my favorite
Martin Luther King, Jr. sermons.
It asks, “What does it mean to step forward
to lead and serve?” This is
especially important for any of us with a
burning desire to create change in our
society. So, what is the nature of your own path? It's no accident that I waited until the day
after official events ended to
write about MLK. I often worry about national
celebrations like MLK Day – the
hoopla, the commentary, the speechifying, the
parades. I suppose that's how
things in mass culture unfold. But amid all the activity I was reminded of The
Drum Major Instinct, the beloved
sermon about our own desire to be in front of
the parade, to lead, to be
recognized. I found myself gravitating toward
it all weekend. So, I reached for
the sermon and re-read it, yet again, much like
I would read a familiar prayer,
once more, able to find new meaning as I
recited the words, as if for the first
time. I have selected a few lines
...continue reading
-
In Memoriam: Cole Campbell
This weekend I heard the news that Cole
Campbell, dean of the school of
journalism at University of Nevada, Reno, was
killed Friday when his car
overturned on an icy road. Every once in a
while you realize we’ve lost someone
special who made a true impression on the
world, someone who will be remembered
for years to come. Cole was such an individual.
He was a good friend. During the 1990s when the newspaper industry
heard the call to change its ways,
Cole was at the forefront of change. I worked
with him during his leadership at
the Virginian Pilot and St. Louis
Post-Dispatch . Some people are
smart; he was brilliant. He always ran to
embrace the toughest issues – such as
the nexus between the role of newspapers and
civic health; between the noble
traditions of journalism and their applications
to Web 2.0; between ethics and
winning.
Recently I was on a panel at the National
Archives which Cole moderated. No one
I know could cut through the maze of chatter
and
...continue reading
-
The best damn advertisement
On Sunday, The
Washington Post
highlighted a great public school
superintendent, someone I want
everyone to know. I can’t take credit for
anything Jack Dale of Fairfax
County, VA has done, but I’m sure glad he’s
a Harwood Public Innovators
Lab Alum. Here’s what I mean.
Fairfax County is one of the biggest school
districts in all of
America – with 164,000 students, 187 schools,
and a $2.1 billion annual
budget, according to The Post . It’s a
humdinger of a district:
it’s huge, very diverse, with lots of vocal
parents and competing
interest groups. No move by the superintendent
goes unnoticed.
So, consider those daunting numbers and
politics for just a moment. Then consider the
picture The Post ran with the article
about Jack. If a picture is worth a thousand
words, then all you need to see is this one.
Upon first glancing at the picture, which is
of people in a
classroom, I couldn’t really tell who the
article was about. First my
eye wandered
...continue reading
-
MyCivicSpace – please no!
“MyCivicSpace”…you have to admit
there’s a nice ring to it. It gives rise to
the potential that you, me, and anyone else can
create a civic space and own it; we can
even customize it to reflect our own personal
whims. Makes sense given the times we live in.
We have been conditioned to believe that each
of us should get what we want, when we want it.
But is the idea of MyCivicSpace what we really
want – or need? When I talk with people in communities across
the country they express a deep urge to create
more connectedness and sense of community in
our society. Too many of us are fragmented and
isolated from one another. So much of what
needs to be done to improve our individual and
common lives, requires a collective response
(e.g., strengthening public schools or
improving safety). But for every time someone raises this point,
notions of MySpace, FaceBook, and made-to-order
Starbucks drinks are invoked. The underlying
belief: our response to current conditions must
be
...continue reading
-
Listen to the voice from Iowa
This past weekend, as I drove up to my house,
there on the radio was Iowa Governor Tom
Vilsack being interviewed on ABC’s This
Week with George Stephanopoulos. I put the
car into park and didn’t move for the next
five minutes. Vilsack is the first Democrat to
announce his candidacy for U.S. president. His
voice is refreshing – and needed. Listen to him and you hear someone who is not
so polished and practiced that you’re
wondering what he just told you or whether he
believes it. Nor does he pretend to be the
“anti-politician” from outside Washington,
D.C. – with all the usual blustery rhetoric,
finger-pointing, and tough talk. Instead, look at his announcement speech and
you will find phrases and words such as “let
us face the facts” and “let us speak
truth” and “that is why I am here today.”
He is plainspoken, but not offering up simple
solutions. Nor is he simply interested in tilting at
windmills. Acknowledging his standing in what
will be a crowded
...continue reading
-
An oxymoron
The Catholic Worker Movement and the World
Bank, now there’s a combination; no, really,
I mean it! In fact, I just finished two books
about them and they prompt me to share some
reflections about change. See what you think. The World’s Banker: A Story of Failed
States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and
Poverty of Nations , by Sebastian Mallaby,
explores the rise of the larger-than-life bank
president Jim Wolfensohn and the bank’s
evolving approaches to development. Oh boy,
this book is a good read and his presidency
(which began in 1995 and ended recently) was
quite a ride! Wolfensohn sought to turn the bank’s
operations on its head – placing much greater
emphasis on poverty reduction, routing out
corruption, environmental concerns, and having
more “country ownership” over development.
But his efforts were often hamstrung, sometimes
by resistance within the bank itself, other
times by topsy-turvy external conditions, and
still other times by plans that were too
...continue reading
-
The sneak preview of the American mood
It’s been nearly a week since the mid-term
elections. What can we now say about the public
mood and the opportunities that lie ahead for
forging a different path in public life and
politics? Later today, I will participate in a roundtable
at the National Archives sponsored by the
Kettering Foundation and the presidential
libraries on “Democracy’s Challenge:
Reclaiming the Public’s Role”; then, this
Wednesday, I will host a teleconference on the
meaning of the election for public innovators.
What shall I say at these events? For starters, we must know that this election
was a long time coming; it didn’t just happen
and we shouldn’t be surprised. People have
held deep and profound anger about the state of
American public life and politics for years;
and that anger has been coupled with a sense of
resignation – that people could not affect
change. This was, in part, the topic of my
recent book, Hope Unraveled: The People’s
Retreat and Our Way Back . Then a series of
...continue reading
-
Election day hubris?
Today, news of the impending “Democratic
wave” – a big nationwide electoral sweep
– surrounds us. But if this victory comes,
what will it mean? My biggest fear, and
greatest hope, is that Election Day hubris
isn’t the ultimate victor. Remember the 1994 mid-term elections when Newt
Gingrich swept into office with his Contract
with America? I wrote at the time (I believe
for MSNBC.com) that Gingrich had sorely misread
the American electorate. While people didn’t
like how President Clinton was governing the
country, they didn’t intend for Gingrich to
grab control of the steering wheel, change the
direction of the country 180 degrees, and floor
the accelerator. Soon enough, Gingrich would
learn this ugly lesson. I remember 2004 as well. The day after the
election I sat in a small conference room in
Madison, WI waiting to go on Wisconsin Public
Radio for post-election analysis; there I
watched President Bush give his post-Election
Day victory speech and claim a broad and
...continue reading
-
Man of the Year
The question was, “Should I laugh or be
bitter?” while I watched this past Saturday
Robin Williams new movie, Man of the
Year , in which he plays a Jon Stewart-type
character who runs for president. During one telling scene, two of Williams’
aides are found talking about why he’s done
so well with the electorate. One aide responds
by saying that candidates usually can’t be
heard during campaigns because they all sound
the same; Williams, he said was heard by people
because he genuinely sounded different. But what did he say? Williams’ character spoke the truth about big
money, special interests, silly ideas, and
misleading rhetoric. He came clean with himself
about his own motivations to run and ran
because he was willing to lose. Compare this to
our current election cycle. Oh yes, I know,
many of you are delighted the Democrats might
win big on Election Day, while others are
concerned about just what that victory might
bring. But Williams’ movie is clear and
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back – Dateline Binghamton
When do you or I have a voice? Usually this
question comes up in relationship to public
officials – do they hear us? I’ve spent
much of my professional life addressing this
challenge. But today my hope is to address you
personally – can you hear your own voice? Wherever I go, this powerful and deeply
personal question emerges. Just last week when
I was visiting Binghamton, N.Y. a young student
at Broome Community College said that it
wasn’t until she took a recent debate class
that she ever truly felt she had a voice. She was trying to tell those of us in the room
something basic and important. It is the same
point I hear from older people who are
high-paid lawyers, stay-at-home moms and dads,
non-profit chiefs, and many others. They each
say something similar – something very
personal. What does it mean to have a voice – at work,
in the public realm, with others? Is this
challenge we each face simply about gaining
power; for instance, is it something you can
secure by
...continue reading
-
The Mark Foley affair
I came to work today not wanting to write about
the Rep. Mark Foley scandal on Capitol Hill. I
didn’t want to simply vent over yet another
congressional brouhaha. But I find I must turn
my attention there. At the very time I am watching the Foley affair
unfold, I am reading a book on the meaning of
“beauty” – On Beauty and Being
Just , by Elaine Scarry. Wow! What a
contrast, or is it? The basic point of the book
is how something beautiful can help to engage
us in thinking about justice; in short, when we
come into contact with beauty, we are prompted
not only to enjoy that which is beautiful, but
also to recognize that which is not present or
remains to be done. But how about when we see ugliness? When we
peer into ugliness, when we come face-to-face
with it, what do we do then? As I watch politicians and pundits respond to
the Foley affair, I keep wondering, “How hard
is it to respond to this scandal?” Does every
issue demand a calculated political response?
Watch
...continue reading
-
A good voice
Hands-down this is my favorite time of year,
when the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur come around. The long services
are filled with moving melodies and highly
repetitive prayers that penetrate my every
being. It is a time for renewal, remembrance,
and atonement. Growing up in a small town in upstate New York,
there were very few Jews. One of my fondest
memories is of my dad serving as our temple’s
cantor when he wasn’t working his day job.
Each High Holy Day he would stand before the
congregation and his lovely heart-felt voice
would quietly emerge. Even after all these years, even as I attend my
own temple’s services here in Washington,
D.C., I can still hear his deeply moving voice.
I can still see his gentle leaning into each
note, seeking to locate just the right
intonation and feeling. He never seemed to try
and suggest a sense of sacredness; rather, in
those moments, he was sacred. I remember him giving of himself in such a way
that made me so
...continue reading
-
A deeply personal note
Frank, one of my best friends, worked for
Canter, Fitzgerald and was lost in the World
Trade Center Towers on 9/11. On this fifth
anniversary of that dreadful day, I wonder
where we are in our fight against terrorism and
in our aspirations to be a better people. But
most of all on this day, I keep wondering about
him. I met Frank during the first week of my
freshman year at Skidmore College. We were
eventual roommates, drinking buddies, tennis
partners, and political opponents during heated
arguments in Case Center over Leonard Silk’s
columns in The New York Times business
section. He introduced me to the music of the
inimitable Billie Holiday and others, too. Just under five years ago I was to speak at my
20th college reunion as my classmates and I
were set to dedicate a room in Palamountain
Hall to Frank. The day came and I just
couldn’t bring myself to go. I stayed home. Like all of us, I remember vividly where I was
when I learned of 9/11. I was at home that day
too, this
...continue reading
-
What Andre Agassi found
I don’t usually write about sports here, but
what the heck, I’m a crazy sports fan and I
simply can’t pass up shining a bright light
on Andre Agassi’s last moments at the U.S.
Open this weekend. He lost his match, but in
the end he won – big time. He found something
we all need. If you haven’t been following the U.S. Open,
this was to be Agassi’s last. Throughout
weekend TV coverage of the tournament, which by
the way takes place in Queens, N.Y. just across
from Shea Stadium (the home of my red hot N.Y.
Mets!), it was “All Agassi All-the-Time.”
Then, after he lost to Benjamin Becker, he took
to center court to say these few words to those
in Arthur Ashe Stadium and viewers at home: “The scorecard said I lost today, but
what it doesn’t say is what it is I have
found. And over the last 21 years, I have found
loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court
and also in life. I’ve found inspiration. You
have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my
lowest moments.
...continue reading
-
The empty Katrina moment
The face of the young child from the Gulf Coast
on the cover of this Sunday’s The New York
Times Magazine is haunting. The eight
year-old boy looks traumatized, alone, bereft.
Inside the A-section of the paper another
picture, this one of an animated marching band
in New Orleans, along with the caption,
“Spirit has returned to much of the city.” As I read the massive number of articles this
weekend on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
I was left with a decidedly mixed feeling –
perhaps more aptly said a decidedly empty one. Americans response to Hurricane Katrina broke
all records for charitable giving. That’s
simply amazing – more money than in response
to the Asian Tsunami; more even than in
response to 9/11. In the meantime, our
political leaders declared that we would make
the Gulf Coast our new battleground to fight
poverty, racism, inadequate schools, and other
social and political ills. Indeed, post-Katrina, it seemed that we had
made an implicit deal with
...continue reading
-
Lieberman shockwaves
Shockwaves from the Lieberman fallout continue.
Public officials, pundits, and pollsters keep
trying to predict the political meaning of the
public’s mood. We’ve been here before, they
got it wrong then, and I’m afraid they will
again. Political observers and handicappers can’t
control themselves in analyzing the
Lamont-Lieberman results. They tell us that the
Iraq war will be the defining issue in the 2006
mid-term elections; that an air of
anti-incumbency is sweeping across the nation;
and that politicians must now choose between a
politics of civility and a politics of
hard-edged partisanship if they are to win. What utter nonsense. Where have they been? Indeed, on Friday, Washington Post columnist
E.J. Dionne on National Public Radio said that
the only real reason political shockwaves are
moving through America nowadays is because of
people’s increasing disgust with the Iraq
war. No war, he said, no discussion of citizen
unrest! And yet, there have been a series of
...continue reading
-
Harnessing mass culture and civic life
If people often feel helpless to change mass
culture, can they change public life? I believe
they can. But we must first recognize that such
change will require that we take a decidedly
civic approach, and not merely mimic mass
culture, in order to gain people’s attention
and engagement. Last week in his blog, Peter Levine, a truly
gifted thinker, talked about the link between
what he called civic
engagement and culture . He surmised, based
on Tocqueville, that a heterogeneous mass
culture produces a healthy democracy. As he put
it, “truly engaged citizens produce diverse
cultural products.” Peter went on to say, “But it seems clear
that people feel powerless to change mass
culture; that feeling demonstrates the tension
between mass culture and democracy.” Indeed, as I noted in Open
for public business, too, so much of mass
culture today has actually become a
hyper-individualized culture. Throughout
society, we have created mechanisms and
opportunities for each of us to
...continue reading
-
Who can hear us?
Who can hear us? Here’s my new proposal: anyone who holds a
leadership position of any kind should have to
speak (let’s say, no less than three times a
year) before audiences they know disagree with
them, or are even hostile to their views.
I’ve been thinking about this idea for
awhile; but I was reminded of it again as I
watched President Bush speak before the annual
NAACP convention last week. For six long years the president refused to
make the trek to the NAACP podium. Indeed,
NAACP and White House officials have been
squabbling since day one of the administration.
Who knows exactly who or what started the
descent into disrespect? But the political
calculations worked out this year and the two
groups finally got together. Let’s face it many leaders do everything they
can to avoid audiences that hold opposing
views. Such venues can be uncomfortable. It’s
not unusual to hear leaders offer up contorted
and silly explanations for why they can’t
make an event. But
...continue reading
-
Open for public business, too
What if more and more of us went our own way in
public life to pursue our own personal agenda?
What if each of us was to find our own news,
only to forgo that which doesn’t resonate
with us? What if you and I began to see
ourselves primarily as individual consumers,
with little connection to one another? Crying wolf about such trends won’t cause any
of us to take notice or do anything. But
something is happening in our society that we
must know. In so many ways – some big, others
quite small and almost imperceptible – we are
moving to a new individualized society. Think
back just five years or so ago; our society is
a much different place. It is not merely that our society has tended to
commoditize everything, from charitable giving
to volunteer service to even selling naming
rights to public school buildings. It’s that
the very notion of aggregated consumers is
becoming a misnomer as well; we now live in a
“micro world” in which each of us acts as a
sovereign
...continue reading
-
The consciousness to innovate
“We as a community like to believe that we
are catalytic, but truth be told we are
sustaining the old (tried & true), therefore
impeding real change.” This comment was sent
to me by an individual at the Dade Community
Foundation (greater Miami area) during a Web
cast I led last week for community foundations
in the Knight Foundation communities. It’s not often that someone is so direct and
honest, let alone in a public setting. But it
does happen – and when it does, it’s worth
noting. It also reminds me of the recent
four-day Harwood Public Innovators Lab in
Baltimore. There, an individual turned to the
group and said, “I am not ruthlessly
strategic in my work.” He really wanted to
be, but he realized he wasn’t. Both of these comments deal with our own
consciousness about what we see and do. When I
hear people make statements like the one on the
Web cast or in Baltimore – or when I hear
myself make such statements – they aren’t
necessarily offered up sheepishly
...continue reading
-
31 billion reminders
I don’t know Warren Buffett, but his words
and actions this week are worth remembering,
and not merely because of his $31 billion gift
to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It’s true that $31 billion is a lot of money,
no matter how you cut it. And what’s more
Buffett didn’t give the money to a foundation
that bares his name (he did make much smaller
gifts to various family foundations). His sheer
generosity is breathtaking. But I am also struck by Buffett’s comments in
news accounts. Here are just some of his quotes
from a Washington
Post story on Tuesday : On a sense of
obligation: “We (those who have made money)
really owe it to society to give back.”
On turning to someone else to manage his
funds: “If you’re accumulating wealth,
it’s very natural to go to someone you know
can handle it better than you can.”
On other wealthy people following in his
footsteps: “I would hope they act now” and
that they “might pick up on this
model.” For me,
...continue reading
-
A charitable message
Wow! The news
today is that we Americans broke yet
another record last year in charitable giving
to disaster relief. I believe that such giving
demonstrates that we are a compassionate and
generous people. But charity alone will not
enable us to reach our aspirations or achieve
the society we all seek. And yet I fear that we are coming to believe
that charity is enough. My goal today is not to deride charity. So much
good comes of it. But I do believe we can be
lulled to sleep by our charitable giving and
the messages that the come from charities. We
can believe that our charitable efforts get us
off the hook for further engagement in the
world around us; for applying ourselves to
situations that are hard to resolve; for giving
of ourselves beyond our checkbook. It is “change” – and not charity –
which is fundamentally required in our
communities and nation if we are to ensure, for
instance, that all kids can get a good
education or that people live in healthy
...continue reading
-
Finding leaders we respect
I’m often asked by people to name leaders I
respect. What follows is my short list.
What’s surprising is who is on it – and
why. I wonder who makes your list. I offer these names by way of saying that I
believe most people who go into leadership do
so for good and noble reasons. That’s been my
experience. But what happens to these
individuals along the way is another story. People get caught up in their power; they lose
sight of their roots and connections; they find
themselves overwhelmed by forces acting upon
them. They can seem more interested in pursuing
their own personal interests, vendettas, and
agendas than they are in acting for the public
good. But it doesn’t have to be this way. I hold a
deepening respect for a growing collection of
individuals who are blazing an alternate path
– and who might be viewed as strange
bedfellows: Lindsey Graham, the
conservative Republican U.S. senator from South
Carolina, who routinely speaks out on tough
issues, even when he
...continue reading
-
The Al Gore fable
Al Gore is in the news again. But this time
he’s not being roundly criticized for donning
earth tone clothes or for his wooden
speechmaking. Rather, we’re witnessing his
civic redemption, and it’s worth noting for
the insights each of us can gain. After Gore lost the 2000 presidential election,
he reappeared on the public scene masked in a
heavy beard and some additional weight. Many
pundits found much to mock in him – from his
comments about “inventing the Internet,” to
his poor campaigning style, to his new look. But to his credit, Gore went off and found
inspiration in a collection of activities that
called him to step forward anew. He launched a
TV initiative as well as joined the boards of
intriguing companies. He put together a series
of hard-hitting speeches on critical issues of
our time. He responded to the crisis of
Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, he is gaining attention for his
new documentary, An Inconvenient Truth ,
about the perils of global warming,
...continue reading
-
A day at the Lab - Taylor Willingham
Taylor Willingham, a participant in the Spring
2006 Public Innovators Lab that The Harwood
Institute hosted last week, has written a blog
entry on her experiences. It's a great piece that gives you a good idea
of what a day in the Lab is like. If you're
interested, I encourage you to check
it out .
-
Some thoughts on the 3 A's - Gail Hayes
As a funder involved in neighborhood
transformation and family strengthening,
Rich’s concept of 3 A’s for public
innovators – authority, authenticity, and
accountability – is invaluable. To be both
authentic and accountable while at the same
time speaking with authority that comes only
from a deep understanding of the neighborhood
is the gold standard that neighborhood-based
funders should seek to uphold. Communities
deserve no less from us. The accountability covenant requires us to make
promises that we can keep, to make claims of
success that we back up, to celebrate the
milestones along the journey, and to put our
contribution in perspective The authenticity covenant requires us to keep
the work deeply rooted in the desires and
experiences of the people – not linked to the
cause of the week. Community residents have a
keen sense of what rings true and false – we
need to seek out and trust their instincts The authority covenant is two-fold – we
should seek a deep
...continue reading
-
10 questions for public innovators
I’ll be leading our Public Innovators Lab
this week in Baltimore, Md., which always
brings to a head some fundamental questions
about people’s efforts to create change in
communities. Here are some questions I hear
over and over again from public innovators. See
what they spur in you. How can I get
other people to see why I’m pursing the path
that I am in my work?
How can I position, or reposition, my
organization so that it’s not only providing
worthy services or programs but is in the
business of being catalytic and creating deep
change?
How do I move my organization or group
beyond simply embracing the easy answers
through the programs we pursue, the uses of
technology we adopt, the events we stage, and
get us focused on the hard work that is
required to bring about change? How do we avoid
watering down our mission?
How do I keep our efforts aligned with the
reality of our capacity, so that we have a real
chance to achieve results, instead of
frittering away time and
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back - Dateline Youngstown
Last week I saw the face of America’s future,
and it was a good one. Most of us know
Youngstown, Ohio, for everything it has lost
over the years; now, we can take a cue from
something it has gained. Get to know the new
mayor, Jay Williams. In 1999, my colleagues and I wrote a report
with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation about Youngstown, entitled
Waiting for the Future . Back then
Youngstown was a community stuck in place,
mired by parochialism and mistrust. One man
there told me, “I don’t see much hope
here.” Others said they were waiting for a
knight in shining armor to ride into town and
save them. Not exactly a recipe for progress. Today, much work remains to be done. Just drive
around town – as I did with my host Margaret
Murphy, the courageous executive director of
Wick Neighbors, Inc, a community development
corporation – and you’ll still see a town
in trouble. When I recently returned to speak in Youngstown
to give an update on the
...continue reading
-
Connecting to Jane Jacobs
The headline on the front page of this
Sunday’s New York Times Week in Review
section roared “Outgrowing Jane Jacobs.”
The piece suggests that Jacobs’ view of
community life is outdated, even quaint, and
not so relevant anymore. While part of this
argument may be right, the heart of it is
wrong. I still remember when I read Jane Jacobs’
classic, The Death and Life of Great
American Cities . I was an undergraduate at
Skidmore College; I read it again in graduate
school. Now, every so often, I take my
weathered copy off the bookshelf to re-learn
another point. Jane Jacobs, who recently passed away, detailed
the vibrant and interconnected lives of people
in neighborhoods, and helped a generation or
more of people interested in community to think
hard about what brings about and sustains
community life. So here comes Nicolai Ouroussoff, who suggests,
rightly so I believe, that “the threats
facing the contemporary city are not what they
were when [Jacobs] first formed her
...continue reading
-
Inherent struggles
It’s no secret that measuring progress
presents fundamental questions about what we
value. The problem for me is that too often we
rush through these questions because they raise
imbedded conflicts, make us incredibly
uncomfortable, reveal different world views –
or because we miss them. David Hooker, the vice president for community
building at the Center for Working Families in
Atlanta, raised one such dilemma in his
comments. He asked, “What if the
measures we can make and the measures that are
acceptable to funding sources either don’t
inform our work or, worse yet, are
fundamentally incompatible with the long-term
success of the community?” I
suspect that his simply asking this question
has many of you jumping up and down,
exclaiming, “Yes, what if…!” Part of the
issue here is how different people define
progress. Indeed, can we articulate what is
most important to each of us in making
progress? More to the point is the matter of how we even
conceive of
...continue reading
-
Legitimate engagement - Reggie Lewis
My recent participation in a two-day discussion
in Nevada on a unique opportunity to convene a
community to deliberate on the use of
charitable dollars led to some unexpected
soul-searching. Just how does one have
authentic conversations in a given community?
How do you invite a representative group to a
table with the premise that all will have equal
say and enjoy the ability to act as equals?
The Community Conference, co-sponsored by The
Harwood Institute and the Nevada Community
Foundation, in March provides a useful
framework to consider for any community faced
with similar questions. In responding to these
questions, I offer my insights gained from the
experience. First, one must be prepared to have a real
conversation in a community, particularly
with those most affected by challenges and
issues of concern. A conversation is “real”
or authentic when the sponsors of the
discussion want to listen and hear the views
represented in a community, even if such
thinking does
...continue reading
-
The prime goal - Nancy Wilson
My father has spent a career exploring what
makes managers effective. The quote of his
that rings in my ears is, “Without a goal,
you can’t plan. Without a plan, you can’t
manage.” And, in my 20 years of for-profit
and non-profit work experience, management and
measurement go hand in hand. The question for
me from the Las Vegas Community Conference
isn’t “to measure or not to measure?”
The question is, “What to measure?” By all means they need to measure, and the
starting point is their goals. After informing
themselves on the many challenges faced by
their rapidly growing city, Community
Conference members seemed to identify one goal
as the first among many priorities, and that is
to build the sense of community that
will allow the community to understand itself,
to care for itself, to make tradeoffs for
itself. The assumption underlying their goal
setting is that shared values and commitment to
sense of community is the sine qua non
without which all of
...continue reading
-
Expanding on metrics - David Hooker
Rich, I fundamentally agree with everything you
have said and the concerns you have raised. I
actually want to expand on those concerns.
During my 20+ year career as a conflict
transformation specialist and community
convener, I have often argued that there must
be some (I would suggest high) value placed on
process measures — transparency, efforts at
collaboration, values driven processes. And
yet, good process is never a substitute for
process. What impressed me at the Nevada Community
Foundation’s Authentically Community Advised
Funds Conference was the constant struggle with
the questions concerning what to measure and
how to measure it. But there was another
question that has concerned me even more since
I left the conference: What if the measures we
can make and the measures that are
acceptable to funding sources either don’t
inform our work or, worse yet, are
fundamentally incompatible with the long-term
success of the community? This is an example of what I
...continue reading
-
Metrics "R" Us
Here’s the conundrum for us. Suppose someone
were to give you a pot of money to work on a
key challenge in your community. How would you
know you’ve made a difference? How much
change would you be willing to bet could be
created in maybe two to three years?
Every day we are told to be successful. We
hear this relentless mantra in TV ads, magazine
stories, even from Donald Trump and Martha
Stewart. Indeed, we’re expected to create
change seemingly overnight, and all with
aplomb. In the world of civic change, the
notion of metrics – of being able to measure
success – is everywhere. The guardians of
money want to know they’re getting a big bang
for their buck. I’ve long condemned the metrics mongers who
oftentimes demand unrealistic results from
change efforts. But I have been equally
critical of those who say that outputs from
civic work cannot be measured because somehow
we’re engaged in “God’s work” –
endeavors too important to be put to the
measurement test.
...continue reading
-
Which leaders do you stand beside?
Wherever I go on my book tour, one of the most
pressing questions I get is this one: How can
we find the leaders we seek? People’s
disgust with the quality of leadership in the
country, and in their local communities, is
palpable and deep. What can we do? First off, I am always quick to say that our
leaders in Washington, D.C., will not the lead
the way forward. In fact, I believe they will
be the last ones to join in building improved
conditions in public life and politics. They
are too mired in their acrimonious and divisive
ways; and they are too concerned with pursuing
their own personal agendas, personal interests,
and personal vendettas. I believe they can
hardly see their way clearly to alternate paths
in public life and politics. But I am equally quick to ask the following
question of the rest of us: How well do we
support the good leaders in our communities?
For instance, how often, when a leader comes
under fire, do we: Step forward to
literally stand beside the
...continue reading
-
A good man
A good man, Gil Thelen, the publisher of the
Tampa Tribune , retired last week, and
it’s worth pausing today to think about his
work and our own work. In my travels, I have
known few people like Thelen who have been able
to so authentically combine a sense of
integrity, grittiness, innovation, and
commitment to his profession and public life. Some of you know that Thelen serves on The
Harwood Institute board. I tell you that not
because I feel compelled to heap praise on one
of my board members; rather, you should know
that he is a board member because of his
life-time worth of experience and the virtues
he spreads daily. In a statement he sent around to colleagues and
friends last week, Thelen used the word
“joy” to describe his work. He said,
“There must be joy in making the paper if
customers are going to find joy in reading
it.” He then called his colleagues “joy
makers.” Thelen is 67 years old. I don’t know very
many people – of any age – who think of
their
...continue reading
-
Civic spirituality
When I was speaking at the LBJ Presidential
Library last week, a woman rose from her chair
to ask me if I had links on our Web site to
various spiritual and religious thinkers. I had
mentioned earlier in my talk that I believe
America is in desperate need of a new kind of
“civic spirituality.” I responded by saying that we didn’t have
links to such thinkers – and I didn’t think
we would. I noted that such thinkers are
important and that many Americans look to them
for guidance. ( See
“Can religion bring us together?” ) My belief is that we need a civic spirituality
in America. The two words placed together –
almost an oxymoron these days – is the power
and currency I’m looking for. Civic spirituality calls us to belong to the
civic realm; it asks us to see ourselves as
belonging to something larger than ourselves;
it would have us hold a belief in the innate
goodness of people – even, maybe especially,
as we see and experience evil and unfettered
materialism
...continue reading
-
Some responses on public innovation
Last week, I wrote about my sense of urgency
for there to be more public innovation in
society if we are to improve public life and
politics. Today, I want respond to three
comments from people who wrote me. David Marsters from Vermont wrote in response
to one of my blogs, that too many of us
“worship relentlessly at the altar of
efficiency.” I agree David. Our desire to
prove just how efficient we are oftentimes
distorts our very efforts at innovating. Take,
for instance, how much time is required to
generate real, meaningful change. The push for
efficiency can lead us to set timetables and
benchmarks that defy any notion of reality.
When we’re not careful, our drive for results
can produce nothing better than the peddling of
more false hope in public life. Still, those of us who seek to innovate must be
prepared to talk about how we can make our
efforts more effective and efficient. For me,
at issue is how we envision change and whether
we will have the gumption to step
...continue reading
-
Public innovators: Drivers of change
What’s going to drive public innovation in
public life and politics? People will. In the
final analysis, we need public innovators to
imagine a different path, to build different
kinds of mechanisms, to create organizations
that are catalytic, to create the conditions
for a more robust public life and politics. Recently, my colleagues and I looked back over
nearly 20 years of Harwood Institute work, and
one of the key insights we gained was that all
of our successful work was fueled by a very
particular kind of person. These individuals combined, in different ways,
a collection of characteristics. I’ll
summarize these characteristics in three
ways: They are driven by their ideals
and aspirations – these were not magically
implanted in them or simply gleaned from a
book. These individuals came to us already
jazzed. They are pragmatic in their approach to
public life and politics. They do not allow
their ideals and aspirations to make them mushy
or overly sentimental. They
...continue reading
-
Creating organizations that innovate
Imagine you’re trying to create change in a
community, and you need a civic-minded
organization or group ready to innovate.
Imagine, too, that each of the organizations
you have in mind has a strategic plan; is
guided by sophisticated benchmarks to measure
impact; and their staffs have attended
conferences on some of the latest management
theories. Unfortunately, too often the gap
between good management and public innovation
is far too wide. This week I’ve been writing about the need
for public innovation in public life and
politics. It’s needed so that people and
communities can create more pathways to tap
their own potential and join together to make a
difference. But not just any organization is ready to
innovate. We need more of them ready to go. Most organizations are guided by good
intentions. But too many of our civic-minded
organizations – whether they be community
foundations, United Ways, newspapers and public
broadcasting, art-based groups, local education
...continue reading
-
Mechanisms in public life
I want to start today in a place you might
think I would not begin: our need to create
good mechanisms in public life and politics.
The urgency for public innovation in this
particular area is great; we need more
mechanisms within society to help us produce
real change and foster hope within people. My
fear is that too often we fail to meet both
these tests. Every day people are creating what I am
referring to as mechanisms. Civic organizations
and news media create public forums, processes,
and other initiatives through which people can
speak out; new online platforms offer ways for
people to talk together, volunteer, offer their
views, and meet up with like-minded folks;
foundations create new benchmarks to drive
progress and shape the daily work of
organizations and individuals. Time and again people and organizations are
developing mechanisms to give people voice,
harness capacities, and direct energies. The
problem is that there is an important
distinction to be made between
...continue reading
-
Why we need public innovation
Folks, we need a new kind of public
innovation in our communities if we are to
make the progress in public life and politics
we all seek. Just last week, a person from California who is
working to create change in that state made the
following observation: people will decide to
join with him almost as a matter of faith, or
they will retreat because their rational mind
tells them that everything in public life is
too overwhelming to effect. What’s our response to be? Experience tells me that many, many Americans
know they want change in public life and
politics. But I also find people believe that
their current path of engagement is not the
right one; and yet, they cannot always see an
alternative that makes sense to them. Indeed,
people often find themselves stymied,
frustrated, sometimes even stuck in place. The
result: people either retreat or keep doing
what they already know. This is a dilemma for many community foundation
staff, United Way leaders, school
...continue reading
-
Can religion bring us together?
This past week in San Francisco and Silicon
Valley, I was asked the same question three
different times, in three different places, in
a matter of hours: “Can religion bring us
together in public life and politics?” My
response: Yes, but many on the right, and now
on the left, must change. The questions came amid the recent turmoil here
and overseas over the cartoon of the Prophet
Muhammad. Surely, none of us need to be
reminded that religion has been a focal point
for social upheaval, war and division from
generation to generation. This much we know. So, what about today – as so many people have
retreated from public life and politics – can
religion help to bring us together in the U.S.? Not if so many people insist on using religion
as a political weapon. Indeed, for decades now,
some people and groups on the religious right
have sought to frame public debate in highly
divisive, acrimonious ways. They have
manufactured “wedge” issues to win
political battles at any
...continue reading
-
Newspapers: Innovate or die
At an Alabama event last week for journalists,
I was promoted as the “conscience of
community.” But my own conscience told me I
had missed the mark in my talk. If I could do
it all over again, here’s what I’d say
about the future of newspapers in America,
plain and simple. I want to be clear; I offer these 10 steps
because I care deeply about newspapers. I’ve
been working with major metro and small town
newsrooms, the national Journalism Values
Institute, and other efforts since the
mid-1980s. Even with the advent of the Internet, cable TV,
and other news sources – no, especially
because of their rise – I believe society
needs newspapers to help people and communities
make their way in the world. So, here are my 10
steps newspapers must take to survive and
flourish. First, newspapers have lost
their readers and are losing their soul. They
must regain their relevance in people’s lives
and reinvigorate their bottom line. Both steps
are imperative. But this will
...continue reading
-
The big Super Bowl winner: Detroit!
Take a poll this morning, and most of us will
know the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl
last night. But they’re not the only big
winner today; no, the host city of Detroit is
perhaps the biggest winner of all. I can’t
recall a city that has gained so much from
hosting a big event. Detroit – the U.S.’s poorest big city –
was in the news almost every day leading up to
the Super Bowl. Millions of dollars were spent
to get the city ready, and there was much talk
about the city’s recent progress. Many people
who heard these positive messages may have said
to themselves, “Is this the Detroit I
know?” I was in Detroit a number of weeks ago, and I
could see both the decay that has set in over
many years and the pockets of renewal that have
taken shape. At each TV commercial break last
night, ABC showed Detroit aglow – not with
riots or acrimonious political debates that
have been big storylines for the city, but with
the lights of its skyline all lit up. The
...continue reading
-
The State of Our Union - Listening to Nobody
I watched President Bush and Governor Kaine
last night in total shock and awe. Surely, they
can’t believe the American people buy what
they’re peddling. And members of Congress who
keep howling and standing and clapping, surely
they must know their posturing is silly. What
about the real America? There were three phrases that framed last
night’s speeches: “There is no honor in
retreat;” America is a “hopeful society;”
and there is “no higher calling than serving
others.” Wow! Too bad each of these phrases
was maligned, abused, mangled, and
appropriated. The problem is this: I’ve crisscrossed the
nation now six times in the last 15 years, and
these three phrases, as they were used, simply
distort people’s reality. Let’s take each
phrase one at a time: “There is no
honor in retreat” – true enough. This
phrase framed a huge portion of the
president’s message. Unfortunately, much of
America is in retreat. As I’ve outlined in
Hope Unraveled , Americans
...continue reading
-
The State of Our Union - Questions to Consider
Tonight the president and a Democratic
counterpart, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will
offer a State of the Union Address. At issue:
simply more politics, or a message that engages
the American people? Here are four questions
for you to use in watching tonight. They come
from my travels across the country. I urge you
to watch, think about these questions, and log
back on to share your thoughts.
Do you believe the president and the
Democratic leader are in pursuit of truth? Do
you feel the leaders tonight are genuinely
seeking to be forthright, to reflect people’s
reality and what we must do to move ahead and
the potential costs? Or, are they somehow
distorting, or playing with the truth for their
own gain? (Read "In
Search of Truth" )
Do you believe the president and the
Democratic leader ask us to see one another? In
what ways do the leaders ask us to see the
concerns and aspirations of others in our
society, especially those different from
ourselves? Specifically, what do they
...continue reading
-
The State of Our Union – The Pursuit of Happiness
The notion of personal sovereignty is an
enormously powerful idea – and a potentially
dangerous one. It signals to us that we as
individuals can go our own way, do our own
thing, and be our own person. Or, as the U.S.
Army used to say, “Be all you can be!” The idea is deeply embedded in the current
definition of consumerism that has grabbed hold
of the American imagination. Nowadays we
consumers expect to get what we want, when we
want it, at the highest quality and the lowest
cost – and if we don’t like something, we
can return it without any questions asked. Self-fulfillment has been part of the American
landscape since our nation’s founding. But I
often wonder if Jefferson had the same notion
of the “pursuit of happiness” when he wrote
that phrase into the Declaration of
Independence as we do today. As we all know,
Jefferson had a strong belief in the role of
“informed citizens” in society. Take apart
that phrase and you end up with two key ideas:
individuals
...continue reading
-
The State of Our Union - Who among us do we see?
As our society fragments and people retreat
into close-knit circles of family and friends,
we must wrestle with a fundamental question. The question is where do we fit, and thus who
among us do we see? Right now, many of us
believe we fit into close-knit circles, along
with others who are similar to us. When people
come together, it is often for the purpose of
pursuing their pre-set agenda, without even
considering at times the views or needs or
aspirations of others. We can go about our lives and almost be able to
shut everything and everyone out that we do not
want to see. Who among us do we see? This is, at its
essence, a Biblical question from the prophets,
and it still calls us today. I have been thinking about this question more
and more as I travel the country and listen to
people’s stories and try to find meaningful
approaches for creating an alternate path for
our public life and politics. We are up against some powerful forces. Our
economy has gone global and so too
...continue reading
-
The State of Our Union – Do Political Leaders Care?
Today, to what extent do we believe our
political leaders care about the state of our
union? And how would we ever know given their
hyperbolic rhetoric and constant need to draw
attention to themselves? In the past few weeks alone we have witnessed a
collection of political gyrations that makes
one head spin with dismay and turn our stomachs
sick. The examples come from both political
parties – there is no red/blue divide on this
matter! Take, for instance, Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton’s remarks at an MLK Day service at
Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem at
which she used the word “plantation” to
describe how the House of Representatives is
run. Or, how about Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s remarks
about the plight and future of New Orleans,
saying that God wants New Orleans to be a
“chocolate city” and that the recent
hurricanes are because “God is mad at
America.” Then there is the constant drumbeat of
incredulous responses to the Jack Abramoff
scandal. Now
...continue reading
-
The State of Our Union – In Search of Truth
To what extent do we as a society value truth
today – and when is escapism okay, and when
does it undermine our need to square with
reality? What is the state of our union when it
comes to truth? In recent days, we have heard much hoopla about
James Frey’s best-selling memoir A Little
Million Pieces , in which he fabricated part
of his personal story. Beyond the outcry, some
people, like his publisher and Oprah Winfrey,
have stood by the work. Or, take the incredible proliferation of
television realty shows, which now dominate air
waves. Shows like “Extreme Makeover”
suggest to us that anything goes – you can
change your clothes, your hair, even your
God-given features, all in an attempt to be
someone you’re not. It’s hard to even know nowadays what’s news
and what’s opinion, with so-called
“journalists” becoming more and more
willing to mix their own views into broadcasts,
hype stories for ratings, and preferring to
talk about issues with a panel of fellow
...continue reading
-
Building Community Spirit
What makes a community worth belonging to? In
this day-and-age is it mostly bricks and
mortar, or is there something greater, more
substantial? New Orleans is reminding us of the
answer. Ever since Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf
Coast, various discussions have occurred about
how to revive areas like New Orleans. We’ve
seen a steady stream of forums, white papers,
lengthy reports, and statements. Last week we
learned that plans are being put in place to
rebuild the entire city, including the heavily
damaged ninth ward. The focus of these efforts
has often been on the concrete – literally,
bricks and mortar. But just yesterday came a new report on
rebuilding New Orleans, one that went beyond
bricks and mortar and highlighted the need to
tend to the community’s spirit. As
reported in the New York Times , the
plan lays out how New Orleans can restore its
pool of creative talent and regenerate its arts
and cultural traditions – all in an effort to
resuscitate its heart.
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back – Dateline Atlanta
Earlier this week I had the good fortune of
meeting an angel. Her name no less was Katrina.
She brought a message about the poverty in our
midst. Katrina – or Miss Trina as local folks like
to call her – is a slim African American
woman who works in the tucked away,
poverty-ridden Atlanta neighborhood of
Pittsburgh. She makes her home just one
neighborhood over. After my talk on Tuesday night, Katrina showed
me and two of my colleagues around Pittsburgh.
As you travel the streets you see abandoned
homes are everywhere. Trash and wrecked cars
dot the landscape. Street corners are filled
with young men with no place to go.
Amid this despair, there are signs of
rebuilding. In fact, as we drove around and
talked, Katrina’s voice grew with
anticipation as she led us, ultimately, to a
house on a dark corner. It was the house that
she had built, as a single mother, with her own
sweat equity. She told us that when she lived in the house
she couldn’t sleep most nights due to
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back – Dateline Newark
Yesterday, the headline of USA Today’s top
story read, “Katrina inspires record
charity.” That’s great – but as I sit in
Newark, NJ, I know it’s not enough. We are a
society that is awfully good at charity, but
not nearly good enough at change. I have long believed that Americans are a
generous and compassionate lot. Our response to
9/11 was heart-warming. Now, after the Asian
Tsunami and then Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and
Wilma, as well as other tragedies, we have
demonstrated that we will step forward and
provide relief to people in acute need. Indeed, Americans are apt to respond when they
see a concrete problem, when there is something
they can do, and when they believe the problem
is relevant to their lives. But I have a concern – a burning one. Just
last night I did an event here in Newark, and
just last week I was in the Twin Cities. No
matter where I go, I hear people lament that we
cannot generate meaningful change in our
communities. Too many substandard
...continue reading
-
The Enemy of the Public Good
At a recent Independent Sector conference,
Sterling Speirn, the new president of the
Kellogg Foundation, asked: “Who is the enemy
of civic engagement?” I have an answer.
The enemy is the various mechanisms for
manipulation in public life that we have turned
into a perverse science. Everyday we employ
panoply of marketing and market-segmentation
techniques that pin-point messages to different
audiences and manipulate people’s fears. We
use the techniques because we believe it is the
way to WIN. But I believe these techniques are
the enemy of the public good. They make our
public discourse devoid of meaning and give
rise to meaningless sound bites; they separate
us into warring camps, rather than seek ways to
build a common future. The enemy is the way in which we seek to
monetize the public good at every turn in our
society. Here’s one example: at a recent
conference on aging, someone asked me and the
other speakers if the government should provide
tax credits or incentives
...continue reading
-
Finding Authentic Hope in a Miserable Mess
Today, Scooter Libby, Vice President Cheney’s
chief of staff, was indicted. Those on the
political left are calling for heads to roll.
Yesterday, those on the political right made
their claim to the Supreme Court by undermining
the nomination of Harriet Miers, who finally
withdrew. Meanwhile, the national debate over
“poverty” in the weeks after Hurricane
Katrina is now nowhere to be heard;
finger-pointing and blame-placing are the new
order of business. And while we can’t seem to
rebuild the Gulf Coast, more and more people
are wondering how we can continue efforts to
rebuild Iraq. All of this tumult led a reporter on National
Public Radio yesterday to say that President
Bush is close to being a lame-duck president,
if he isn’t already, only some 300 days into
his second term. The Democrats, the so-called
opposition party, seem only to know what they
are against: They are anti-Republican. It is
less clear what, if anything, they stand for. Why am I going through this
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back – Dateline Pittsburgh /Portland
I want to return to a topic I wrote about a
couple of weeks ago, and which keeps coming up
in my travels across the country: the
trap of becoming mechanistic in our public
work . Last week, I was in Pittsburgh to talk with
state directors and senior staff of the
national organization Communities in Schools;
this is an incredibly dedicated group of people
working to make sure that all kids are prepared
for their futures. For the last two days I have
been in Portland. CIS, like so many groups, is wrestling with how
to scale up their ideas (thought not
necessarily their organization) in order to
expand and deepen their positive impact in the
lives of children. And the pursuit of their
dreams requires them to make a host of very
difficult decisions and trade-offs. In the past two weeks I have found myself
talking about the need for those of us working
in public life to understand just how
mechanistic we have become in our efforts. Part
of this dilemma is that the more we undertake,
for
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back - Dateline Las Vegas
During one of my book events this week in Las
Vegas, a person asked me about how I see race
playing into the issues surrounding the
people’s retreat from public life and
politics. I believe it plays a big role, and it
is an issue we must squarely address in our
society.
The person asking the question meant race in
terms of blacks and whites. I recognize that
there are larger issues at work in terms of
race and ethnicity other than the separation of
blacks and whites, but today I want to limit my
response to this framing because it was the
context of the initial question.
The very fact that so many Americans have
retreated from public life and politics makes
dealing with race more difficult in our current
times. We are cloistered in our close-knit
circles of families and friends, among people
who look and sound and think much like
ourselves. Whites and blacks may be more
separated today than at any point in time I
have been doing this work.
Then there is the issue of how one
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back - Dateline Las Vegas
As I travel the country talking about Hope
Unraveled and the conditions of
American public life and politics, inevitably
someone asks, “It’s all so overwhelming,
what could I ever do to make a difference?” The negative conditions we face, and the sheer
magnitude of the challenge, can be
overwhelming. I remember a woman from Richmond,
VA., one of the people I interviewed for the
book in 1998, turning to me and saying, “If
you look at the whole picture of everything
that is wrong, it is so overwhelming you just
retreat back.” Many people share her feelings
and sense of frustration. But my response to the question about what each
of us can do is this: none of us alone can
“solve” the negative conditions in public
life and politics; there is too much work to be
done. But each us can do our part. And it is
only through our collective actions that change
will emerge. For different people, such actions
will take different forms. For instance:
Foundation officers and
...continue reading
-
Thoughts on Our Way Back - Dateline Seattle
I’m writing from Seattle where I released my
new book, Hope
Unraveled: The People’s Retreat and Our Way
Back . What strikes me most in my
conversations with people is the extent to
which we have become mechanistic in our
response to a fundamentally human condition.
Here’s what I mean. Over the last four days, I have been attending
the national Conference on Foundations
Community Foundation annual conference. I have
spent 15-hour days talking with community
foundation executives about the condition of
the country, what we need to do to pursue an
alternate path in public life and politics, and
the role community foundations can play. There
are incredible people here, individuals who
care deeply about their communities and the
effectiveness of their programs. But as I talked with folks here, and think
about some of my conversations with people
before arriving here, I am struck by how
mechanistic we have become in response to
trying to engage people in public life and
politics
...continue reading
-
Pledges We Must Keep
This Sunday we will mark the fourth anniversary
of 9/11. I hold vivid memories of seeing in
response to that tragedy Republican and
Democratic members of Congress join hands on
the steps of the U.S. Capitol and sing God
Bless America. What came of our response, and
what can we learn in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina? You’ll recall that after 9/11 numerous
pledges were made. You could hear people say
that our politics would become more productive;
news media coverage would become more serious
and accurate; and more citizens would become
more engaged in community and public affairs. I’m sure you remember the U.S. flag decals on
cars, the blood donations, the singing of
patriotic hymns at ballgames and other public
events, and the flag pins in newscasters’
lapels. These were indeed potent signs of
people’s concern and their desire to act. But now we know that we did not fulfill all the
pledges we made – at least not over time. In
fact, next week I will release my new book,
...continue reading
-
Faces of Tragedy, Faces of Grace
Just a couple of weeks ago I was in New Orleans
sitting at the counter of the tiny Clover Grill
with my family. Earl, our waiter, told me his
place had never closed during a hurricane. Today, I hope that he and his lovely place were
able to make it through this latest nightmare.
I vividly remember Earl and his funny, spirited
stories about New Orleans and its people. Earl was black; and so too were many of the
people who could not or did not get out of New
Orleans in time. Many of their faces we now see
plastered on the front pages of newspapers and
across our television screens looting stores
and bitterly complaining about their plight. One response from “officials” is that they
will deal “ruthlessly” with lawlessness and
looting. On one level, that makes sense. Such
behavior cannot be condoned. But there is something else at work in New
Orleans and across the Gulf Coast of America.
There are people – poor people, often African
Americans – who are now stranded in a
...continue reading
-
Still Sticking Around?
Have you noticed that a lot of people still
have their bumper stickers on their cars from
the ’04 election? What’s that about? An
article about the bumper stickers in Sunday’s
Washington Post includes an argument from
Marshall Blonsky, a professor of semiotics at
New York’s Parson School of Design, about why
the stickers remain. According to the article:
Personal identity is growing increasingly weak,
Blonsky argues, and a political label
"turbocharges" a weak identity -- as with any
team membership (and endless rivalries). With
our stickers still up, our war paint is still
on -- and, truth be told, the war's not over
because the war's not over.
It’s funny, I’ve been wondering about the
’04 bumper stickers for some time now. I see
them everywhere – both Bush and Kerry - even
some for Nader. After most elections it seems
that people rip them off after the requisite
period of mourning or celebration; but not
after this last one. Of course, there are some
...continue reading
-
Follow the Bouncing Ball
Yesterday,
Bob Huggins, University of Cincinnati men’s
basketball coach, was canned by Nancy Zimpher,
UC president. Good for her. Now the real
test begins. Huggins’ teams over the years consistently
had repulsively low graduation rates. His
players constantly got into trouble. None of
this was ever a secret. The real problem is why
did it take UC so long to act? Indeed, why do
so many colleges and universities view their
athletes simply as commodities to use, exploit,
spit out, and leave behind? Lots of people will argue over whether
Huggins’ departure was fair. Sports
commentator extraordinaire Dick Vitale, whom I
enjoy, was hammering all day yesterday that
Huggins was being treated unfairly. But here’s how this situation connects to my
work here at the Institute and what I what to
know: Will UC president Nancy Zimpher truly
follow through? For instance, will she:
Ensure that ballplayers recruited for UC
sports are qualified students?
Provide the kind of real
...continue reading
-
Finding Ourselves In Cultural Geography
I’m heading off for vacation tomorrow
wondering just how different we all are from
each other. David
Brooks, the New York Times columnist, whom I
love to read, did another piece yesterday on
cultural geography, or what might be called,
the “divided America.” Brooks wrote: Forty-million Americans move every
year, and they generally move in with people
like themselves, so as the late James Chapin
used to say, every place becomes more like
itself. Crunchy places like Boulder attract
crunchy types and become crunchier.
Conservative places like suburban Georgia
attract conservatives and become more so. Not long ago, many people worked on farms or in
factories, so they had similar lifestyles. But
now the economy rewards specialization, so
workplaces and lifestyles diverge. The military
and civilian cultures diverge. In the political
world, Democrats and Republicans seem to live
on different planets. It’s true that we all tend to move near
people who are like us. But does
...continue reading
-
Tavis Talks, We Should Listen
Tavis Smiley hit the nail on the head in his
recent take on the current public broadcasting
brouhaha. The debate is about bias, but not the
kind that is often talked about. In his Sunday Washington Post piece,
entitled Left?
Right? Wrong! The Misguided CPB Debate ,
Smiley wrote:
While Washington talks about ideological
balance, Americans hunger to see programming
that reflects their experience and inspires
their lives.
Finally, we’re getting some place! For years
my own studies of various news media, and my
work with journalists in scores of newsrooms,
has led me to believe that much of the debate
over journalists’ bias has been misguided.
For sure, in recent years, some news outlets,
such as FOX, have a particular political bent. But there is a more insidious bias in the new
media, one that comes through clearly, for
instance, in my upcoming book, Hope Unraveled,
to be released this September. What I have consistently heard Americans upset
about when they talk about
...continue reading
-
Red/Blue Reality?
What happens when you cross “Fear Factor”
and American politics? You get the new reality
TV show “Red/Blue.” Are you ready? I really wonder what you think about this one.
Some
political consultants, supported by the TV
production firm whose parent company has
brought us “Fear Factor” and “Big
Brother,” hope to put a dozen or so budding
political consultants in a Georgetown
townhouse. Much like MTV’s “Real
World,” the place will be wired with cameras
to catch the contestants’ every move. And I’m sure there will be lots of
“moves,” with the various consultants each
trying to out maneuver the others; each one
attempting to demonstrate their skills; each
one seeking to out muscle the other. What
they’ll do is to emulate the real thing –
that is, the real world of political
consultants. Will “Red/Blue” offer us any hope? Will it
generate any sense of possibility? No, it is likely to make a mockery of
people’s deep concerns about politics and
...continue reading
-
: Comment on
styles-site.css"
type="text/css" />
var HOST = ' '; function setCookie (name, value, expires, path,
domain, secure) {
var curCookie = name + "=" + escape(value)
+ ((expires) ? "; expires=" +
expires.toGMTString() : "") + ((path) ? ";
path=" + path : "") + ((domain) ? "; domain=" +
domain : "") + ((secure) ? "; secure" : "");
document.cookie = curCookie;
} function getCookie (name) {
var prefix = name + '=';
var c = document.cookie;
var nullstring = '';
var cookieStartIndex = c.indexOf(prefix);
if (cookieStartIndex == -1)
return nullstring;
var cookieEndIndex = c.indexOf(";",
cookieStartIndex + prefix.length);
if (cookieEndIndex == -1)
cookieEndIndex = c.length;
return
unescape(c.substring(cookieStartIndex +
prefix.length, cookieEndIndex));
} function deleteCookie (name, path, domain) {
if (getCookie(name))
document.cookie = name + "=" + ((path)
? "; path=" + path : "") + ((domain) ? ";
...continue reading
-
What's The Story In Flint?
Ever hear someone talk about Flint, Michigan?
Usually they’ll mention Michael Moore and
then focus on how down and out the city is. But
there’s more to the story of Flint. Last week, I went to Flint to wrap up over
seven years of work with people in the
community I have come to deeply admire. During
these years, we have seen countless changes,
including the following:
When we started, people in the community
said that they trusted few leaders; now there
is a cadre of recognized leaders, many of whom
went through our public leadership school. The
leadership school now has a faculty made up of
Flint leaders and is now housed at the local
United Way, so that others in Flint can learn
and benefit from it.
There were few organizations in the
community people trusted when we began; now,
there are dozens of organizations that people
say are working in the interest of the
community, not just pursuing their own agenda.
Indeed, today, there are also eight
organizations – from
...continue reading
-
The Voices of Red and Blue
When discussing my work over the years, I have
often told people, “When I’m talking with a
group of citizens, if I close my eyes and
listen, I often find it impossible to tell
whether the person speaking is a Republican or
a Democrat, the region of the country they’re
from, or their income or education.” I’m
sure you’ve read those very words in this
space before. Often this comment is met with
polite skepticism. At a time when we are
constantly reminded of the divisions facing our
society, it’s understandable that people
wonder, “How can this be?” Last month, I conducted two focus groups on
similar topics in two very different areas of
the country – one suburban and strongly
Republican, the other an urban Democratic
stronghold. As I listened, I again found it
difficult to tell people apart across the
divides. But, to steal a phrase from Reading
Rainbow, you don’t have to take my word for
it. I’ve
put together some sample quotes, one from each
group, on
...continue reading
-
Making the "Right" Connections
Last
Thursday, June 2nd, USA Today ran an intriguing
article: Beyond Kiwanis: Internet Builds New
Communities. The piece focused on how
technology, specifically the internet and cell
phones, helps to build new communities and
strengthen engagement around the country. There’s some inspiring news in the piece; but
there are also some potential dangers that we
must address. On the upside, the piece suggests that people
are more “connected” with each other
through their use of technology. One man is
quoted as saying, “I wouldn’t have been
able to be Cubmaster of Pack 152 without email.
I don’t have time to do traditional phone
trees and calendars by hand.” I’m a youth soccer coach, and I know exactly
how he feels. For years, I made individual
phone calls to contact my team about changes to
practice times, game venues, uniforms, and
countless other things. Now, I can contact my
entire team with just the click of a button;
and, as long as I have my laptop, I can stay in
...continue reading
-
Security and Sacrifice
Holy smoke! No sooner than President Bush makes
a proposal on Social Security, the daggers come
out. Here’s what to look for in the coming
debate. There is little doubt in my mind that this
debate will degenerate into the typical
acrimony and divisiveness we all so used to on
tough political issues. The politicos and
organized interest groups will stake out their
positions, use the Social Security to rally
their troops and raise dollars from their
faithful, and make sure little progress is
made. But, this issue, if engaged, could help the
nation sort out some important concerns that
have been just beneath the political surface
for some time, such as:
What is the social covenant today? Americans
are deeply torn and concerned over what the
social covenant is between and among them. This
issue, clearly, raises such concerns and the
opportunity to debate them. What is my own obligation? In a society that is
so consumer driven, where we expect to get what
we want when we want it,
...continue reading
-
Mirroring Reality
This candidate for mayor of San Antonio may
have failed the test of where to draw the line.
How far will voters go? Last week I told a story (see below) about
where to draw lines on matters of convenience
and ease. Well,
last Friday, I read an article about Julian
Castro, a candidate for major of San Antonio
who couldn’t make it to the annual River
Parade through downtown. So what did he do? He sent his brother to fill
in – only it was his TWIN! Unbeknownst to
anyone but those on the parade barge with him,
the twin was taken as Julian himself, the
candidate. In fact, a television anchorman
hosting the parade identified him as the
candidate. Now, this could be an innocent mistake. But, to
me, it crosses the line. Here is a candidate
running for mayor who sends his brother, a
twin, to fill in for him at a parade. What are
we to think? I can come up with all kinds of
excuses and explanations, but each one begs the
fundamental truth. At a minimum, one would expect the
...continue reading
-
Choosing Our Field
What would be your first response? Would it be,
“Screw ‘em”? This past Saturday I showed up at 7:30 A.M. to
make sure the field for my girls soccer team
was all set. When I arrived, one field was
lined; another was not. So, I called one of the league commissioners
and asked which field I was to use. The
schedule indicated that it was the field with
no lines; but I wanted to make sure, because
the league had been wrong in the past. When I talked to the commissioner, I couldn’t
believe my ears: take the lined field, she
declared, before anyone else shows up! Plant my
flag, was the decree. Just tell the other team
that they have to deal with the lousy field. I said, “We can’t do that!” And she
replied, “Sure you can. Just do it!” Is this how I would have wanted any of the
girls I coach to respond? How about my own high
school-aged daughter? Is this what I would have
wanted another coach to do, if he or she had
arrived before me? My league commissioner
...continue reading
-
Stand Up and Cheer
Last Friday, I found the nation’s future
leaders and I was awestruck. I had the good fortune to spend the entire day
on a selection panel for Truman Scholars, which
provides financial support for graduate studies
to promising young individuals who wish to
pursue public service. In the morning, before the interviews began, I
told the candidates that I had found my eyes
tearing up as I read their applications; in
fact, one time this occurred to me on a plane
ride across the nation, making me wonder if my
seatmates thought I was having some kind of
meltdown! But here is what struck me most about these
candidates: their passion – their zeal to
engage with public life; their smart desire to
make a difference; their ability at such a
young age to have already done so much. They
exuded a sense of idealism – the kind that
makes you want to stand up and cheer. Yes cheer… in this the age of retreat and
skepticism in public life. If anyone questions
where our nation’s future
...continue reading
-
Cultural Differences
What is the difference between a culture of
opposition and a culture of governance? This is the question my friend Randa Slim, vice
president of the International Institute for
Sustained Dialogue, asked during a luncheon at
The Harwood Institute a week or so ago. All of
her work is done overseas, in such places
Tajikistan, Russia, and the Middle East. But
her question is relevant here at home. In the countries where Randa works, people are
seeking to cultivate new cultural norms of
public engagement. This is no easy feat.
People, once wedded to opposition, must now
find ways to engage one another in give and
take, problem solving, and the building of
public life. People must combat their impulses
to oppose one another – even physically
battle one another. Her work is slow; small
victories come hard; social transformation can
take a generation or more. Here in our country, I have come to believe
that many of us must more actively cultivate a
culture of governance, too. So much of
...continue reading
-
Rather Authentic
The curtain is coming down this week on Dan
Rather as anchor of the CBS Evening News, and
he’d like you to remember him as being
authentic. Good luck to him – and many
others. In a recent Ken Auletta article in The New
Yorker, Rather said, “The one thing I hope
and I believe, is that even my enemies think
I’m authentic.” In America today, too much time is expended on
wishing for authenticity; or, better put,
working to manufacture authenticity. Leaders
and organizations that are purportedly
civic-minded engage in endless posturing in
order to suggest to people that they “care”
about you and understand your reality. As
Frank Rich pointed out in Sunday’s New York
Times , Rather’s competitor, Brian
Williams, the newly-installed anchor at NBC
News, has adopted the slogan “Reporting on
America’s Story.” It is NBC’s way of
signaling that they understand us – they’re
on our side. No more of that silly news. But why can’t people simply let their true
...continue reading
-
Finding Leadership
President’s Day, for me, is not only a
celebration of the presidents who served our
nation in the past, but a reminder about the
kind of leadership we aspire to create in our
land. But where will that leadership emerge from
today? In a book I am completing on conversations that
I held with Americans over the past 15 years on
their views toward politics and hope, the
answer is clear - people don’t necessarily
expect this new leadership to come from the
likely cast of characters: political leaders,
the news media and corporate America. Instead, people have told me that individual
Americans must now step forward if we are to
redeem hope in politics and public life.
Indeed, they are looking to “everyday
heroes” from all sectors to reshape the
public landscape. Such individuals do not
undertake superhuman tasks, but rather find
ways to help others, persevere in their
endeavors, and act with integrity – even
though conditions often mitigate taking such a
path. Just last week
...continue reading
-
Will & Grace
Yesterday, Maryland Governor Bob
Ehrlich, in his State of the State address,
chastised state legislators to be more
respectful of the office of governor. Too
bad there’s too little will and grace in
Maryland right now – and in the rest of
country – for such respect in politics to
prevail. Ehrlich has been engaged in hand-to-hand combat
with members of the state legislature for
months. Some people blame his efforts to ram
through his agenda of slot machines and
malpractice reform; others, including the
governor, believe that state legislators are to
blame. In his address, Ehrlich accused unnamed
leaders of “playing the Capitol Hill game of
demagoguing on personal ethics.” My own reading of the situation is that
there’s probably some truth on both sides. But the real problem is that neither side wants
to exercise the will to show more grace in
their political dealings. The Harwood Institute
has long worked on political conduct concerns
in the nation; in fact, in the
...continue reading
-
A Common Task
Listen to the voices of people who wrote this
past week in this space, and those who
responded with their comments and an
unmistakable message about society can be
heard: we must step forward and focus on our
values. People are telling us something important: we
have lost sight of the values that bind us
together. Sure, there are differences among us;
but those differences, as one writer said,
mustn’t lead to disintegration. Nor must they
lead us to believe that we do not hold in
common certain fundamental values from which we
can build a common future. I am now completing my upcoming book on
Americans’ views on politics and public life,
and it is clear from my travels across this
nation that it is our common values that people
want to talk about. They want to rediscover
such values; what they mean; and how we can act
together on them People want greater truth and forthrightness in
our society, loyalty and trust; they want more
emphasis placed on values of social fairness
and
...continue reading
-
The Next Chapter
This entry is the introduction to the
inauguration week discussion, and will remain
the first post throughout the week, please
scroll down for the newest posts Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation The inauguration is an opportunity for the
President to declare a path for the nation for
the next four years. At its best, the rhetoric
of the inauguration calls us to action – from
President Kennedy imploring citizens to “ask
what you can do for your country” to
President Bush asking us in 2000 to be
“citizens, not spectators; citizens, not
subjects; responsible citizens, building
communities of service and a nation of
character.”
The theme of this year’s inauguration is,
“Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service”.
As we honor the service and sacrifices of the
men and women of the armed forces, it is
important to remember the words of Lincoln at
Gettysburg – that we all must be “dedicated
to the great task remaining before
...continue reading
-
The Crossroads
Guest: Veronica De La Garza, Executive
Director, Youth Vote
Coalition In the introduction to the inauguration week
discussion, Richard
presents one of the challenges facing us is
where to begin. The bigger
challenge is how do we continue? The first
line in the next chapter of
America's story lies in our hands, what did the
public leadership of
this country do with the unprecedented number
of American's that voted
in November 2004? No one could have predicted four years ago the
events that have
transpired in our country. With one single
event, 9-11, America united
and received the World's condolences and love.
Our response to the
attacks of 9-11 not only created ill will and
hate towards the U.S.A.
but it also divided the short unity that
existed among its' citizens.
Election 2004 brought out many emotions but the
most amazing result was
the high turnout of voters. Old and young, new
voters and frequent
voters, Democrats, Independents and Republicans
stood in line and
...continue reading
-
Put Every Child Ahead
Guest: Karen Pittman, Executive
Director, Forum
for Youth Investment As President Bush begins his second term today,
he has an opportunity to set this country on a
course of self-healing by starting this next
chapter of America’s story, as Pamela Loving
suggests, with a question: “What about the
Children?” Native American elders check
their decisions by reflecting on the impact
they will have nine generations out. The rest
of us, unfortunately, have difficulty focusing
on the children currently in our midst. What about the children? Is it enough to ask
that no child is left behind? As powerful as
this mantra has become, especially with the
addition of high school tests, it is, on close
inspection, a rather passively phrased
challenge made even more passive in its
transformation from the directive – Leave No
Child Behind® – put forth by the
Children’s Defense Fund almost a decade ago.
But, syntax aside, I would ask whether this
challenge is enough to unify the
...continue reading
-
Healing the Effects
Guest: Audrey Alvarado, Executive
Director, National Council of
Nonprofit Associations
It is apropos during this presidential
inauguration week we are at the same time
reflecting on the life of Dr. Martin Luther
King. His vision and his impact on the psyche
of American society cannot be overstated. Our
remembrance of his life’s work forces us to
assess how far we have come (or not come) to
realize the dream he laid out for us and our
country. In many of Dr. King’s messages he spoke of
the inherent contradictions that permeate our
society. America’s history has been filled
with greed and hollow promises and at the same
time filled with unbelievable generosity and
commitment. The outpouring of generosity and
concern, some may even call love, during times
of crises reveal the connections we have
regardless of those differences that keep us
apart during our daily routines. In Dr.
King’s book, Stride Toward Freedom, he stated
“There must be a rhythmic alternation between
...continue reading
-
Finding Greatness
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation I was moved when reading the comments of my
colleagues. And they reminded me of an
important theme for our country now: the need
to reclaim a sense of greatness. I do not mean,
here, a kind of testosterone-driven, myopic,
inward-looking agenda. We have enough of that
already. Indeed, I intend quite the opposite
One of the biggest challenges facing the nation
today is whether we, as a people, can move
beyond ourselves, to engage in public work and
relationships that ask us to look beyond our
close-knit circles of family and friends. For
instance, when J.D. Hoye and Pam Loving talk
about focusing on children, they are asking, I
believe, whether we can give of ourselves to
others we do not know. They are wondering
whether we will invest in something from which
we may not directly benefit. They are seeing
whether we, as a society, can muster the
wherewithal to care about one another. Yes, I agree with
...continue reading
-
Waltz of the Flowers
Guest: Bill Bishop, Reporter, Austin
American-Statesman I read on humanflowerproject.com
that the flower decorations at the
inauguration’s “Democracy Ball” will be
only shades of red. Perfect. That’s the
meaning of democracy these days: we keep all
the red flowers over here, all the blue flowers
over there and all the gold flowers in another
spot. For the past seven presidential elections,
Americans have been sorting themselves into
monochromatic communities. By the end of the
2004 election, Americans were more politically
segregated than at any time since the end of
World War II. Half of U.S. voters (well, really
48.3%) live in counties where either George
Bush or John Kerry won by 20 percentage points
or more. In 1976, only a quarter of the
population lived in one of these landslide
counties. This is no statistical anomaly. Whether you
look at the members of Congress or the members
of your church, most of society is curling up
in the comfort of like-minded company.
...continue reading
-
Setting Out Together
Guest: Diana Aviv, President/CEO, Independent
Sector
This week marks the 55th Presidential
Inauguration. For some, it is a time of
celebration, for others, apprehension. For all
of us, it is an opportunity to refine
priorities, voice concerns, and begin the
important work of shaping our collective
future. If you want to be part of history, you
cannot watch from the sidelines. You have to
make history happen. And how do we do that? By
learning about the issues that affect our lives
and impact our democracy, by getting involved,
by helping set our national course, and by
writing the next chapter in America’s history
through our words and deeds. There are some very big challenges on America's
communal table: a massive federal deficit in
the face of undiminished domestic needs; deep
concerns about the casualties caused by our
continued engagement in Iraq; and an
ever-widening gap between the haves and the
have-nots. At the core of resolving these issues is our
collective
...continue reading
-
A New Greatest Generation
Guest: Michael Weiksner, Chairman, e-thepeople
A version of the "call to service" section of
the President's inaugural speech: "We live in an era of unprecedented change. We
face great challenges. After September 11, we
all awakened to the new threats to our very
security here at home. Yet, we have awesome
opportunities too. In our lifetime, we have
the potential to end global poverty and cure
AIDS. How can we rise up to these great challenges
and realize the awesome opportunities before
us? We need a new greatest generation. Like the
great generations before it, we must draw on
the courage and leadership that has
characterized the American people since the
Revolution. We must continue to be the most
innovative nation in history, to create the new
technologies required to meet the needs of our
complex world. And like the great World War II
generation, we may be called to defend freedom
against tyranny on the battlefield. But courage, leadership, innovation and even
...continue reading
-
Finding What Matters
Guest: J.D. Hoye, President, Keep The
Change, Inc. Reflecting on the 2000 inauguration when
President Bush asked us to be “citizens, not
spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible
citizens building communities of service and a
nation of character,” one might see the irony
in our current situation in Iraq and our desire
to be seen as citizens of the world. Over the last four years I have seen an
ever-increasing desire from community-based
leaders to improve their communities. This is
most often expressed by describing how they
wish that the lives of their children could
improve, and that their futures have greater
promise. Perhaps the disappointment, and thus the
apathy, is simply tied to hearing what our
leaders say versus seeing their actions. This
lack of alignment causes us to lose inspiration
to make positive community changes ourselves. Our citizens must have faith that what is asked
of them matters; that there is a place to
participate in helping improve our
...continue reading
-
The Next Generation
Guest: Pamela Loving, President/CEO, Michigan
Works, Career Alliance, Inc.
The first line must be: What about the
Children? Pamela Loving is an alumna of The
Harwood Public Leadership School. She lives
and works in Flint, MI, where the Career
Alliance seeks to foster systematic reform in
workforce development that ensures continuous
economic growth for all employers and
residents.
-
Healing the Breach
Guest: Peter Levine, Deputy Director, CIRCLE ,
University of Maryland
As President Bush begins his second term,
there is a poisonous atmosphere of distrust and
division in America. I am not sure that we are
divided into two countries, one “red” and
one “blue,” whose values fundamentally and
enduringly conflict. In One Nation, After
All , Alan Wolfe reveals a strong moral
center and a great deal of agreement about
goals and values. At the Democratic National
Convention, Barack
Obama also emphasized public consensus, but
he suggested that reporters and political
operatives sometimes promote the appearance
of angry disagreement for reasons of their
own:
Yet even as we speak, there are
those who are preparing to divide us, the spin
masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace
the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to
them tonight, there's not a liberal America and
a conservative America — there's the United
States of America. There's not a black America and
...continue reading
-
The Courage to Speak Up
Watching the football play-off game this
weekend between the Green Bay
Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, Randy Moss,
the star wide receiver for
the Vikings, caught a touchdown pass and then
mimicked “shooting the moon”
to the stadium crowd and national TV audience.
Just last week, again on
national TV, Moss walked off the field early to
go to the locker room while
his teammates continued to play. No one said very much last weekend, and when
Joe Buck the TV
announcer wanted to talk about Moss’s
classless act this weekend, his fellow
announcers did do all they could to change the
subject – and they did. I
suspect the producers from FOX whispered into
their ears that they shouldn't
alienate the TV audience. Then just a few minutes later in the game, the
broadcasters
celebrated Moss’s new game hairdo, as if they
were trying to get themselves
back into his good graces; as if, they were
afraid they had maybe insulted
him by momentarily begrudging his earlier
behavior. Now,
...continue reading
-
In the Crossfire
God only knows what’s in the Kool-Aid over at
CNN these days. The
network announced today the end of CNN”S
“Crossfire” and it came not a day too
soon. I congratulate them. I only wish I
was afforded the opportunity to do so long ago!
“Crossfire” has been a crabby, cranky
program filled with unnecessary hype in an age
when people’s reality is regularly distorted.
I know few people outside of Washington, D.C.
who could watch that program and say it had
anything to do with their daily lives, other
than perhaps to provide some cheap
entertainment, a verbal version of the
hyperbolic World Wrestling Federation. So, I applaud – and loudly – the decision
by new CNN/US president Jonathan Klein who
canned the misfire of a program. He was quoted
in today’s Washington Post as saying viewers
need “useful information in a dangerous world
and a bunch of guys screaming at each other
simply doesn’t accomplish that.” He’s got
that right – and apparently much more.
...continue reading
-
In Search of Heroes
Notre Dame fired its head football coach Ty
Willingham yesterday, and in doing so failed us
all. University Athletic Director Kevin White said
at yesterday afternoon’s news conference,
“From Sunday through Friday our football
program has exceeded all expectations in every
way. The academic performance is at fever
pitch; it has never been better.” Indeed,
Willingham is nationally known as a fine
nurturer of his players’ character and a
standard bearer of integrity as coach. His firing comes on the heels of Ron Artest and
his Indiana Pacer teammates running headlong
into the stands to punch out unruly fans during
a game with the Detroit Pistons. It comes after a hideous political season in
which the two presidential candidates
ruthlessly beat each other up, this time with
words and ads and surrogates, and then had the
audacity to call for unity, as if we were to
believe them. It comes after Martha Stewart, the sage of home
etiquette, was led off to jail; Jim McGreevey,
the
...continue reading
-
Rethinking Our Expectations
I have been wondering why I haven’t written
anything since the presidential election. Each
time I have sat down to write, I have felt
compelled to turn away – actually, the
feeling is closer to being repulsed. The campaign left me feeling angry and
disgusted. The candidates actively destroyed
each other over the course of many months, and
then had the audacity to call for unity the day
after the election. How could they seriously
utter such words? Did they really mean them? If
so, how would they characterize what they had
been doing up till then – simply playing a
game at the expense of the American people?
What about all the accusations, name-calling
and questioning of each other’s personal
motivations? Negative campaigning is one thing; but what we
witnessed was a total disregard for people’s
hopes and aspirations. The call for unity was
disingenuous; it was insulting to people’s
intelligence. Are we expected to buy this
silliness? Still, many people have told me
...continue reading
-
Not Just Unity or Victory
The talk about unity keeps unfolding across our
land, but is it worth anything? What do we seek
in the name of unity? I have long argued that the political pundits
and pollsters and professionals made more of
people’s differences in this past election
cycle than actually exist. As David Brooks said
in a recent column: The red and blue maps that have
been popping up in the papers again this week
are certainly striking, but they conceal as
much as they reveal…In the first place, there
is an immense diversity of opinion within
regions, towns and families. Second, the values
divide is a complex layering of conflicting
views about faith, leadership, individualism,
American exceptionalism, suburbia, Wal-Mart,
decorum, economic opportunity, natural law,
manliness, bourgeois virtues and a zillion
other issues. Strategies that play on people’s existing
divisions too often dangerously pull apart the
fabric of the nation and diminish our sense of
social cohesion. At issue is whether
...continue reading
-
Starting an Uphill Battle
Last night and still this morning I felt like I
had been kicked in the stomach. This campaign
has left me feeling enormously empty and
frustrated and wondering why we insist on going
down the path we do. Seeing the vast swath of red states sandwiched
in-between the smaller blue areas took my
breath away. It’s not that I didn’t see it
coming; for God’s sake, this red-blue
division has been the easy narrative of the
campaign. But when I saw that it was actually
here, a done deal, well, then, I was overcome
by a terrible sinking feeling. It was final:
the idea of red and blue states will rule for
the days to come. In response, all the false, silly and
mind-numbing rhetoric of “civility” and
“bringing the country together” has
started, well, in earnest. I heard some
commentators and politicos say last night that
what the “next president” must do to repair
the breach in the nation is to reach across the
aisle to work in a bipartisan fashion and maybe
even appoint a
...continue reading
-
Restoring Our Faith
On this election eve, the nation is bracing
itself: What will happen? Who will win? Will we
even know the victor when we finally rest our
weary heads on our pillows? But I have a different thought in mind: Who
will we become in the months ahead? As I have
crisscrossed the nation in recent weeks, it is
this thought to which I continually find myself
returning. Everyday we hear that this is a divided and
polarized nation. Yes, there are ardent Bush
and Kerry supporters on both sides. But the
pundits and pollsters and prognosticators are
missing the real story when they remain so
ardently focused on the narrative of a divided
nation. The people I have talked with across the nation
are in search of ways to come together, not to
divide themselves. What’s more, the central
challenges we face will not be eased or erased
by this election. Not even a potential record
voter turnout on Tuesday – maybe upwards of
120 million voters – will signal redemption
for our political process.
...continue reading
-
Boo
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation What an abhorrent, insulting, incoherent and,
most of all, disingenuous performance last
night by the two presidential candidates. I
literally wanted to stand up in my family room
and boo so loudly they could hear me in Tempe.
Did you notice how when the two candidates gave
their closing statements, all of a sudden their
language, physical demeanor, and tone became
“presidential”? And yet all we got during
the debate were half-truths, unanswered
questions, and even canned laugh lines. It made
me want to turn off the TV. On Tuesday of this week, I spent an hour on
Wisconsin Public Radio doing a call-in program
with voters in that swing state. Their
frustrations about this campaign, their desire
for real answers, their hope for genuine
leadership was palpable. Then on Wednesday
morning I wrote a report about how Las Vegas
citizens and leaders view the challenges of
their community; people there need
...continue reading
-
Redemption or Renaissance?
Guest: Cole Campbell, Dean of the
Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University
of Nevada - Reno
In between the second and third presidential
debates, there was a flurry of
blogosphere-driven chatter about a suspicious
bulge in President Bush's suit coat during the
second debate. A photo showing telltale shadows
on the president's back was blown up, analyzed,
explained away by the White House tailor,
speculated about by everyone else drawn to the
idea of conspiracy. Was this some device by
which the president's handlers -- presumably
people smarter than him, or at least with
better syntax -- could coach the president to a
more palatable performance in the debate? Was
this whole contretemps a clever ruse by White
House insiders to divert public discussion from
substantive matters of war, jobs, the
environment and schooling?
What gives speculation over a shadow on a
jacket such resonance -- besides our national
appetite for conspiracy theories -- is that it
fits with
...continue reading
-
Falling Apart
Guest Matthew Yglesias, Blogger
and Staff Writer, The
American Propsect To semi-defend our candidates, I think the
focus on domestic policy wound up showing us
more about the limitations of the debate format
than of the two men on the stage. As long as
the moderator kept the focus on social issues
-- abortion, homosexuality, etc. -- and the
fuzzy stuff at the end, both were relatively
appealing. I don't find Bush's evangelical
worldview appealing, but I'm coming to
understand it, and I think he explained it
well. Kerry's harder task of explaining the
role of the faithful leader with a vision of
secular political was also well done. It was when you got down to the nitty-gritty of
economic policy that things fell apart, but how
could they not fall apart? Two minutes -- or 90
seconds for a reply -- isn't anywhere close to
enough time to lay out a theory of
international trade economics and a reasonable
policy response to it. The difficulty is only
heightened because, in the
...continue reading
-
The Right Man, Right Time, Right Place
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation
For me, the second presidential debate sounded
almost like a real debate, until I awoke from
my slumber and realized what was happening. The
two candidates spun their talking points
bravely but the campaign – despite people’s
interest and engagement across the nation –
remains stuck in place for now. But there is an
alternate path.
Here’s what I mean. The candidates have
successfully gotten people’s attention in
recent weeks. For instance, millions of us have
been glued to our television sets watching the
three debates.
But now that we’re watching, all we got on
Friday night were two men strutting across a
stage imploring us to believe their
exhortations, auctioning off tax cuts and new
programs to satisfy us, and dutifully attacking
one another to prove their mettle.
None of these debating points helped tell us
anything more than we already had come to know,
which hasn’t been enough
...continue reading
-
Asking How
Guest: Jehmu Greene, President, Rock The
Vote I thought one of the most interesting aspects
of the debate was the way its as-yet-undecided
audience of voters made themselves, and their
issues, heard. They weren’t timid,
apathetic, or wishy-washy. They were
concerned, committed, and intelligent. I think
the debate served to remind us that the
undecided populace in this election aren’t
necessarily “few,” and that their interests
and their votes certainly can’t be
discounted. Rich has a strong point in calling for the
candidates’ heartfelt visions instead of the
well-worn talking points at which we’re
starting to roll our eyes. But they must be
careful to be specific as well. If both
candidates spent the debates proclaiming their
hearts’ desires, we’d probably end up
hearing the same speech twice: a stronger, more
free America, both at home and internationally,
an efficient and reasonable withdrawal of
troops from a stabilized Iraq, clean air,
affordable
...continue reading
-
Surviving the Game
Guest: Rita Kirk, Chair of the Corporate
Communications and Public Affairs Program,
Southern Methodist University I had an interesting opportunity last Friday
night. Rather than watching the debate on
television, I listened on XM Radio as I
traveled. My sixteen year old son and I had a
great opportunity to listen, free from visual
distractions and to interpret meaning based
solely on verbal expression. In many ways, I
felt like a part of that mythic event during
the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1960 where the
winner and loser were viewed differently
depending on the medium used.
This debate was certainly hard-hitting. As my
son remarked, it was as entertaining as
watching a football game. That is true if you
had a candidate in the "game" that you were
rooting for (or against). Yet what I found
disturbing about the event was that there
seemed to be little connection on the part of
either candidate to the listeners or an effort
to elevate the debate. Debaters are taught to
...continue reading
-
Water, Water Everywhere
Guest: Cole Campbell, Dean of the Donald
W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University
of Nevada - Reno There are others beyond themselves that the
candidates probably would need to trust in
order for them to follow the admirable path
that Rich suggests. Take my professional domain: the news media.
Journalist Matt Bai discusses John Kerry’s
reluctance to spell out his nuanced approach to
foreign policy in the post-9/11 world in
Bai’s cover story in Sunday’s New York
Times Magazine, “Kerry’s Undeclared War.”
This simple exchange, and how Bai interprets
it, is telling:
''What kind of water do you drink?'' I asked,
trying to make conversation. ''Plain old American water,'' he said. ''You mean tap water?'' ''No,'' Kerry replied deliberately. He seemed
now to sense some kind of trap. I was left to
imagine what was going through his head. If
I admit that I drink bottled water, then he
might say I'm out of touch with ordinary
voters. But doesn't demanding my own
...continue reading
-
Truth, Ambiguity & the Pursuit of Leadership
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation
As I watched last night’s vice-presidential
debate it was enormously revealing about the
fundamental challenge Americans confront in
this election: which truth to believe.
Both candidates, both campaigns, and voters on
all sides have talked passionately about the
“distortions” in this campaign. There are
too many to count. But the argument over these
distortions fails to pinpoint our real dilemma.
After the first presidential debate I wrote
about the clash between competence and
certitude. Beneath this clash rests competing
narratives about the state of the nation and
our work abroad. We could see these competing
narratives at work last night. How well is the
war in Iraq going? How much progress have we
made in ensuring that no child is left behind
in our public schools? To what extent have we
provided health care to all Americans? How well
are American communities protected from future
...continue reading
-
Of Truth and Fiction
Guest: Jehmu Greene, President, Rock The
Vote These days, it’s a given that there are
elements of truth and fiction on both sides of
any issue. Campaigns often exploit these
ambiguities both to idealize their candidates
and lampoon their opponents. But this is not
the kind of debate the people of America, and
especially the young people of America, need or
want. Young voters (18-30 years old) aren’t as set
in their ways politically as older voters.
They are not committing to political parties
the way they are committing to the issues at
stake in this election. Young voters are far
more likely than other demographics to change
sides based on the ideals and visions that the
candidates present. They want the candidates
to show them the big picture and how it affects
them, not isolated statistics and sound bytes.
And they know the difference. Young voters
want and deserve to hear the good, bad, and the
ugly; after all, they will have to live and
work with the repercussions
...continue reading
-
Hunched Shoulders, Fluttering Eyelids
Guest: Cole Campbell, Dean of the Donald
W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University
of Nevada - Reno Rich's notion that we have to sort through
competing sets of facts, or facts that don't
quite add up to a coherent whole, is an
important insight into political life. In the
case of the vice presidential debate, it's also
a bit of making lemonade out of lemons.
In strong constrast to the first presidential
debate, which was largely about substantive
policy disagreements and the underlying
narrative of certainty v. competence, the vice
presidential debate was waged as a series of
attempts to puncture and bleed the other side.
All debates have strategic objectives: To win
the debate, if there is a mechanism for
declaring a winner; to resolve a policy dispute
in a formal policy-making process, or, in the
case of electoral debates, to persuade voters
that one side is superior to the other.
Since the vice presidential debate is the
undercard in this forensic tournament, the
...continue reading
-
The Real Debate
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation The pundits were proven wrong, the candidates
did engage, and the people won. Now we have a
genuine race and a clear choice. What was so evident to me last night was a
clash in narratives between certitude and
competence. President Bush offered the candidacy of
certitude. Throughout the debate, he
consistently used words and phrases such as:
“liberty, tyranny, freedom, precious, change
the world, duty, keep our word, stand with you,
injustice, resolve, steadfast, going to win.”
It was a language of a Bush religion of public
affairs, as if he was reading from its very
prayer book. Senator Kerry, on the other hand, presented the
vision of competence. He infused his answers
with such words and terms as: “getting the
job done, my plan, get it right, diplomacy,
alliances, realities, change the dynamics,
reaching out, make sense, look you in the
eye.” This is a language of someone who
derives hope
...continue reading
-
Young and Strong - But Ignored
Guest: Jehmu Greene, President, Rock The
Vote The candidates were clear and forthright on
many fronts, and their differing policies with
regard to the arenas of homeland security and
foreign policy have been highlighted well
enough, except for one area: the impact of war
on the young people of America. President Bush promised an “all-volunteer
army,” while Senator Kerry briefly mentioned
a “backdoor draft taking place in America
today.” They told anecdotes about devastated
parents and widows and poorly equipped
soldiers. While they sounded sympathetic and
troubled by the situation at hand, neither of
them spoke directly to young people’s
concerns or specifically addressed the prospect
of a draft. What will happen when we run out of
volunteers? The candidates need to start acknowledging the
new generation of voters as the political and
voting force that they are. Young people are
showing an unprecedented level of engagement in
this election cycle: 74% of them think
...continue reading
-
A Sigh of Relief
Guest: Veronica De La Garza, Executive
Director, Youth Vote
Coalition I was hoping for the best but expected the
worst. It started on Wednesday night. A
friend called me to say that he had just seen
WWE’s Smackdown Your Vote wrestlers on
Hardball and they were amazing. He could not
believe how articulate and passionate they were
when discussing politics and debating on issues
of concern to young people. Hmmm…..I started
flipping through CNN and MSNBC and my heartbeat
was up! Behind all the anchors, on location at
the University of Miami, are young people. A
lot of them! They are excited, jumping up and down, holding
Bush, Kerry and Nader signs, and we still had
22 hours to go. I was excited, but scared. I
stayed up watching the pre-debate coverage. I
couldn’t help it. Behind every anchor were
tons of young people and only young people.
Young people excited about the candidates,
about the debate. The group that has been
labeled as apathetic for years is on my
...continue reading
-
Beyond the Soundbite
Guest: Rita Kirk, Chair of the Corporate
Communications and Public Affairs Program,
Southern Methodist University The first presidential debate is always the
most important one. After that, viewership
typically falls off by about ten million
viewers. After watching last night’s debate,
I wonder if that data will hold true. At long
last, a presidential debate was not so much
about a winner and a loser as it was about
differing choices – although the pollsters
will try to lead us to believe differently.
Richard is correct in his assessment that this
debate meant something. Perhaps it will mean
that voters will tune in to the upcoming
debates after all. Last night was a break-through in debates of
this sort since one-liners neither dominated
the candidate’s responses nor the following
news coverage. As a life-long student of
political rhetoric, and co-editor of a book
entitled Soundbite Culture: The Death of
Discourse in a Wired World , I am heartened
to see that the
...continue reading
-
A Clash of Messages
Guest: Cole Campbell, Dean of the Donald
W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University
of Nevada - Reno Nowadays, "staying on message" is the
touchstone of political discourse for
presidential candidates. Both George Bush and
John Kerry excelled at staying planted on their
messages in the first presidential debate
Thursday night.
I agree with Rich that, in this case, staying
on message helped crystallize the choice
offered by the two candidates.
Neither candidate assailed the other on the
overworked and underdeveloped grounds of
"character," even when moderator Jim Lehrer of
PBS's "Newshour" threw out a baited question.
The candidates were mostly gracious and civil
toward each other, and their respective
families. But they didn't shy away from
contrasting themselves. Even as George Bush
intoned a message of certainty in describing
himself, he also worked to frame his opponent
as the embodiment of uncertainty and bearer of
"mixed messages." And just as John Kerry made
the case
...continue reading
-
Debate DOA?
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation Many commentators have been saying that
tonight’s debate won’t matter. They’ve
pronounced the debate dead on arrival,
especially due to its format, the post-debate
spin they anticipate, and the candidates’
unwillingness to be forthright. While there may be some truth to these
critiques, they create a deeper problem for
America. Their dismissive tone spreads a
narrative that we ought not to take these
debates seriously. In turn, many people may not
watch tonight or will reflexively discount the
results.
Americans are anxious about the direction of
the nation. They want a leader who can provide
a vision for the future, outline the necessary
steps to achieve it, and provide a sense of
personal and common security. I agree that tonight’s debate format is
unconscionable – a result of politics as
usual and meek candidates. But spinning a
narrative of futility only breeds further
disengagement.
...continue reading
-
Holding Ourselves Accountable
Wherever we turn - to politics, to
philanthropy, or the private sector, we find a
discussion of accountability. Too often, however, accountability means what
others expect from us rather than what we
expect from ourselves. I explain the difference in the most recent
edition of Philanthropy
News Digest , a publication of The Foundation
Center . Click
here to read the article.
-
Eye On America
The Dan Rather fiasco over President Bush’s
military service record is rapidly
deteriorating into a free-fall for CBS News and
a round-the-clock
free-for-all
for pundits
and analysts .
The problem is that we will miss the real issue
in all this brouhaha. CBS News rushed to use documents in a news
story that were poorly checked out. They
decided to stretch the truth as far as they
could take it, hoping, despite warning signs,
that everything would work out. It didn’t . It seldom does when we play
with reality. Jay
Rosen , NYU journalism professor, wrote
yesterday about the CBS News situation:
"Today's announcement is just one part of a
massive institutional failure at CBS, much of
it still to be uncovered. When the case study
is done, the part that will seem extraordinary,
and most inexplicable, is the ignorant and
high-handed reaction from word one in the game
of doubt that began on the Internet shortly
after the broadcast aired." The real issue here is not merely
...continue reading
-
The Passing of 9/11
9/11 came and went this weekend. As it did, I
wondered about its meaning. Is the date
anything more than something we have come to
pretend holds significance for us? Our
politicians now invoke it in speeches, as if it
is a requisite touchstone that must be given
its due. The news media do stories on cue –
almost as if they must fill their pages or
broadcast minutes to meet the test of
propriety. But are these stories anything more
than empty filler – here today, forgotten
tomorrow? What does 9/11 mean anymore, just three short
years after the tragic event? Have we become
numb to the scenes of people falling, or
jumping, to their death from one-hundred
stories up? Do pictures of the smoldering
rubble look like anything more than any other
demolition site? Have the gut-wrenching tales
of New York City emergency workers been equated
to the self-indulgent woes told routinely on
daytime talk shows? Can we decipher 9/11 anymore? I believe that in our society, nowadays, we
talk
...continue reading
-
What a Week
That was a lot of fun. I want to take a moment to thank my guests last
week for their great thoughts. They really
added a great dimension to this site. Thanks
also to all the readers who took time to share
their comments on the posts, through email, and
in phone calls! A few people asked why I didn’t have a
similar discussion about the Democratic
Convention. This site is still fairly new and,
frankly, we just thought of the idea as the
Republican Convention approached. The timing
gave me the opportunity to try something new,
and I think it turned out very well in the end.
I plan to have similar forums around any
number of events in the future, including the
upcoming presidential debates. Thanks again to everyone who contributed. Check
back as the campaign heats up and we all engage
in working for the public good. There’s sure
to be lots to talk about – and lots to do.
-
Rebuilding on What Foundation?
Guest: Bill Bishop, Reporter, Austin American-Statesman This country’s dead-set certainty that it can
“rebuild” a nation tells all about why we
so often fail at doing just that. The formula was simple, the President told us
last night. We take out the bad leadership in
Iraq and then we rebuild the country, using
some version of the Marshall Plan. Easy as pie. President Bush explained the formula late in
his speech. Yeah, people crab about what’s
happening in the Middle East, Bush said. Well,
they crabbed about the desolation of Germany
after World War II. “Fortunately, we had a
resolute president named Truman, who with the
American people persevered, knowing that a new
democracy at the center of Europe would lead to
stability and peace,” he continued. We
“held firm” and because we did “we live
in a better and safer world today.” And maybe the Germans had something to do with
it, too. I don’t know. Bush never mentioned
‘em. Democracy and economic
...continue reading
-
The Ownership Society
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation President Bush threw the gears into reverse
last night at the Republican Convention by
offering a hopeful, often visionary speech to
the American people. What a difference a day
makes! Hang onto your seats. The differences in
this campaign are now crystal clear. We'd all
benefit if only the candidates would now engage
rather than trashtalk each other.
There is one theme from the President's speech
I want to raise specifically this morning: "the
ownership society." The president continually
returned to the ideas of liberty, freedom,
individual control, ownership -- each and all
emphasizing the individual in society, and
maximizing their independence. But independence
from what and whom?
I and others in this space have discussed the
extent to which people have been separating
from one another in this country. We move to
places with like-minded folks. Many Americans
have retreated from public life into
...continue reading
-
Tuning Out
Guest: Meredith McGehee, Executive
Director, Alliance for Better
Campaigns Wow, Zell Miller is one angry man! And Dick
Cheney doesn’t get mad. He gets even. So with all these emotions and accusations
flying around, you’d think this would be
compelling television. Not! Or at least
that's what the ratings seem to reflect. And if my mother is any measure, these
conventions are as irrelevant to her life as
are the reality television shows she doesn’t
watch. “These conventions are just
infomercials,” she said when I asked if she
was watching the convention. “I don’t want
to waste my time on them.” That’s a difficult message for someone like
me who has been calling on the networks to air
the convention more than 1 hour a night. The
networks respond that doing so is a ratings
loser. We in turn say that if their news
departments had real journalists, they
could look behind the infomercial and provide
more background, more context, more
investigation. So I
...continue reading
-
Our Just Desserts
Guest: Carol Darr, Director, Institute
for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at The
George Washington University So, RH, how would you brand Zell Miller? He's
been called Zig Zag Miller in the past, and not
without reason. It's interesting that a party
that is attacking its opponent so vociferously
for flip flopping proffers as its keynote
speaker someone who started out as an aide to
segregationist Georgia Governor Lester Maddox
then led the fight when he himself was governor
to remove the Confederate emblem from the
Georgia state flag.
Such political growth and maturity over time is
to be applauded, it seems to me, not derided.
Yet all politicians today fear -- and with good
reason -- the consequences of changing their
minds or misspeaking. After Mitt Romney's
speech last night, Mark Shields reminisced
about what a fine public servant his father,
George Romney, was. Yet as Shields pointed
out, George Romney's lifetime of public service
was forgotten in an instant when
...continue reading
-
A Tale of Two Parties
Guest: Bill Bishop, Reporter, Austin American-Statesman Well, after last night, at least now we know
how this campaign is going to play out. The
Republicans figure this is a turnout election.
It’s not about persuasion or argument or
anything but juicing up people so that by
election day all they can think to do is vote. That much the commentators seemed to know last
night on FoxCNNMSNBCPBS. But there is a peculiar political geography
driving all this that is NOT a part of the
national political discussion. Republicans need to work on turnout because
their strongest blocks of support are EXTREMELY
dispersed. They are hard to get to. They also
live in such strongly Republican regions that
turnout might be depressed because of a lack of
competitiveness. We’ll have the full story in
a week or two in the Austin American-Statesman,
but here is a preview. We are conditioned to believe that Democrats
were always the party of the big city and
Republicans were always the party of
...continue reading
-
The Ink Blot Campaign
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation Wow, last night was some show of force. What's
left to say. Is anyone still alive? President
Bush's speech is almost anti-climatic, which
may be by design.
Which leads me to this thought. Have you
noticed the big blue "W" signs everywhere at
the convention? In fact, before the convention,
USA Today had a front page photo of the
president with a big "W" sign right off to his
side. Every time I see this "W" I feel as
though we have reached a new level of
"branding" candidates. It's like when the
musician Prince changed his name to a symbol.
No need for names anymore!
I think of "W" as a strong letter. Maybe it
stands for "warrior" or "wisdom" -- certainly
not wimp, that's what the Bush folks have
dubbed their opponent. I suspect the Bush
people would also like it to stand for "women";
that way they can address any gender gap.
Next, one can only expect Kerry to develop his
own moniker, one to which he has
...continue reading
-
Of Grace and Arrogance
Guest: Carol Darr, Director, Institute
for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at The
George Washington University Rich Harwood's two commentaries on the
Republican convention focus on the theme of
grace and humility vs. certainty and
partisanship. Each party, he comments, spend
too much time demonizing the other, and too
little addressing the larger and more important
issues the beset the country. Rich's call for grace and humility in the face
of the widespread and mutual contempt that both
parties exhibit toward their political
opponents calls to mind Niccolo Machiavelli's
comments about arrogant and insulting behavior. Machiavelli said that arrogance springs from
two impulses, an overestimation of one's own
abilities, and an underestimation of the power
of one's opponent. Insults, he said in the
Discourses, are "usually caused by victory or
the false hope of victory" and "inflame your
enemy and egg him on to revenge." This arrogant
behavior does not take "any strength from
...continue reading
-
The Shadow of Celebrity
Guest: Meredith McGehee, Executive
Director, Alliance for Better
Campaigns As I watched the convention last night, what
struck me is how the culture of celebrity has
overtaken every aspect of modern American life.
And this culture of celebrity is now mutually
reinforced by television and the political
parties. Television types like to air
celebrities because it makes for better ratings
– their holy grail. Knowing that television
exposure is the key way to communicate our 21st
Century America, party leaders are eager to
offer celebrities so they can get on television
and in turn get their “message” out. Thus,
we are see the two biggest Republican
celebrities lead off the first two days
convention -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and
John McCain. And for those of us who are actually watching
the conventions on the non-broadcast channels
(Public Television, CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, etc.),
we are also treated other celebrities –
football player Jason Seahorn with his actress
...continue reading
-
Politics of the Like-Minded
Guest: Bill Bishop, Reporter, Austin American-Statesman Okey dokey, let’s try to understand why
campaigns – especially this campaign –
tends more toward hate and ridicule than toward
reason. First, we have to understand something about
political demography. It’s this: We are
increasingly unlikely to live among those who
think differently than we do, especially when
it comes to decisions about who should be
president. We’ve been doing a hell of a lot
of work here in Austin looking at presidential
elections at the community levels since 1946.
What we’ve found is that since the mid-1970s,
communities have become increasingly
politically homogenous. (Anybody who wants to see the math or the
details can write me – bbishop@statesman.com
-- or go to www.statesman.com/greatdivide .) Nothing evil about this. Our society has
created great wealth and that wealth has given
us many choices. One choice some of us have
made is to live among those who are
like-minded. This
...continue reading
-
Contempt and Grace
Richard C. Harwood , President, The
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation I keep watching the campaign and feeling that
there is something big missing. It comes around
and around for me, but last night I was
reminded of it yet again as I listened to the
speeches and then the Harlem Boys Choir's
beautiful rendition of The Battle Hymn of the
Republic.
In one of the verses of that song, there is the
line: "As ye deal with my contemners, So with
you my grace shall deal." Think about this
line. Let it swirl within you for a moment.
Then sit back and you might hear the song's
refrain echo in your soul, "The truth is
marching on."
Much of this campaign has been about both sides
dealing with their perceived "contemners." At
times those individuals are terrorists; others
times, it is the opposing party and their
supporters. There is no shortage of heated
rhetoric. But what I have not seen in this
campaign is much "grace" -- a sense of
propriety and good will. In this campaign, I
...continue reading
-
What's the (New) Story?
Guest: Bill Bishop, Reporter, Austin American-Statesman Newspapers hold seminars for their reporters
and more often than not journalists are taught
to think about narrative and storytelling in
their writing. Narrative is supposed to attract
readers. Or so editors say. It’s interesting
that the overseers of institutions that are
losing popularity and subscribers somehow seem
to know how to “attract” the “average
reader,” but they do and reporters are asked
to look for ways to employ narrative in their
writing. But at what cost? Rich writes this morning about the “master
narratives” of the campaign. We can see them
forming – stories of war, of terrorism, of
courage, of Vietnam and 9/11. Follo