Are Rhode Islanders Angry Enough to Want Real Change?
The term leadership, simply put, is having faith in a long-term vision that builds bridges for real change for those who are served. It’s no popularity contest. Honestly, I think why many Rhode Islanders are so numb to our future is they can see what our elected officials and those seeking office are or are not doing/saying. After anger, what’s left?
Rod Driver makes this point in his letter to the editor in the Westerly Sun concerning the Bush Administration’s War on Iraq to remove weapons of mass destruction – er, um, uh – I mean to free Iraq from the tyranny of its dictator, Saddam – er, uh, um mission accomplished! No, no, no, the war on terrorism and rebuilding of a democracy with no exit strategy whilst our national interests go unattended.
Charles Bakst and Edward Achorn are to be commended for pointing out the short-term thinking of our elected officials. The real travesties are the far-reaching impacts of
Bush’s end run Bolton appointment sets back foreign relations with our global neighbors, because frankly,
Finally, photogenic Roberts…. Women who want to see the clock turned back on their rights have only him or slot #2 on the bench to wait for this to happen…. No talking heads, but we could use somebody who is visible and vocal……and in the trenches. This is the real war we can’t afford to lose.
posted by Carl Sheeler For Senate @ 11:32 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Carl you seem to be a pretty genuine guy. How are we supposed to tell the difference between politicians these days?
Anon,
You asked the $1.1 million question. Thank you. Hoestly, like most relationships, it takes time and looking at somebody's personal and professional history; especially under stress.
Do we believe that "genuine" is to be found by whomever raises the most money and "positions" him-her-self best?
I'm afraid not. We tend to find authenticity in people who speak their mind with conviction and show character. It's a gut feel.
The tough part is when there's too much charisma with too little substance; yet, we all like folks that make us feel good, while at the same time they may not be doing what we expected or need.
Arguably, this is why Chafee has such a high approval rating and Bush was reelected. We are often slow to revise our initial feeling as it questions our own ability to make good judgments.
This is why I think it is "stupid" to critique Chafee, because we're actually saying - You voters made a poor choice. MOst peole don't feel good about making mistakes that are opointed out.
What candidates ought to be doing is making their case as to how they offer a better choice on the issues they feel are most important to us and not simply a side-to-side comparison.
I'd like to think I will be doing this. My focus is on how there is a continual unfairness in our current system that has really harmed the promise of opportunity by making it more difficult to even stay economically in place, much less ahead.
You name it, healthcare, education, social security, energy, quality jobs.... The real rub is we're no more safer; yet, the expenditures on Iraq are supposed to convince us otherwise.
The trick is to convince our citizens that to make the course correction will take time and money, which means shifting expenditures or even raising taxes om worthwhile items. I think the critical issue will be who equitably shares these burdens.
I believe it is the wealthy and large corporations who needs to carry more of the burden.
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