It was the best of governors, it was the worst of presidents. . .
To watch the coronavirus briefings of Roy Cooper and Andrew Cuomo, governors of North Carolina and New York respectively, is to watch two men with contrasting styles. Where Governor Cooper is reserved and gentle, Governor Cuomo is open and aggressive. Where Governor Cooper's briefings are controlled and organized, Governor Cuomo's are freewheeling and unconventional. Where reporters in North Carolina phone in questions with deference to the Governor, reporters in New York compete and shout each other down. But here the differences end and the similarities begin.
Each of these distinguished, intelligent men knows how to lead in this crisis:
They thank their citizens--particularly those working for the public--for their hard and selfless work.
They express sadness for the loss of life and sympathy to families in mourning.
They present facts based on science and medicine.
They refer questions to their staff so that clear, precise information is conveyed.
They treat reporters with respect and answer questions carefully.
They seek to unify rather than divide.
Their president, however, does the opposite. His briefings are all about him. He brags, he lies, and he blames others. He answers questions directed at staff despite his ignorance. He demeans reporters and political opponents. He calls his citizens names.
That great opening sentence from A Tale of Two Cities continues, "it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. . . "
We're fortunate in these two wise, believable governors and in many of their peers. . . but could we be cursed with a more foolish, incredible character sitting in the White House? Not a chance.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Why Aren't You Listening?
A joint post between Marjorie and her daughter, Miranda
This week's events have reminded us of an old parable, "The Man by the River." In this story, a man hears a warning over the radio about a coming flood but does nothing, insisting that God loves him and will save him. Meanwhile, most of his neighbors clear out. Then a rescuer comes along in a boat, offering to row the man to safety. He insists, once again, that God will save him. Finally, a helicopter hovering above is another avenue to safety. When the man refuses help again, he drowns. In heaven, he asks God, "Why didn't you save me? I prayed, and I thought you loved me." God responds, "I sent you a radio message, a rowboat, and a helicopter. What were you waiting for?"
(This story is told brilliantly by Karl Malden on the television show The West Wing. Link to the Youtube clip here.)
Many of our fellow citizens have spent their time this past week protesting stay-at-home orders around the country. In Michigan, they sat in their cars, blocking access to a hospital. Their reasons for protesting include a desire to visit a hair salon, purchase grass seed and lawn fertilizer (it's snowing in Michigan, folks!), and the theory that staying at home is allowing the virus to win. Our top scientists insist that stay-at-home orders and the continuing closure of non-essential businesses and schools are the best strategies to manage this pandemic.
We believe that, as in the parable, God has sent us the best scientists and researchers, government warnings and press conferences (thank you, Governor Cuomo, etc.), and plenty of news. God doesn't save us but asks us to save ourselves.
This week's events have reminded us of an old parable, "The Man by the River." In this story, a man hears a warning over the radio about a coming flood but does nothing, insisting that God loves him and will save him. Meanwhile, most of his neighbors clear out. Then a rescuer comes along in a boat, offering to row the man to safety. He insists, once again, that God will save him. Finally, a helicopter hovering above is another avenue to safety. When the man refuses help again, he drowns. In heaven, he asks God, "Why didn't you save me? I prayed, and I thought you loved me." God responds, "I sent you a radio message, a rowboat, and a helicopter. What were you waiting for?"
(This story is told brilliantly by Karl Malden on the television show The West Wing. Link to the Youtube clip here.)
Many of our fellow citizens have spent their time this past week protesting stay-at-home orders around the country. In Michigan, they sat in their cars, blocking access to a hospital. Their reasons for protesting include a desire to visit a hair salon, purchase grass seed and lawn fertilizer (it's snowing in Michigan, folks!), and the theory that staying at home is allowing the virus to win. Our top scientists insist that stay-at-home orders and the continuing closure of non-essential businesses and schools are the best strategies to manage this pandemic.
We believe that, as in the parable, God has sent us the best scientists and researchers, government warnings and press conferences (thank you, Governor Cuomo, etc.), and plenty of news. God doesn't save us but asks us to save ourselves.
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Donald Cottontail
A reworking of a popular Easter song, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail," composed by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Governors Trumping Trump
Despite Donald Trump's insistence that he's managing the coronavirus crisis, our state's governors are the ones who've been in charge. Many of them--like Andrew Cuomo of New York, Gavin Newsom of California, and J. B. Pritzker of Illinois--communicate facts, explain trends and patterns, take responsibility, and support each other. They are refreshingly honest, and they speak with intelligence.
What does President Trump do to support their efforts? If you hoped for encouragement, helpful advice, and thoughtful cooperation, you hoped in vain.
We had an early clue about this when Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington, faced the first onslaught of COVID-19 in a nursing home near Seattle. Other states weren't facing the crisis yet, and Inslee was largely on his own. As reported by Politico, Inslee told Vice President Pence the efforts to combat coronavirus would be more successful "if the Trump administration stuck to the science and told the truth." Trump's response: "That governor is a snake."
Since then, Trump has admonished Gretchen Witmer of Michigan, saying, "Failing Michigan Governor must work harder and be more proactive." Last month he tweeted that Governor Pritzker "and a very small group of certain other Governors. . . shouldn't be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings." And just yesterday Trump said that Governor Cuomo wasn't being "gracious" for the aid he's received.
Donald Trump has called himself a "wartime president," invoking World War II and saying, "Now's our time. . . We must sacrifice together, because we are all in this together." But don't wartime presidents support their generals in the field? Undermining one's own staff is a sure path to defeat.
Whether or not the wartime metaphor is apt for the coronavirus onslaught, the need for cooperation between our federal and state governments couldn't be greater. For this to work, leadership needs to come from the top. Since it hasn't, governors have stepped into this void, and I for one am grateful.
What does President Trump do to support their efforts? If you hoped for encouragement, helpful advice, and thoughtful cooperation, you hoped in vain.
We had an early clue about this when Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington, faced the first onslaught of COVID-19 in a nursing home near Seattle. Other states weren't facing the crisis yet, and Inslee was largely on his own. As reported by Politico, Inslee told Vice President Pence the efforts to combat coronavirus would be more successful "if the Trump administration stuck to the science and told the truth." Trump's response: "That governor is a snake."
Since then, Trump has admonished Gretchen Witmer of Michigan, saying, "Failing Michigan Governor must work harder and be more proactive." Last month he tweeted that Governor Pritzker "and a very small group of certain other Governors. . . shouldn't be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings." And just yesterday Trump said that Governor Cuomo wasn't being "gracious" for the aid he's received.
Donald Trump has called himself a "wartime president," invoking World War II and saying, "Now's our time. . . We must sacrifice together, because we are all in this together." But don't wartime presidents support their generals in the field? Undermining one's own staff is a sure path to defeat.
Whether or not the wartime metaphor is apt for the coronavirus onslaught, the need for cooperation between our federal and state governments couldn't be greater. For this to work, leadership needs to come from the top. Since it hasn't, governors have stepped into this void, and I for one am grateful.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Leadership Matters
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily press conferences put Donald Trump to shame. The governor is everything that Trump is not: intelligent, informative, and inspiring. Watching Cuomo each day leads me to reflect on the traits of leadership, something I never questioned when Barack Obama was president:
Leadership is honest. Someone who leads tells the truth. All of Cuomo's press conferences begin with an overview of the facts. We get the numbers, the projections, and the honest assessment of deaths, as hard as these are to hear. What about Trump? "I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. I've always viewed it as very serious."
Leadership is responsible. Cuomo told us one day last week that people were angry at him for closing businesses. His response? "I take full responsibility," he said. Trump, on the other hand, blamed Obama for the slow testing rate in America and said, "No, I don't take responsibility at all."
Leadership acts decisively. Governor Cuomo closed the schools and nonessential workforce, deployed the National Guard, selected new hospital sites, and secured volunteer services from retired medical professionals. Each day he announces new measures and new ideas. Trump? Not so much. His contradictory remarks sow confusion and fear. On Friday he announced the possibility of a quarantine for New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and by Sunday he'd canceled it.
Leadership is empathic. When Andrew Cuomo talks about the loss of life, the bravery of healthcare workers and first responders, and the generosity of people all over the country, he shows that he understands the feelings of others. Donald Trump, on the other hand, seems not to care. He doesn't speak movingly about the sacrifices of Americans or about our dying citizens. He speaks only in platitudes: "It's going to disappear," he says, "We're going to be hopefully a best case, not a worst case," scenario.
Finally, leadership believes in something larger than self. In today's press conference, Governor Cuomo talked about two paramount concepts: Excelsior and E pluribus unum. In Latin these mean respectively "ever upward" and "out of many, one." Cuomo believes in aspiration and unity, inspiring listeners to something higher than themselves. President Trump? He's made it clear that he cares more about financial markets and wealth than about American lives. It wasn't until the stock market crashed repeatedly that he demanded action. His personal interests are his highest calling.
Governor Cuomo has stepped into the leadership vacancy that exists at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and I couldn't be more grateful.
Leadership is honest. Someone who leads tells the truth. All of Cuomo's press conferences begin with an overview of the facts. We get the numbers, the projections, and the honest assessment of deaths, as hard as these are to hear. What about Trump? "I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. I've always viewed it as very serious."
Leadership is responsible. Cuomo told us one day last week that people were angry at him for closing businesses. His response? "I take full responsibility," he said. Trump, on the other hand, blamed Obama for the slow testing rate in America and said, "No, I don't take responsibility at all."
Leadership acts decisively. Governor Cuomo closed the schools and nonessential workforce, deployed the National Guard, selected new hospital sites, and secured volunteer services from retired medical professionals. Each day he announces new measures and new ideas. Trump? Not so much. His contradictory remarks sow confusion and fear. On Friday he announced the possibility of a quarantine for New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and by Sunday he'd canceled it.
Leadership is empathic. When Andrew Cuomo talks about the loss of life, the bravery of healthcare workers and first responders, and the generosity of people all over the country, he shows that he understands the feelings of others. Donald Trump, on the other hand, seems not to care. He doesn't speak movingly about the sacrifices of Americans or about our dying citizens. He speaks only in platitudes: "It's going to disappear," he says, "We're going to be hopefully a best case, not a worst case," scenario.
Finally, leadership believes in something larger than self. In today's press conference, Governor Cuomo talked about two paramount concepts: Excelsior and E pluribus unum. In Latin these mean respectively "ever upward" and "out of many, one." Cuomo believes in aspiration and unity, inspiring listeners to something higher than themselves. President Trump? He's made it clear that he cares more about financial markets and wealth than about American lives. It wasn't until the stock market crashed repeatedly that he demanded action. His personal interests are his highest calling.
Governor Cuomo has stepped into the leadership vacancy that exists at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and I couldn't be more grateful.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
2020 Election$
I'm sure I'm not the only person who noticed that President Trump acted with speed and deliberation once the coronavirus threatened the nation's economy, but with zero speed and deliberation when it threatened the nation's health. We've learned this week what we surely sensed: that federal officials received intelligence reports in January and February, alerting them to the potential medical disaster that lay ahead. What did Trump do with this information to protect the American people, WHICH IS HIS JOB? Nothing. Denial. Lies. Braggadocio. Slurs.
Meanwhile, we learned this week that some of our senators apparently used the information from these intelligence reports to enhance their portfolios. According to The Washington Post, Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia sold millions of dollars in stock shortly after she attended a private briefing about the dangerous virus and later purchased holdings in a teleworking software company. How prescient! Her colleague Senator Richard Burr, never one to care much about constituents here in North Carolina, sold holdings in hotels and restaurants, shipping, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, all of which have suffered in the pandemic.
The election before us on November 3 couldn't be more important for many reasons, and one of the main ones is this: do we want to be a country where money matters more than people, or where people matter more than money? The America we live in today values the dollar more than the person. It's the dollar that determines the care and medications we get when we're sick, the quality of our children's education, the purity of our water and air, and the safety net (that's full of holes) when things go wrong.
While the Democratic party has participated in creating this situation, the Republicans under Donald Trump have taken it to an entirely new level. The cronies surrounding the president represent corporate rather than human interests, and this administration's response to the emergency we now face lays bare the disastrous consequences of valuing money over people.
One way out of this national tragedy is to vote Democratic on November 3: Make America Humane Again.
Meanwhile, we learned this week that some of our senators apparently used the information from these intelligence reports to enhance their portfolios. According to The Washington Post, Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia sold millions of dollars in stock shortly after she attended a private briefing about the dangerous virus and later purchased holdings in a teleworking software company. How prescient! Her colleague Senator Richard Burr, never one to care much about constituents here in North Carolina, sold holdings in hotels and restaurants, shipping, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, all of which have suffered in the pandemic.
The election before us on November 3 couldn't be more important for many reasons, and one of the main ones is this: do we want to be a country where money matters more than people, or where people matter more than money? The America we live in today values the dollar more than the person. It's the dollar that determines the care and medications we get when we're sick, the quality of our children's education, the purity of our water and air, and the safety net (that's full of holes) when things go wrong.
While the Democratic party has participated in creating this situation, the Republicans under Donald Trump have taken it to an entirely new level. The cronies surrounding the president represent corporate rather than human interests, and this administration's response to the emergency we now face lays bare the disastrous consequences of valuing money over people.
One way out of this national tragedy is to vote Democratic on November 3: Make America Humane Again.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Joe's Back!!
Last night's debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders featured two intelligent, thoughtful men, both of whom would guide our country with a sound judgment that we've lacked since January 20, 2017. Their responses to questions about the coronavirus alone demonstrated the shocking contrast between what we have now and what we could have in the future. Still, Joe Biden's performance confirmed his place as the front-runner in three major ways.
He's found his voice, the voice of reason and calm. He didn't bumble around, as he did in previous debates, confusing listeners and struggling for words. He didn't shout in a rote, defensive manner, appearing out of control. No, this was the Joe that many of us have hoped to see: a long-serving senator and vice president whose experience and knowledge are what we need. A steady, wise leader willing to listen, negotiate, and compromise. He's ready for Day 1 in a way that Bernie is not.
He's found his vice-president, or at least identified her gender, indicating that he gets it. He gets how many of us feel. Why can't we elect a woman as president of the United States? Indira Gandhi was prime minister of India in 1966; Margaret Thatcher of the UK in 1979; Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan in 1988; Mary Robinson of Ireland in 1990; Angela Merkel of Germany in 2005. And these are the names we recognize. Check this CNN website for new names, where you'll see that in 2010 - 2011, the following countries elected women as heads of state: Australia, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago, Denmark, Kosovo, Mali, and Thailand. We're way overdue, and we're not there yet. But Joe is committed to making it happen, whereas Bernie hesitated, indicating that he's not.
Finally, Joe has found his smile, which had gone missing on stage--his smile of the joy of politics, the delight of debate and conversation, and the compassion for others. What a relief to see its return, for I miss having a president who smiles in a genuine, selfless way, managing to dispel fear and anxiety. Donald Trump's smile is smug and self-satisfied. Bernie, unfortunately, doesn't smile enough. I need a lighter demeanor.
We're closing in on nominating our candidate. Let the race begin, and let us unseat the demagogue in the White House who serves only himself and not the people of this country.
He's found his voice, the voice of reason and calm. He didn't bumble around, as he did in previous debates, confusing listeners and struggling for words. He didn't shout in a rote, defensive manner, appearing out of control. No, this was the Joe that many of us have hoped to see: a long-serving senator and vice president whose experience and knowledge are what we need. A steady, wise leader willing to listen, negotiate, and compromise. He's ready for Day 1 in a way that Bernie is not.
He's found his vice-president, or at least identified her gender, indicating that he gets it. He gets how many of us feel. Why can't we elect a woman as president of the United States? Indira Gandhi was prime minister of India in 1966; Margaret Thatcher of the UK in 1979; Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan in 1988; Mary Robinson of Ireland in 1990; Angela Merkel of Germany in 2005. And these are the names we recognize. Check this CNN website for new names, where you'll see that in 2010 - 2011, the following countries elected women as heads of state: Australia, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago, Denmark, Kosovo, Mali, and Thailand. We're way overdue, and we're not there yet. But Joe is committed to making it happen, whereas Bernie hesitated, indicating that he's not.
Finally, Joe has found his smile, which had gone missing on stage--his smile of the joy of politics, the delight of debate and conversation, and the compassion for others. What a relief to see its return, for I miss having a president who smiles in a genuine, selfless way, managing to dispel fear and anxiety. Donald Trump's smile is smug and self-satisfied. Bernie, unfortunately, doesn't smile enough. I need a lighter demeanor.
We're closing in on nominating our candidate. Let the race begin, and let us unseat the demagogue in the White House who serves only himself and not the people of this country.
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