Best Wishes for America – Tom Finneran
Friday, November 06, 2020
Who needs screenwriters when real-life provides such a palette of characters and plots?
On election night, the time, effort, and passion of hundreds of volunteers comes to a head, culminating sometimes in elation, sometimes in dejection, and always in exhaustion. And the cadre of political professionals who engage in any serious effort for serious office prepare to move along to the next scheduled carnival.
While both groups are essential ingredients in the process, I prefer the idealism of the volunteers to the hard realism of the battle-scarred pros.
As with any group of people thrust together in a common cause, a certain camaraderie often develops. Friendships can blossom. New relationships can develop. Even marriages have emerged from the hectic chaos of a campaign.
The volunteers might be the teammates and classmates of the candidate. They might be neighbors, or friends, or friends of friends. They might be former teachers or fellow employees. Often the first “volunteers” are the brothers and sisters of the candidate, sometimes utterly dismayed that their sibling is both idealistic about an issue or an office and serious enough to commit countless hours to the pursuit of that office.
I tip my cap to the candidates. I tip my hat to the campaign workers. And I tip my hat to the voters who pay attention to their community’s needs and who aspire to improve it. They are all indispensable elements to the miracle of America and the ideal of self-government.
Herewith, a wish list for America:
MODESTY in our public leaders. They do not have to be the smartest person in the room, but they should seek to have smart people around them.
HUMILITY in our public leaders, including a readiness to confer with others who might hold different views on controversial issues.
INTEGRITY, which is the sine qua non of all public service and the most indispensable of all other worthy characteristics.
A WORK ETHIC to match the intensity of your strongest supporters, a 24/7 habit of solid industry.
A CONSTANT CURIOSITY which seeks to build upon a baseline of understanding, drawing on the insights of experienced and accomplished citizens.
A final wish---that President Trump and Vice President Biden find it within themselves to actually lead their volunteers and supporters toward shared American hopes and dreams, that they commit themselves to the best transition or the best second inaugural that America has ever seen, and that they pledge themselves to a constant public and private availability to each other on behalf of America.
President Lincoln called it a binding up of our wounds and indeed, we are a wounded nation. But I know that each candidate’s supporters are capable of better behavior and I pray that the candidates themselves rise to this urgent test of leadership. Now is the time…………
Best wishes America.
Tom Finneran is the former MA Speaker of the House
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