Vote tomorrow as if your Life Depends on it.
This column, from today's Chicago Tribune expresses what I have been thinking about writing in my blog for quite a while. Think about it when you go to vote tomorrow.
In next president, let's see respect, not just swagger
Dawn Turner Trice
November 3, 2008
I want a president who understands that Article II of our Constitution doesn't give us an overly elaborate description of what the presidency should be. So he (or one day, she) has to check himself, understanding that his powers are immense but not boundless. He should neither exploit them nor abuse them.I want a president who appreciates that he is the embodiment and caretaker of an institution in which Americans of every hue see the best of our country and ourselves reflected back.I want a president who has the intellectual heft needed to help us dig out of our various holes. I'm not interested in a "Joe the President." He and I won't ever need to sit down and have a beer, or throw back a few shots of hard liquor or even go bowling. We've had an everyman; we know how far a false swagger can take us.I want a president who is curious about the world around him—a president who neither thinks as an ideologue nor speaks in sound bites; who neither believes that issues are simply black and white, nor thinks as if they are.
Dawn Turner Trice Bio E-mail Recent columns
I want a president who recognizes that he doesn't know everything, so he surrounds himself with people—from both sides of the aisle and from opposing viewpoints—who can help fill in the gaps. I want a president with can "laugh with" as opposed to "laugh at." I want a president who wants to hear what scientists say about global warming and then work to effect change.I want a president who appreciates green spaces and sees the importance of creating bicycle and walking pathway systems that rival our interstate highway system.I want a president who has the discipline and stamina of a marathoner and the heart and dig of the best little leaguer.I want a president who loves the arts and believes in growing national treasures such as the great (now late) Studs Terkel who can write about average Americans with nuance and humanity. I want a president who has convictions but knows when to let go.I want a president who is loyal to his friends but not loyal to a fault. I want a president who can bring an end to our wars and take the billions of dollars being spent overseas and invest them in more affordable health care and education systems here at home.I want a president who understands the importance of separation of church and state and knows that our country was not founded on Christianity but on religious tolerance.I want a president who will not turn over his job to the vice president (except when going under general anesthesia). I want a president who can convey to the country (and through his actions at the helm of government) that there really is no such thing as a free ride or easy credit. And beware of "No money down."I want a president who can explain, as he might to a daughter, why we should pay our own way so that we're not beholden to anybody. I want a president who knows that there are still parts of our country where mountains appear purple and amber-colored grain waves and steel buildings stand at attention. And yet our true measure is not how anything looks on the outside, but who we are on the inside. That will be the America revered beyond our shores.I want a president who can continue to inspire and electrify as well as remind us that even in our darkest hours there's much to believe in. It's not enough that tens of millions of people have viewed the presidential debates and already have come out in early voting. After Tuesday, the real work begins and Americans must stay engaged.Most of all, I want a president who—after solemnly swearing or affirming that he will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States—goes about the business of doing so. dtrice@tribune.com
In next president, let's see respect, not just swagger
Dawn Turner Trice
November 3, 2008
I want a president who understands that Article II of our Constitution doesn't give us an overly elaborate description of what the presidency should be. So he (or one day, she) has to check himself, understanding that his powers are immense but not boundless. He should neither exploit them nor abuse them.I want a president who appreciates that he is the embodiment and caretaker of an institution in which Americans of every hue see the best of our country and ourselves reflected back.I want a president who has the intellectual heft needed to help us dig out of our various holes. I'm not interested in a "Joe the President." He and I won't ever need to sit down and have a beer, or throw back a few shots of hard liquor or even go bowling. We've had an everyman; we know how far a false swagger can take us.I want a president who is curious about the world around him—a president who neither thinks as an ideologue nor speaks in sound bites; who neither believes that issues are simply black and white, nor thinks as if they are.
Dawn Turner Trice Bio E-mail Recent columns
I want a president who recognizes that he doesn't know everything, so he surrounds himself with people—from both sides of the aisle and from opposing viewpoints—who can help fill in the gaps. I want a president with can "laugh with" as opposed to "laugh at." I want a president who wants to hear what scientists say about global warming and then work to effect change.I want a president who appreciates green spaces and sees the importance of creating bicycle and walking pathway systems that rival our interstate highway system.I want a president who has the discipline and stamina of a marathoner and the heart and dig of the best little leaguer.I want a president who loves the arts and believes in growing national treasures such as the great (now late) Studs Terkel who can write about average Americans with nuance and humanity. I want a president who has convictions but knows when to let go.I want a president who is loyal to his friends but not loyal to a fault. I want a president who can bring an end to our wars and take the billions of dollars being spent overseas and invest them in more affordable health care and education systems here at home.I want a president who understands the importance of separation of church and state and knows that our country was not founded on Christianity but on religious tolerance.I want a president who will not turn over his job to the vice president (except when going under general anesthesia). I want a president who can convey to the country (and through his actions at the helm of government) that there really is no such thing as a free ride or easy credit. And beware of "No money down."I want a president who can explain, as he might to a daughter, why we should pay our own way so that we're not beholden to anybody. I want a president who knows that there are still parts of our country where mountains appear purple and amber-colored grain waves and steel buildings stand at attention. And yet our true measure is not how anything looks on the outside, but who we are on the inside. That will be the America revered beyond our shores.I want a president who can continue to inspire and electrify as well as remind us that even in our darkest hours there's much to believe in. It's not enough that tens of millions of people have viewed the presidential debates and already have come out in early voting. After Tuesday, the real work begins and Americans must stay engaged.Most of all, I want a president who—after solemnly swearing or affirming that he will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States—goes about the business of doing so. dtrice@tribune.com
posted by eeroots at 2:19 PM
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