Mario Cuomo
Campaign in poetry, govern in prose—An introduction to “The Update” by Mario Cuomo
This is the first installment in a week-long series by former Governor Mario Cuomo.
However good his intentions may have been, President Bush and his Administration have demonstrated an appalling incompetence in handling the machinery of government. They started a war that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives on false pretenses, produced a fragmented economy and a devastated budget, showed callousness toward people in need especially after Hurricane Katrina and have been guilty of a shocking disrespect for the Bill of Rights and balance of powers which are the heart and soul of our Constitution. The Administration’s awkwardly elite foreign policy and its Iraq catastrophe have lost us the hard won respect and cooperation of much of the world and increased the hostility of many who were already our enemies. Their reckless tax cuts and spending have created deficits and debt that make it more difficult to deal with the undernourished vital federal programs, including Social Security, Medicare and education.
Those failures were so many and so blatant that all the Democrats needed to do to win back power in the Congress in the 2006 elections was to recount them loudly without having to propose significant and persuasive major policy alternatives.
The elections in 2008 will be a different matter: the burden of proof will be on the Democrats. If they want to hold on to control of Congress and win back the presidency, their candidates must spell out in some detail what they propose to do and how they propose to get it done, including how they intend to pay for whatever costs are involved. Many significant questions must be answered: how do we deal with our loss of jobs to other countries, our increasing inequality of wealth, failing public schools, the threatened insolvency of Social Security, the escalating costs of Medicare, the 47 million uninsured Americans, the terribly ineffective health care system, withering pensions, huge trade and budget deficits, the inconvenient truth of global warming, middle class malaise, 12 or more million undocumented immigrants?
For how long will we continue to be distracted from the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and other parts of the world by the debacle we have created in Iraq? When and how will we be able to remove our troops from the front lines in Iraq? How will we know when it is safe to bring back most of our troops? Should we bomb Iran?
And many more questions that are implicit in the posts that follow.
It’s hard to recall a time in the modern history of presidential elections when we had before us as many vital issues. That makes it more regrettable that some of the leading candidates for President are avoiding being specific about how they intend to deal with those issues.
The proliferation of candidates, the reluctance of leaders in the polls to engage in meaningful probing debate and the extraordinarily early primary season, threaten to give us another primary campaign of sound bites, elusive responses and negativism with dominant roles being played by polls, the power of money and the unpredictability of situation-altering incidents and co-incidents.
Apparently most of the candidates avoid some of the most vital issues because they are afraid of making a mistake, or advocating a position they believe is correct and important but that might prove problematic politically, like coming out against illegal guns the way Mayor Bloomberg of New York has, or describing precisely how they would cut spending and raise badly needed resources. Instead they take comfort in dealing with the safest political positions and uttering broad and benign generalities about the more controversial questions, leaving them to be dealt with after they win. But if the electorate is not informed as to the proposed solutions before they vote, a victory at the polls will not assure that the winners will be able to do what needs to be done, because the victory will not constitute a mandate to the Congress that could provide the leverage to persuade them to adopt solutions that had been presumably approved by the voters.
There is still plenty of time to have a more substantively effective campaign. We can have real debates with ample time for consideration of the questions and presentation of answers; more in depth interviews conducted by thorough and objective interviewers; more published specific statements by the candidates answering the hard questions like “How will you pay for that program?”
All of these intelligent attempts at illuminating the issues and proposed solutions should replace the make believe debates that give a candidate a minute or so to deal with complex issues, distortive 28-second commercials, fierce personal diatribes and the coyness and the simplistic statements we have seen so often in the past.
Having a campaign that reveals all that voters should know – or at least most of it – would be novel, but we have never needed that kind of campaign more and voters should demand it loudly and insistently.
Some years ago I said in a speech that politicians “Campaign in poetry but have to govern in prose.” In fact, if our candidates campaign in poetry instead of good hard specifics, and win, they may wind up governing… in vain.
Over the course of the next week, I will expand on some of the major issues.
Posted at 7:34 AM, Sep 10, 2007 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (11)
Comments
Gov. Cuomo, thanks for coming here. I am among the many who revere you for your service.
That said, I think you severely underrate just how detailed the major candidates have been in their released policy statements during this race -- whether on withdrawal from Iraq, providing health insurance, alleviating urban and rural poverty, reforming government, etc.
On what issues do you believe they're not being substantive?
Posted by: Adam B. | September 10, 2007 10:51 AM
Thanks for doing this. I see it differently though.
I feel like many of the issues you raise have been addressed (education being a notable exception). When the candidates have disagreed, it's been over substantive issues, like the appropriateness of meeting with certain foreign leaders. Even the argument over lobbyist donations has been around the reality of lobbyists in the political system and insider change vs outsider change.
I agree that candidates campaign in poetry and govern in prose, and think that's a good thing. I find the debates we've had so far much more illuminating than a ledger sheet would be. More poetry, please.
Posted by: Steve | September 10, 2007 11:36 AM
Governor Cuomo,
A generation ago, it is arguable that we were in some ways more aggressive and supportive of alternative energy than we are today.
From a policy standpoint, how you would address this issue were you in office today, and what you think about the various Democratic candidates' positions on alternative energy?
Posted by: Michael | September 10, 2007 12:35 PM
Dennis Kucinich remains the most viable candidate for the American people. All we have to do is support him.
www.Kucinich.us
After receiving an alert to contact my Senators regarding continued funding for the occupation (!) from two respectable Democratic organizations, Democracy For America, and MoveOn.org I called Senator Schumer & Senator Clinton.
In the call to Senator Clinton,
I said that if the Senator wants to lead the nation, she must heed the will of the people in not wanting to spend $500Mill /day in a diastrous occupation, and show true leadership & strength by standing up to this unaccountable administration & make withdrawl of our troops a priority. Our children are literally dying and being blown apart for NO REASON! Our country America, needs help, its infrastructure rebuilt ( NYC subway system shuts down from flooding...) and keep our people whole.
The aide said:
she will pass the comment along-
I asked how many people called in support of the war-
aide said 2
how many people are against-
aide said 24
I asked if that might be some indication that Senator Clintons constituents, to whom she is responsible, have shown thier overwhelming desire for a withdrawl
aide said: I will pass your comments along.
Senator Clinton is NOT a viable candidate as she will not heed the will of her own constituents let alone that of the American people.
If Senator Clinton does not have the strength and valor to stand up to this administration on behalf of the people of her own state,
she does not have the strength and courage to lead this nation. We can not afford to elect another unaccountable president.
Posted by: Veronica Borrer | September 10, 2007 01:06 PM
Governor Cuomo:
I am so delighted that you are contributing your wisdom and insight to the DMI Blog this week.
I am a 35 year old New Yorker who has spent the greater part of my life in and around politics and public service (including my present work as a consultant to DMI). I chose to take this road in life because of you. From the first time I heard you speak as a candidate for governor (when I was 10 years old) -- and in numerous times since then -- you have shown me how a person with intellectual honesty, a genuine dedication to public service and a willingness to lead can do a great deal of good for society. I have been trying, as best I can, to live up to your example ever since then.
You remain the greatest of inspirations and I thank you.
Sincerely,
- Chad Marlow
Posted by: Chad Marlow | September 10, 2007 01:13 PM
The real problem is that the Democrats just aren't very good poets. That's why they lose so often even when the public agrees with them on the issues. I say that if the right poetry can rid of us the Republican prose, then I'd vote for Edgar Allen Poe.
Posted by: HarveyC | September 10, 2007 01:53 PM
Thanks everyone who participated in the conversation today. Gov. Cuomo's next post will be up tomorrow and he'll respond to today's comments then as well.
Posted by: Elana from the DMIBlog | September 10, 2007 03:22 PM
Governor
Remember Queens Operations?
Remember the Flushing Airport "flying squad"?
Remember "for the neighborhood, not the politician, XXX for a change" ti the Rocky soundtrack?
Well we almost did it then and Carol and I are still trying to do it now.
For the change.
hy
Posted by: Hy Dubowsky | September 10, 2007 09:20 PM
Mario,
Thanks for your comments. I have always respected you and your approach to governing. You taught me to respect and work with Minor Civil Divisions in conjunction with State objectives, and I believe that I continue to honor that.
I look forward to your future postings.
BFB
Posted by: Bruce F Burgoyne | September 11, 2007 08:33 AM
I've been asked to name issues that I think require more specifics and elaboration from our candidates, especially of the Democratic candidates. In addition to more details on how precisely to withdraw from Iraq (see "Out of Iraq" by Polk and McGovern), I think the candidates should say more about how we fight terrorism, a subject that has been muted by our preemptive and unwise war in Iraq. Beyond that one basic issue, that is partially dealt with by John Edwards and Barack Obama, is how specifically to pay for what we think we need, including health insurance, alleviating urban and rural poverty, immigration and other issues. My understanding is that this DMI Blog will contain my own suggestions in that regard within the next few days.
A number of people have suggested that they prefer poetry to prose. So do I, but not when we should be trying to write a budget.
Some of my suggestions with respect to energy alternatives are expected to be on this Blog in the near future. Before then, I would suggest that in addition to the traditional, non-renewables that appear to be a regular part of the progressive list of aspirations, we should give more serious thought than we are presently giving to nuclear energy. Before you object to that, why not wait to read my thoughts on the subject that will be forthcoming soon?
Thanks for your comments, and look forward to continuing the conversation.
Posted by: Mario Cuomo | September 13, 2007 02:32 PM
Governor,
Wonderful post.
On an unrelated matter, is there anywhere one can find a list of your scheduled lectures/appearanced? You spoke many years ago just a few miles from where my wife and I lived and we passed because of work commitments - thinking that the opportunity to see you would be easily available. It hasn't, and we've both regretted not seeing you on that day.
Do you have any plans to speak in the Chicago area anytime soon?
Thanks
Posted by: Lance Manion | September 20, 2007 01:52 PM