Tuesday, May 02, 2006
A Word of Advice to Mr. Chris Gabrieli.
"I don't claim to have all the answers, but I have a lot of neat ideas I'd like to try" is the worst campaign pitch in the history of democracy.
What people want in a leader, Mr. Gabrieli, is leadership. No, we're not suggesting you pull a Mitt Romney and just say whatever you think people want to hear. But people want confidence as much as competence in a leader. Polite, intelligent, self-questioning policy wonks come in second -- just ask Al Gore.*
This is true even of the Democratic party base. No one wants Dr. Suess as governor. No one wants a leader who looks like he'd suggest passing the talking stick around so we can hear what everyone has to say. People don't want to hear what everyone has to say -- they want leadership.
You have beliefs? State them, boldly. That's leadership.
Here's what you need to say:
"Massachusetts is tired of hearing empty promises from politicians who serve one term then sail off into the sunset. I'm tired of it. Massachusetts deserves real leadership, not calculated talking-points that change with the weather. We lead the nation in guaranteeing the rights of all our citizens -- that's something I'm proud of, something all of us should be proud of, and something I intend to support and protect."
Etc.
* Yes, we know, he won. We're just making a point.
What people want in a leader, Mr. Gabrieli, is leadership. No, we're not suggesting you pull a Mitt Romney and just say whatever you think people want to hear. But people want confidence as much as competence in a leader. Polite, intelligent, self-questioning policy wonks come in second -- just ask Al Gore.*
This is true even of the Democratic party base. No one wants Dr. Suess as governor. No one wants a leader who looks like he'd suggest passing the talking stick around so we can hear what everyone has to say. People don't want to hear what everyone has to say -- they want leadership.
You have beliefs? State them, boldly. That's leadership.
Here's what you need to say:
"Massachusetts is tired of hearing empty promises from politicians who serve one term then sail off into the sunset. I'm tired of it. Massachusetts deserves real leadership, not calculated talking-points that change with the weather. We lead the nation in guaranteeing the rights of all our citizens -- that's something I'm proud of, something all of us should be proud of, and something I intend to support and protect."
Etc.
* Yes, we know, he won. We're just making a point.
