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TwitThisRead more memos to President-Elect Barack Obama.
Most people might say that your most compelling challenge as the new president will be ending war and saving the economy. I believe your greatest task is to reunite the country, if for no other reason that solving those two enormous problems—and all the others certain to come during your tenure—will be more easily accomplished by a country facing them together as one people.
For the past 16 years, the partisan gulf in our land has widened to the extent that this nation seems not only divided but nearly crippled. We are all participants in the decline of civil discourse to varying degrees, and few would argue that the Republic has benefited. Americans are capable of rallying together in times of crisis or when we have a common enemy, as after 9/11. But soon after, we resumed our usual partisan positions. How much better to rally together in order to thwart the next crisis? How much wiser to strengthen our union and discourage our enemies.
Your predecessor ran on a promise to bridge our political divide. He did not succeed, but you must. How? The past two administrations offer some clues.
First of all, "consultation" with congressional leaders doesn't mean telling them what you're going to announce in the next hour. Second, a clear lesson of the last two presidencies is that taking bold action—waging war, authoring major changes to the tax code, launching broad new domestic policies—requires the support of both major parties, not just your own. It also means retaining their support by continually reevaluating you actions, while seeking the advice and counsel of an array of lawmakers and policymakers.
Leadership doesn't mean only that you display confidence; it means that you inspire confidence. President Bush always believed that civility was an essential ingredient in Washington if the town were to function properly. No one would argue otherwise, but there’s more to the equation. The other part is compromise. The Electoral College is winner-take-all, but judicial appointments don’t have to work that way, and legislation never should. That's not how you get the best laws.
Your greatest challenge, then, is to articulate a vision of shared purpose—something larger than ourselves and more compelling than party loyalty—to save us from self-destruction. We need to stop targeting each other and aim our considerable talents and resources at the many problems facing this world. United, we are simply a much stronger and effective people. Good luck.
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