Ten reasons Bill Moyers should be president
Commentary by Scott Beckman
Beckman explains that he has tried to identify with Democrats for years but has found wide differences between his thinking and theirs on matters such as the importance of leadership, public and foreign policy, and electoral strategy. His op-ed sincerely is intended as yet another "reaching out" to Democrats with the best approach for unifying the party (generally consisting of liberals and centrists with true progressives such as himself.
"We 'genuine' progressives may be small in number, maybe a million or so, but a lot of us see ourselves as the disenfranchised 'soul' of what used to be the Democratic Party," Beckman states. "In our hearts, a lot of us want to be, and could be, the principled, passionate, patriotic hard-working difference.....The Democratic leadership continues to disagree with that view....."
He believes it is important that "progressive" citizens who feel the need to support alternative candidates like Ralph Nader continue to seek representation from the Democratic Party and to convince them of their importance in solidifying the party and making its platform meaningful.
"History suggests," he says, "that folks like I will have little more impact on shaping the 2008 Democratic platform and candidate selection than Dennis Kucinich had in 2004, and that we will again end up supporting Nader or a comparable candidate. The race is still shaping up and as a citizen, I'm communicating what it needs to look like for me to support a Democrat. I think somebody of Bill Moyer's calibre is needed to unify liberals and progressives....."
Scott Beckman is Development Director for the Northern Pueblos Housing Authority in Santa Fe, NM.
- Mr. Moyers has a genuine, civil, positive, hopeful courage of conviction that we the people can and will serve our own common good if we are properly informed and use the tools of our great democracy wisely. His passion for our country is rooted in a deep understanding, respect for, and unswerving adherence to the bedrock values and principles our Founding Fathers left us for us to preserve.
- Mr. Moyers has a profound vision about how the United States of America can be unified again by the fullest exercise of self-government by we the people around our basic commitments to simple, commonly accepted all-American values and policies such as equality of opportunity and caring for your neighbor and telling the truth.
- Mr. Moyers is a fearless advocate. He is unafraid to say that many politicians are simply the shills of selfish, greedy corporate interests; that false prophets are heretics; and that powerful media and lobby groups are peddling corruption.
- Mr. Moyers espouses and upholds very high standards of professional ethics and personal integrity.
- Mr. Moyers brings significant hands-on White House experience to bear on his thinking about America’s future.
- Mr. Moyers lifetime of public service as an honest political journalist has earned him national esteem and the respect of millions of people.
- Mr. Moyers talks openly and comfortably about the role spiritual values play in his progressive outlook without abusing or disrespecting the line that is supposed to separate religious belief and political thought in America.
- Mr. Moyers is an exceptionally smart person. He has a truly impressive command of the facts underlying the fundamental connection that exists between progressive policies and electoral results. Further, he has demonstrated a unique ability to think ahead of the curve and craft and manage creative, state-of-the-art, successful enterprises, including ones that involve media planning.
- Mr. Moyers is a mesmerizing public speaker.
- Mr. Moyers understands expressed the view that the perfection of our union will require new and perhaps unprecedented sacrifices by all of us. He would be a captain who bravely acknowledges the turbulent waters roiling all about and inspires us to do the right things needed to safely sail through them.
For many years I have reached out but unsuccessfully tried to bridge the differences between Democrats and myself despite the fact that these efforts never have resulted in anything more than dashed political hopes. My simple plea has been for Democrats to earn my vote—and most of America’s—by standing on a people-centered platform and selecting a world-class Presidential candidate to champion it. The current leadership of the Democratic Party is timid, off-message, and strategically bankrupt.
I simply disagree with my friends who say that superior leadership doesn’t make a difference. Therefore, in the face of their constant discouragement, I have continued to reflect on what the leadership I can support would look like and who in the Democratic Party might embody it. At this moment in time, I’ve concluded that it is found in the person of Mr. Bill Moyers.
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