What the Candidates See

The choice for me during the upcoming presidential election is very clear; it is based on what the candidates see when the look at America. Here is a sampling of what they see:

Barack Obama sees an America with universal healthcare—where all citizens are treated with dignity and worth; John McCain sees a healthcare system that is based on an individual’s ability to pay—if you can’t pay, you can’t have equal access to healthcare.

Joseph Biden sees the disingenuousness of Sarah Palin’s moral compass; Sarah Palin sees eye to eye with the hypocrisy of the right-wing conservatives on the issue of moral values.

Obama sees a timetable for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and a war that has diverted billions of tax dollars from states and local municipalities; McCain sees the surge expanding from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Joe Biden sees women having dominion over their bodies and the right to choose; Palin sees a need to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Obama sees an economy in crisis as a result of subprime “Russian roulette” under Republican leadership; McCain sees the fundamentals of the economy as “strong” in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Joe Biden sees problems with the righteous indignation of Vice Presidential candidates when put to the test of leadership. Sarah Palin sees righteousness in her holier-than-thou attitude on social issues in the face of her own moral and ethical lapses.

Barack Obama sees a debate on the issues as an opportunity to demonstrate to the American people his readiness to become commander-in-chief at a time of grave economic crisis; John McCain sees multitasking as a painful inconvenience to the presidency, and views fleeing from a presidential debate as the single most effective way to respond to America’s economic woes.

Joe Biden sees Dr. King’s dream and John F. Kennedy’s vision being realized in the person of Barack Obama, who has the White House within his reach; Sarah Palin sees Russia from her house.

Barack Obama sees choosing McCain as a return to the failed policies of George W. Bush and asks why; Obama sees himself as the change that America needs and says “Yes, We Can!” John McCain sees business as usual and four more years of the George Bush presidency under his leadership as “change.”

I see an America taking its place as the respected leader of the free world under the leadership of a qualified visionary who will deliver the change that America needs;

I see Barack Obama as the next president of the United States of America.

What do you see?

Regards, Adrian

Remembering Al McWilliams

This past week I have been thinking a lot about my friend, the late mayor Albert T. McWilliams. Had he lived, Al would have been 55 years old this month. Although I know that he is in a better place, I continue to have the feeling that he left us much too soon. Al was the friend who paved the way for me, who opened doors when others tried to slam them shut. Al was a man of great integrity, and I believed deeply in his ability, trusted his judgment, and valued his trustworthiness. He supported my desire to become a public servant and helped to shepherd me through the political process; he was a fearless leader who put his political career on the line out of his genuine love for the city.

What would Al say about the state of affairs in Plainfield today? What would he say about the closing of Muhlenberg hospital and the failure of political leaders who stood by and watched as the state pulled the life support and transplanted the organs of this 131-year old patient into another patient, who shared responsibility for its asphyxiation? What would Al say about the city’s stalled economic development? What would he say about the current state of stagnation and about the lost promise? Al, like so many other Plainfield residents, would be appalled, I think. He would be heartbroken to see his vision for a Plainfield that is thriving and respected by all become a city crying out for leadership.

Al was a leader who always got in front; he knew he could not stand aside in a fog pretending to be leading. He, like all good leaders, knew that leadership occurred from the front. A case in point was his vision for a Medical Enterprise Zone along the Park Avenue corridor and his support for the demonstration project that had promised an infusion of over $100 million in state funds to the Muhlenberg campus. The Medical Enterprise Zone was his brainchild, and he was an ardent champion for the Demonstration Project. To the astonishment of many, Al’s dream for a Medical Enterprise Zone was abandoned by his successor and, unfortunately, Plainfield lacked the political muscle at the state level required to deliver the demonstration project. This has resulted in what could now be described as a catastrophic failure, which has led the closing of Muhlenberg.

As mayor, Al McWilliams would have taken the bull by its horns; he would have mobilized the community from the very onset of trouble (not at the eleventh hour), to put pressure on the state and our legislative representatives. He would have met with other influential state legislators to get their buy-in and to seek their sponsorship of legislation in an attempt to save Muhlenberg. Al would have exhausted every avenue; he would have turned over every stone and his actions would have been transparent to the people of Plainfield. He would have apprised the community of his efforts and he never would have left them guessing as to where he stood on this issue. Al would never have buried his head in the sand for two years and pretended not to have known of Muhlenberg’s problems.

Plainfield was the city that Al McWilliams loved; during his two terms as mayor, he brought it back from the valley of despair to the pinnacle of hope. He jump-started its economic revival with the Park-Madison building, which was to serve as a downtown anchor, complemented by the redevelopment of the former Tepper’s department store building into a thriving mixed-use facility. He transformed the appearance of the central business district.

Al developed more than just our downtown, however. He developed people and gave them opportunities to use their talents in the service of Plainfield without demanding their souls in exchange for his support. This was the measure of the man whom we lost much too soon.

Happy 55th birthday to you, my dear friend, Albert T. McWilliams.