To CPI: Why America Needs Us
By Gabriela Hernandez
To my fellow CPI members, and to those who might join us, I want to tell you why our country needs us – and needs us to be at our best – now more than ever. Right now, America is in crisis, and what this country needs is not more chaos. What we need is not more extremism, terrorism, or violent rhetoric; not a Robin Hood or an antihero to smash our rivals to secure a little more for ourselves. We need a real government of action to fight for working families. And for those of us at the Center for Political Innovation, that means we need to resist the temptation to get pulled into temporary distractions and the latest media circus, whatever it may be.
Right now, I see the celebration and controversy over the death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson as exactly the sort of resentment we have to resist. I understand the deep anger people have – I have had it rough, too, paying out of pocket for healthcare that costs way too much. But this killing on December 4th, the ending of a human life, was nothing moral and did nothing to move our country forward. The members of United Health’s board stepped over their former leader’s body to conduct their meeting as if nothing had happened, and healthcare for Americans is no better than it was a month ago. If anything, I am worried this will justify more terrorism and more militarization of police in the United States. Of course I am angry about healthcare. But I don’t just want to be angry, I want to make things better. If we really want to fight the forces of evil and resentment, we have to go beyond simple revenge fantasies, and we have to represent the real working class.
It will not be easy to find ways to speak to regular working Americans in these times, and we at the Center for Political Innovation will have to think outside the box finding ways to reach and involve our fellow Americans. But I believe this is what we need to do. As an innovationist, I fully commit myself to keep pushing for new and better solutions, as the whole world cries out for peace and an end to war. We need to have conversations with the citizens of America, showing them that we condemn terrorism, and that we want to make our country not more violent but safer and better. We have to start educating our fellow workers, showing them that it’s us ordinary people that make this country run, and it’s us ordinary people that have to come together if we want to change it. I believe we build a better country by educating and working together. Not by killing in the streets, but by coming together as a nation to demand a better path.
Moses showing new truths to his people
We have to be strong emotionally and spiritually for this work. As MLK Jr. said, the conflicts of this world are also a spiritual war we have to fight. And I believe we should start getting closer to any spiritual forces we have within us in the next 4 years. Whatever gets you up in the morning, whatever brings you light in the darkness, whatever gives you fire and passion to make a better world, I hope you will listen to and strengthen that part of yourself.
Personally, I find that strength in my Christian faith. I know other people find their motivation elsewhere, and wherever you find yours, I hope you and I can work together side-by-side towards a better world. But I’d like to share something that means a lot to me: In the Bible, Romans 13:9 states the commandments: key moral principles like “you shall not murder,” you shall not steal,” and “you shall not covet.” For me, the most important of all sums up all the rest in one line: “Love your neighbor as yourself'.” I believe that love for our country and for all people is what we at CPI need in order to make tomorrow better than today, and I believe our country needs that from us now more than ever.
