We need a political leader who will carry us forward together — whether we’re ready or not
I’ll never forget the day the trains stopped running.
The low rumble at night near my bedroom window turned to silence. The traffic jams leading into downtown disappeared.
I moved from Washington, D.C., years ago with an unusual anticipation to live near a train. They are tangible expressions of the economy, moving America’s labor, goods and resources very much like our nation’s heartbeat and lifeblood.
In D.C., the government turns the economy off and on with as much ease as a living room light dimmer. In the heart of Oklahoma City, the absence of a train in March 2020 created a sense of dread well before our hospitals were overwhelmed by COVID-19.
Now, a few years later, the trains are picking back up steam. Instead of jumping on board eager for the next scenic stop, many Americans anxiously anticipate being crushed by them.
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Social distancing delayed children’s immune systems. Classroom learning came to a halt and data is revealing the devastating impact on kids. The silence on the train tracks also meant a prolonged absence of full-time in-office jobs, regular church attendance and constructive conflict in relationships. We are learning more every day about the consequences to economic growth, student readiness for higher education and workforce capacity.
Elected officials must choose how they will lead through this prolonged disruption and unsettledness. Or as journalist Fareed Zakaria has labeled it, “possibly the most revolutionary period in human history.”
GiANT founder, Jeremie Kubicek, reports two-thirds of the population live with a “present mindset,” which means they better respond to leaders talking about protecting and caring for their needs today, not casting a vision for tomorrow. The more rural the population, the higher the demand for a present-oriented voice.
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It largely leaves a politician ― particularly in Oklahoma, dominated by rural voters ― in two camps: (1) screaming that the train is coming, stoking people’s fears to capture attention; or (2) inviting people to lay new tracks together, day by day to reclaim where this train is going.
A Jewish proverb warns society to guard itself against the leader who takes the first approach.
Proverbs 22:13 calls out the one who claims a lion is in the streets and death is imminent. The Scripture calls this approach “lazy” and merely a mechanism to control, putting people in a state of paralysis. It’s easy and it works.
Strong political leadership today is looking the voter in the eyes and saying, “We’ve got this — together. Yes, the train is coming, and together we are going to determine where it is going by laying new tracks in front of us.”
Whether we are ready or not, leaders must beckon us to rebuild our economy, our systems of education, health care, and even our sense of community and culture.
President Ronald Reagan said, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things.”
As we approach these elections in a post-pandemic, “revolutionary” world, may we judge today’s politicians and vote for tomorrow’s leaders not by the fears they provoke, but by their ability to bring people together to lay new tracks that take us where we need to go.
Donelle Harder was the campaign manager for Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and is a senior vice president at Pinkston.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: COVID set Oklahoma back. We need a leader to carry us forward
