Rory Reid’s first moves stir hope for leadership

By Brian Greenspun (contact)

Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Rory, I want to read more.

I have spent a lifetime doing my best to remain positive, refusing to allow cynicism to rule my every thought and actively shunning the kind of negativism and paranoia that can sometimes grip even the strongest among us.

I must admit, however, that lately — that would be the past handful of years — the siren song of defeatism has been screaming for attention. Where is the leadership that, until now, has always found its way to the front of American thought?

When the country was in dire economic times and the people were out of work and falling daily into the grip of hopelessness, along came Franklin D. Roosevelt. He had a vision and combined that with an extraordinary ability to lead, taking this country on a circuitous route to economic stability and growth the world had never seen.

In the middle of the Cold War, when Americans didn’t know whether to dive under desks, dig underground or just await a fate menaced by the color red, along came a president named John F. Kennedy, who gave us reason to hope and an attitude toward public service that lasted a generation.

And when this country was on the verge of some kind of economic implosion, in the middle of a Cold War in which victory was not certain and with an entire country heading into a malaise unbecoming a proper American, along came Ronald Reagan, who talked tough and acted tougher toward our enemies while boosting morale on the home front.

None of these leaders was perfect, nor were their visions and tactics. But what they all possessed that has been missing of late was a vision and a plan to get there and an attitude that made people believe they could do what they were saying. And — here’s the important part — they shared those ideas, those visions for better days in America, with the people who, upon reflection, said “we are in and we will follow.”

Admittedly, those were different days and, admittedly, the first decade of the 21st century has not been one in which much positive vision could be readily seen or believed. Last year, though, Barack Obama was elected president on the strength of a hopeful vision for America, some optimistic words and his determination to get out front and sell that vision to the people.

We have not been that fortunate in Nevada. The best vision we have heard of late is the one that looks backward and wants to get us to yesterday as fast as we can fall there.

Until now.

I see leadership in our midst once again. Rory Reid stepped out in front of the pack last week and was the first to say to all Nevadans: Here is my vision and I trust you, the voters, to learn, understand and challenge it toward the goal that it will get better, sharper and more clearly focused over the next year on what has to be created and accomplished for the benefit of all Nevadans.

Those were my words, not Rory’s, but the message is the same. How refreshing it is in this state to have someone running for governor who has a positive message, an enlightened vision for the future and some very specific ways we will get there together.

If there are those who quarrel with his ideas, have at them. But it will be ideas that will be debated, not personalities. It will be the vision of bringing this state together for a much better future that will be challenged, not an attack designed to drive wedges between people to keep them forever divided and this state forever committed to languish at the back of the pack.

Rory has taken a great risk. What he didn’t say but what is obvious is that investments will have to be made in diversifying our economy, creating better, higher-paying jobs, and making Nevada a place where people want to live rather than just a place where they make a living.

But that is exactly the debate we need to have: One between the forces of yesterday, who are content to keep things the way they were, arguing against the hopes and dreams of those who seek a better tomorrow, versus one that is defined by quality jobs, quality education and a quality of life that is the envy of the rest of America, not the butt of its jokes.

We have not decided whom we will recommend for governor next year — although I have supported Rory’s efforts to date — because we need to hear the plans and understand the visions of all those who seek the job.

But if, as the pundits like to say, “the election were held today,” Rory Reid would get our support because he has upped the quality of the debate. It remains to be seen if those who seek the top job in this state will rise to the challenge by debating his ideas or continue to do more of the same, further sinking us into the defeatist muck and mire of a broken system we refuse to fix.

Thanks, Rory, for providing us hope that we can have an election based on vision and leadership. I can’t wait to hear more from you about the kind of future Nevadans deserve, can afford and, ultimately, deserve.

Rory Reid has thrown down the gauntlet of a better way to run for political office. Let’s see if others can respond in kind.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.