American doesn’t love a loser, so today is not a day many people will be thanking Tom Suozzi for his work and his campaign. I was going to drop him a note, but I’m a blogger now, so what the hell, I’ll do it here.
Thank you for turning your back on the safe path of careerism, trading favors, waiting for the death or indictment of an incumbent, and occupying a seat. Instead you took on the corrupt and seemingly impregnable Nassau County Republican machine, made many of the hard short run decisions – higher taxes, reduced services, tougher labor negotiations – required to begin turning the situation around for the long run. Thanks even more for taking on the disgrace our state government, once one of the best in the nation, has become. That was even harder, because it required that you not only call out the other side, but also your own side and its supporters. It made a lot of enemies, which has cost you. But from my point of view, they include many of the right enemies. And thanks for running for Governor. You offered your service. The voters decided to choose otherwise. So be it. That isn’t anything for Tom Suozzi to feel bad about.
I even appreciate the race Tom Suozzi ran. He ran hard, but he ran clean. He raised issues and challenged Eliot Spitzer but did not dishonestly smear him (for a comparison, see the Republican campaign for Senate and the Democratic campaign for Attorney General). And, more importantly, if Spitzer takes up the challenge, Suozzi has provided ample cover for his use when governing. Spitzer can tell the insiders of Albany that either they will have to cut a fair deal with him, or face worse in the future. I hope Tom Suozzi will continue to keep making noise, just as a reminder. The defeat of a few more incumbents, something that seemed unimaginable before his “Fix Albany” campaign, would reinforce the message.
Suozzi’s campaign has me thinking about the status of America’s losers in general, and New York’s losers in particular. They don’t get enough credit in my view, relative to those who never bother to try. Society gains enormous benefits from the work of successful entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, inventors, missionaries, organizers and political crusaders. But all of these endeavors have enormous failure rates, and luck and timing, as well as passion and ability, separate the winners from the losers. Since we all get the benefits, those who try to do something special deserve the support of the community in their attempt, and its gratitude win or lose. Those who are successful, ideally, should be grateful for the support of the community in return.
That isn’t the way things work here, however, culturally or, in a public policy sense, practically. The fact that we do not have a national health care finance system, for example, vastly increases the potential negative consequences of failure for entrepreneurs, artists, and politicians who face actual elections. Meanwhile, Canada’s self employment rate is double ours. Of course, living in a state where only the children of the better off get an education hardly inspires parents to take risks. Worse, however, is the smug sniping from those who, as President T. Roosevelt said, “live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” I’m sure there will be plenty of that for Tom Suozzi on the political blogs today, although I don’t imagine the opinions of such people will bother him much.
But it might discourage others. Today’s U.S. model for risk takers is enormous winnings in victory, humiliation and the cold shoulder in defeat, with the former expected to be incentive enough in spite of the high probability of the latter. I’m not sure that’s the model that generates the most attempts, the most successes, and therefore the most vibrancy and well being. Perhaps that is one reason why, among other things, there are so few contested elections.
I want all those people trying to do something special, something unusually and particularly beneficial to others, with their one and only life to know I appreciate them as well, win or lose. I know I benefit indirectly from your efforts. New York City remains a good place for such people, and we seem to attract them from all over, even if our political culture produces very few of them. That’s what makes our city a vibrant place. Let’s hope the gray twilight of the State of New York never succeeds in killing it off.