Joe Dinner Bucket Meets Mitt Romney in Ohio

Back in my youth I was the parlimentarian for the City Council of Canton, Ohio. The council members would argue about city affairs and rarely did I have to make a ruling. On one side was a successful dentist and on the other was a union organizer at Timken Roller Bearing. The working man vs the businessman. That was 40 years ago and times haven't changed in Ohio.

At a time when more than 16% of Americans who do not have a high school diploma are without work and in total dependence to the social benefits of the government for food, shelter and medical care while only 4% of Americans with a college diploma are unemployed, there is a cultural and societal gap that is widening by every day which passes. No wonder a president who is presiding over a failing economy and a budget which is so stressed it can't even be passed is still likely to be re-elected. He is promising continued benefits and support for those in need. Joe Dinnerbucket has an empty bucket that only the government can fill. These are votes of desperation and the promise of a wise and compassionate businessman doesn't seem enough to create any hope for change.

What can Mitt Romney do in the next couple months to start to reveal his humanity and relate to those who are in need. Go to the edges of America. Visit tenements and trailer parks. Talk to people who have been unemployed for years. Talk to the social workers and policemen and church people who feed and care for them. Speak in Spanish, speak in common English.

Do I really think this could happen? Do I have any way of knowing what is in Mitt Romney's heart? The answer is a qualified yes. In 2002, in preparation for the Salt Lake Winter Olympics, I was invited by a client to accompany the U.S. Delegation to Athens to "pick up the flame." There was a ceremony in the original Olympic Stadium and we met the U.S. Ambassador at the embassy. In just 24+ hours we flew from Salt Lake to Athens to Atlanta and delivered the flame to the torch which started the relay across the nation. Mitt Romney was the leader of the delegation because he was the President of the U.S. Winter Olympics. My mother, then 81 years old was with me.

During the flight home Mitt came back to our seats and knelt down and spoke at length with my mother. The conversation was caring, listening, encouraging and I smiled as my mother reacted so positively to his warm concern for her comfort. When he left, I said to my mother, "That man could be president of the U.S." I still think he could, but he needs to kneel down and talk to America the way he spoke to my mother, is low quiet tones, listening and encouraging. This peaceful gracious man is what America needs now. I am sure he can do this, but the question remains, will he? Sphere: Related Content