THREAD: We have a historic, even generational opportunity a…

The fact is, much of what's going on in America today is unsustainable. Whether it's government debt, or higher education, climate, or income inequality, it seems pretty clear to just about everyone that if we stay on current trajectory, America is hosed.

I'm not speaking to or about any particular side although if you follow me you probably know where I'm coming from. But 11 days from now we can all collectively choose to keep doing what we're doing -- which means we'll keep getting what we got...

...or we can choose to take a deep breath, close our eyes for a second, and say, "It's time to change." Part of that means turning down the rhetoric. It means taking an inventory of what's broken and thinking hard about how -- together -- we can make things a little less bad.

It means thinking practically about what to do next, and recognizing that the time for maximalist thinking is over; fixing our country will take compromise. All sides will suffer some disappointment, that's how you know the deal was close as possible to fair.

It means thinking about people who haven't been able to take part in the last decade's economic recovery, whether that's inner city kids or people in rural communities that have been wrecked by opioids.

Assigning blame -- except where criminal acts have been committed -- is a pointless exercise. A lot of mistakes have been made; let's focus on repairing the damage.

It also means recognizing that the world has moved on while we've been focused inward. There are folks out there enjoying & causing our pain 🇷🇺 but there are also people that want to supplant us as a superpower 🇨🇳 If they succeed, our future will look very dark indeed.

And whether we're talking about domestic challenges or foreign policy problems, the solution will only be found in thinking STRATEGICALLY. And by strategically, I mean LONG-TERM. This is not something Americans have historically been great at, at least in the last 50 years.

Short term thinking is based on bad incentive structures -- it results in a bad feedback loop. We need to look at our incentive structures, top to bottom, domestically and foreign, and think hard about how to build incentives that help us long-term.

Theologian James Freeman Clarke said, "A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation." We need more statesmen. They've been in short supply lately.

Anyway, returning to my original tweet: 11 days from now, we can turn the page. We can roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty, and start fixing our broken country.

In the words of Lincoln, "With malice toward none, and charity toward all...let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." /fin/