In his commencement address last week at the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Sciences, former United States Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman called on young Americans to give back and serve their country. Huntsman, a Republican who has worked under three Republican presidents, was governor of Utah when tapped by President Barack Obama to be the ambassador to China three years ago. In his USC address he focused on his most recent experience as a Republican serving in a Democratic administration. "In the end," Huntsman importantly noted, "while we might not all be of one party, we are all part of one nation."
Huntsman's message of public service over service to one's own political beliefs may sound like "kumbaya" politics to our partisan-trained ears. As Huntsman weighs a presidential bid against his former boss, news outlets like Politico are labeling the speech as Huntsman's "first attempt to neutralize potential attacks on his service to a Democratic president loathed by the Republican base he'll have to win over if he's going to win the 2012 Republican presidential primary." But to dismiss Huntsman's message as idealistic or political in nature is to disregard three critically important lessons we can derive from his experience in the Obama administration and his speech this past week. First, Huntsman reminds us to remain involved in the solution-making process despite disagreement. Second, we must keep other's interests in mind when working towards a common goal. And finally, we should never forget the importance of giving back to our country.
In this divisive political climate, not getting one's way too often leads politicians to remove themselves completely from the solution-making process. This is a trend often followed by those in the minority who are occupying a position of lesser power. Both parties have exercised such stubbornness over the years and are thus both to blame. Instead of obstinacy in the face of opposition, we should always be actively invested in working towards a compromise. While it may be politically savvy at times to exercise the "politics of no," such behavior only serves to halt the discovery of solutions. Even worse, it creates poisonous relationships between people who will need to collaborate in in the future.
Moreover, Huntsman's message teaches us to stay true to our beliefs, while keeping the beliefs of others in mind as well. Too often, staying "true" to one's beliefs means insularity. As Huntsman demonstrated in his service to the president and as others have shown through similar bipartisan collaboration, staying true to one's beliefs can mean accommodating disparate beliefs. It can mean listening to what others have to say. And it can even mean realizing that what you hold to be true may in fact be false. Challenging our preconceived notions by listening to others can only come, however, if we open our ears more and our mouths less.
Finally, Huntsman's most powerful message lies in his belief in public service. In a political climate in which the "public sphere" has come to be criticized as wasteful, inefficient and overly politicized, we must remind ourselves of the value of serving our country. This service can come in many forms, but it all works towards the same end of forming a more perfect union.
Given today's bipartisan-allergic politics, adhering to Huntsman's message is an imperative. The stakes are too high for us to remove ourselves from the solution-making process. We cannot ignore the opinions of others by plugging our ears for fear of criticism and becoming close-minded. And we must not forget how central public service has been in making this country what it is today.
Our politicians must heed Huntsman's advice and turn that which they have seen and heard into practice. These lessons, too, can be applied to our daily lives as we encounter opposition, cooperate with people we disagree with and work towards a goal that is greater than the sum of its parts. If our leaders practice this behavior and we do the same, great strides will have been taken to mollify the divisive climate that clouds our country. It is only then that we will work as a cohesive unit. And it is only then that we will truly all be "part of one nation."
