Humility Has To Be More Than Just A Talking Point

Our guest blogger is New York State Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

This morning, I delivered a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in which I reflected on my first seven months as Governor of New York and outlined a type of politics that I believe we need in order to change the status quo in New York and in our country.

– First, it is my core belief that without passion and conviction in politics we are doomed to fail.

– And second, there are serious risks that occur when those same qualities – passion and conviction – are not tempered by humility. Whether it is foreign policy abroad or domestic affairs here in New York, I believe that how we as political leaders manage these risks will ultimately determine our success.

Hubris has been a major fundamental flaw behind the Bush Administration’s failed foreign policy.

During a debate in the 2000 election, President Bush was asked how he would project America’s power in the twenty-first century. He replied:

If we’re a humble nation, but strong, they’ll welcome us. Our nation stands alone right now in the world in terms of power, and that’s why we have to be humble.

That is precisely the right idea. But President Bush hasn’t understood that humility has to be more than just a talking point.

In the wake of 9/11, he ramped up exactly the wrong way. His approach, and the rhetoric that would define it, perverted our foreign policy with arrogance and moral complacency – laying the groundwork for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. We had no exit strategy because the Administration didn’t think we needed one. The President and his neoconservative cohort were so sure history had ended and that the triumph of liberal democracy was inevitable. Mission accomplished.

This tension — the need for both passion and humility — has also played a major role in my first seven months as Governor.

On one hand, the passion and conviction we have shown has enabled us to achieve dramatic change — including universal health care for kids, a major investment in stem cell research funding, campaign finance reform, and the largest property tax cut in state history.

Yet, over the past few weeks, it has become evident that the second principle — the need for humility — was forgotten. We were fighting so hard for what we believed was right that we let down our guard and allowed our passion to get the best of us.

Passion and conviction are necessary, but they must be tempered by soul-searching and the recognition of our human capacity for error. That is the maxim that should inform our approach to every challenge, from reforming state government to engaging in foreign affairs.

After all: hubris is terminal.

Read the full text of my speech HERE.

– Gov. Eliot Spitzer