Why Americans are Giving Me Hope

One year ago this month, President Biden appointed me to oversee implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That means that over the last 12 months, I’ve been all over the country working with state and local governments—and folks in their communities—to rebuild dilapidated roads and bridges, put new links in our supply chains, and create good-paying jobs. It also means that I’ve been able to listen to people on the ground. And in many ways, it gives me hope.

Now, let us be clear: We are in a moment right now when everybody must stand firm and stand fast to our overarching principles and repudiate authoritarianism and autocracy, and the best way to do that is to vote for leaders who believe in democracy. But what I’ve seen in the last year is that good leadership starts in places like Albany, Georgia or East Las Vegas. And for the most part, people in those places aren’t thinking about autocracy. They’re thinking about getting their kids to school and getting themselves to work. They’re thinking about the potholes in their street, about paying their medical bills. They’re thinking about making groceries. (That’s what we call it in New Orleans, where I’m from.) It’s easy to hear the national conversation and think that national politics is the only way to do anything. But each one of those everyday concerns is an opportunity to step up, lead, and help out.

My father served in government at every level during his lifetime, as have others in my family. He and my mom’s example was one of service, and it didn’t have to be in government. They were really clear that there's lots of ways that you can help your community. Work with other people, include everybody, help somebody out when they need help. Go where you can do the most good in the shortest amount of time. This fall I think we should all think about how we can embody a spirit of service. There’s hope in that. If we show people that leadership matters when it comes to making groceries, perhaps they’ll be open to our arguments that leadership matters for the sake of our democracy.

And also: vote. Mom and dad were clear about that, too.