I just took a business trip to Washington D.C.
I came back inspired.
Now Washington and inspiration are rarely used in the same sentence these days but I came back full of patriotic fervor—albeit with a dash of melancholy.
First, Washington is a beautiful city.
The office buildings and museums are stunning, the monuments magnificent and the flowers provide an invigorating splash of color this time of year.
It’s fun to walk around and marvel at the sites and to soak up the energy of an important and substantial city.
We took a day trip to Baltimore for a few meetings and the vibe there was decidedly different.
Baltimore is a mystery to me.
It has great “bones” so to speak, row houses, several great universities, a picturesque harbor and a world class hospital. It also suffers from substantial blight, including thousands of abandoned buildings.
Based on its assets, you’d think Baltimore would be thriving, but it struggles. Years after the show ended, it still feels like you’ve arrived on the set of the great HBO series “The Wire.” But hope abides and we visited two amazing foundations hard at work to heal and help Baltimore.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Goldseker Foundation were gracious enough to meet with me and my colleagues at the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation to share their work and best practices. We left energized and educated.
Baltimore has dedicated people who continue to believe. That makes a big difference.
Back in D.C. we met with the wonderful people at the Bainum Family Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Portrait Gallery to discuss the state of philanthropy, our nation and the possibilities that lie ahead as we gear up to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
Across town at the Capitol, Congress passed the “big, beautiful bill” at 4 a.m. while we slept. I doubt anyone read all 1,100 pages.
Democrats see the bill as catastrophic. Republicans hailed it as a nation changing (for the better) investment that will lower taxes and increase border security. Two vastly different perspectives that dovetail with the state of our nation these days.
I happened to fly to Washington seated next to my Congresswoman Lois Frankel. It was happenstance. I’ve known Rep. Frankel for a long time. We were mayors together back in the day, Lois in West Palm, me in Delray.
Also, on the plane, surrounded by a phalanx of Secret Service, was Eric Trump. Yes, he flew commercial.
Frankel and Trump—two ends of our national spectrum.
One side believes we are making America great again, the other believes we are in danger of losing our Republic.
Never the twain shall meet, wrote Kipling. Rudyard’s old poem proves prophetic. We are so different it feels like we can never be brought together again. That saddens me, it ought to sadden all of us.
But when we landed, I saw the Washington Monument, the beauty of the Old Executive Office Building, the grandeur of the White House and the magnificence of the Smithsonian. And briefly my melancholy for a more united United States lifted–for just a moment.
We toured the newly built African American History Museum, toured the National Portrait Gallery and met with the men and women who bring these places to life.
We got insights from the head of the Marriott Family Foundation and the president of the National Center for Family Philanthropy who also happened to be the person who shepherded the “Giving Pledge” which is an effort by the nation’s richest to donate their life’s savings to charity upon their deaths. Not every rich person is an oligarch. But the oligarchs seem to get more attention than those who use their money to help people. It seems in vogue to be all out of empathy these days.
But from these philanthropic experts and historians we heard about innovative ways to impact problems, help those in need and move our nation forward.
All are concerned about our current state of polarization and dysfunction, but all are confident that we will have a brighter future.
On our third day in D.C. I awoke to the news that two young Israeli Embassy employees were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum, a few blocks from where we were staying.
The news shocked and saddened me. The two young people were known as “bridge builders.” We can hardly afford to lose those willing to extend a hand across the divide. And so, amidst my pride and hope, in crept a feeling of melancholy. Sometimes it can feel crushing.
But the people I had the privilege of meeting are smart, gentle and empathetic individuals dedicating their lives to the betterment of our world.
They are data driven but lead with heart and compassion— as all leaders should.
They are better than our politics.
The best of us serve. The best of us empower. We build up instead of tear down.
So, I hold on to my optimism about the future despite the headwinds which are substantial and at times seemingly intractable. But I also know that until ‘we the people’ demand more from our politics and our parties (both of them) we will never get to the promised land. We will never reach our potential as a nation.
Division, corruption, money, partisanship, chaos and plain old meanness are in the way of what we can be.
We need more independent leaders and far fewer sycophants who put their wallets and careers above the country’s future.
A visit to Washington reminds me of why I love America. I feel blessed to have been born, raised and educated here (thanks to the sacrifices of my immigrant grandparents).
It’s time to insist on a better path forward. America and its people, the world and its people deserve leaders focused on the future not the next political or financial opportunity.
I saw “the other Washington”. It’s full of wonder and possibilities. It deserves the support of those who currently spend their days fighting.
They are endangering the greatest nation this world has ever seen.
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