Suddenly, things are different.

It’s not just that life is being lived for many without the mask. People are increasingly enjoying social engagements in face to face settings again. And, this is happening with considerably less risk, at least for many of us.

In a quest for normalcy, we need to remember that many still are without the protection provided by being fully vaccinated. Whether for lack of opportunity or by personal choice, more than half of the U.S. population is not fully vaccinated.

The protection of a vaccination varies by state. In Massachusetts over half are fully vaccinated, but in other states, 60% are not.

More discouraging, recent data shows that worldwide, only about 6% are fully vaccinated.

And, there are new variants of the COVID-19 virus appearing in Great Britain where they are now considering tightening restrictions.

So, this is not over.

While there is very good news about the wide availability regarding the supply of vaccine, it is discouraging that the demand for vaccinations has fallen.

I know people are exercising their rights when they elect not to be fully vaccinated. However, I think it is wrong to just shrug our shoulders and say, well it’s their choice.

Consider the diseases for which vaccinations are recommended today by the Centers for Disease Control:

Chickenpox (Varicella)
Diphtheria
Flu (Influenza)
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b)
HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
Measles
Meningococcal
Mumps
Pneumococcal
Polio (Poliomyelitis)
Rotavirus
Rubella (German Measles)
Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Tetanus (Lockjaw)
Whooping Cough (Pertussis )

Would we shrug and suggest it’s just too bad if some elect not to get vaccinated to avoid these ailments?

Imagine if we were to read that over half the population was not vaccinated against Polio.

I for one look forward to enjoying a summer different and more social than the one past. But, I also will seek to find the best ways to encourage friends to look favorably at a vaccine for COVID-19 since it has not gone away and poses well known risks.

Like the decision makers who chose to act either without knowing the facts or with a disregard for the facts, we all can know the truth around COVID-19 and the vaccines that are fighting it. We all need to make wise, fact-based decisions.

This summer, live life a lot…but, get the shot!

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

Here’s more from a recent NYT report

Today’s media reports that Congresswoman Liz Cheney was ousted from her leadership post by fellow House Republicans. I suspect this is anything but career-ending. In truth, her colleagues probably provided a proverbial booster rocket to her remarkable career.

Many also reported that this was about two different views of how the Republican Party should engage former president Trump. It is really about two very different views of one’s role as a leader in Congress stemming from two very different paths.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield, California and Congresswoman Liz Cheney from Casper, Wyoming are about the same age. One has a well-developed world view while the other’s life experience has been centered on the U.S. Capital. One has few personal options, although he is clearly seeking to rise to the Speaker’s chair one day. The other is suddenly free to pursue many different options, certainly including but not limited to even higher office.

Consider these paths.

Kevin McCarthy was born in 1965 in Bakersfield, California. Twenty-two years later, he found himself on the staff of then Congressman Bill Thomas, running the Congressman’s district office in Bakersfield. He ran for office first in 2000, winning a seat as a trustee of the Kern County College District. From there, it was onto an immediate campaign, winning a seat in the California Assembly, representing the citizens of Bakersfield in 2002. That soon lead to a successful campaign sending McCarthy to House of Representatives in 2006.

Liz Cheney, born in 1966, began life in Madison, Wisconsin. She attended grade school in Casper, Wyoming while her father campaigned for Congress. She attended high school in McLean, Virginia. She went to Colorado College graduating in 1988 having completed a thesis on the “Evolution of Presidential War Powers.” She was involved with the US Agency for International Development from 1989-93. Then, in 1996 graduated from Chicago Law School; after which, she entered the White & Case law firm to practice international law.  She went on to become a Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State for Assistance to the Former Soviet Union. During her career, she served as a USAID officer in embassies located in Budapest and Warsaw. In 2002, she was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. She entered a US Senate race in Wyoming in 2014 but withdrew. Then, came back to win a seat in the House of Representatives in 2016 with 60% of the general election vote. In 2020, she won her primary contest for her House seat with 73% of the vote and 69% of the general election vote.

One of my long-held concerns about congressional staffers seeking the office of a retiring Member of Congress for whom they served is that they lack much of a world view. While knowing several to be good people, still their life experience revolves around the political maneuvering in the nation’s Capital and so judgements on policy and principal tend to be more self-directed.

Today, as the Kevin McCarthy has managed to push Liz Cheney from the leadership position she held, he must believe he has addressed a problem about which he had grown weary. Namely, Liz Cheney refused to let the truth about the recent election be denied. And, if you listen to her short but thoughtful address on the floor of the House, you hear how her world view, shaped by personal involvement in countries around the world seeking freedom contributed to her thinking. To view her remarks, click this link.  For Kevin McCarthy, forcing her out of this #3 leadership position represents a huge penalty, because his life experience is a long climb up a political ladder since being a young district staffer for a Congressman in Bakersfield. 

The reality is quite different. Liz Cheney is now, in fact, free to do and say pretty much what she wishes to do and say. Her career which has been known to many in Washington, is now something that has her on a national stage. If her past engagement suggests anything, it is that she will rise from this experience to even greater leadership positions. Maybe this means a greater role in government. Maybe she will find a role in a nonprofit organization with an important global mission. Maybe she will discover opportunities in the legal field or business. Certainly, what she will not do is waiver from her principled views and the courage behind her effective expression of those views.

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

Could a mid-air collision involving two commercial aircraft provide insights into what really needs to happen to improve the performance of law enforcement officers throughout the country?

I think so. In fact, I’m pretty sure if we fail to embrace a successful model, efforts to reduce difficult choices and bad decisions by police officers in the name of “reform” will accomplish little and the stories of the past few months will be repeated. Those who seek to improve police decision making could learn a great deal from what followed a tragic plane crash 65 years ago.

That crash led to the creation of what became the Federal Aviation Administration as well as the National Transportation Safety Board. Today, we should consider a Federal Law Enforcement Administration and a National Law Enforcement Incident Evaluation Board.

Let’s start with the story taken from an excellent article in Time magazine that appeared last September (to read the article click here).

In the late morning hours of June 30, 1956, a TWA aircraft and a United aircraft collided over the Grand Canyon while flying at 21,000 feet. Seriously damaged, both aircraft crashed with all 128 people aboard the two planes perishing. It took days to recover the remains and produced horrific news stories for weeks.

Shocking as this crash of modern commercial aircraft was at the time, the aviation safety record then was far from what it is today. While we experienced a recent decade free of a single commercial airline crash in the US, in the seven years between 1948 and 1955 there were 30 mid-air collisions involving commercial aircraft.

In many ways, the 1956 collision above the Grand Canyon changed everything. Congress passed legislation in 1957 leading to the creation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board. Interestingly, Dwight Eisenhower was President. Sam Rayburn was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. And, Lyndon Johnson was the Majority Leader of the US Senate. Working together, these leaders created two new organizations and, with a very committed group of stakeholders, changed the way accidents were tracked, information was shared, pilots were trained, and aircraft manufacturing was conducted.

These agencies had worked for a decade before I began flying aircraft in 1967, and a safety culture was well in place and growing stronger throughout aviation. Central to this culture is the investigation of every accident to determine not only the cause, but to better understand how a similar situation could be prevented. Determined to improve – and needing to improve to attract people to commercial flight – all stakeholders had a role in the process from improving training to making airports and aircraft safer to operate.

No single action by Congress or mandate by leaders in The White House could have made flying safer. It took a strong commitment at the Federal and local levels to change the way the entire air transportation system functioned where safety requirements protected those who chose to fly. Today, the commitment remains and 7,500 commercial aircraft, over 20,000 business aircraft and another 150,000 general aviation aircraft operate at over 5,000 public use airports while maintaining the best safety records in decades.

So, just how should this inform discussions about policing?

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, I saw on every LAPD police car the phrase, “To Protect and Serve.” There is an interesting story about the creation of this motto that dates to a contest held at the Los Angeles Police Academy in 1955. The winning entry became a mantra for the Police Academy and eventually became the motto appearing on the LAPD seal placed on every vehicle.

Protecting the safety and property of the people served by a police department is certainly as worthy as improving safe flight operations. Indeed, failing to make good decisions in either category puts people at serious risk. However, while a national commitment to air safety brought remarkable improvement and a safer air transportation system, it is difficult to find a parallel commitment in law enforcement. In fact, the training and practices in law enforcement rest with nearly 18,000 individual agencies overseeing some 697,000 fulltime law enforcement officers.

Now, we are at a place where nothing less than a full realignment of how we certify, train and share incident information aimed at continuous improvement can build back the respect and trust in law enforcement that communities so desperately need. And, by the way, working to rebuild trust is as critical for the police as for the citizens they are there to protect.

I should say that I come to this conclusion as one who has great respect for law enforcement and many friends who are in or have worked in the law enforcement field. The individuals I’ve come to know while in government or in my community are some of the best people around. But, consider this, if only 1% are not making proper decisions, that amounts to nearly 7,000 people. Imagine, if just 1% of around 50,000 flight operations a day involved an aircraft that failed to land safely. That would amount to a tragic 500 flights day.

Just where do we start?

As we sought the safest air transportation system in the world, so too, we must seek the most effective law enforcement operations in world by meeting the highest standards of protecting and serving the people within every jurisdiction.

Perhaps the best news is that we do not have to research what works because there are outstanding examples across the land. What does need to happen is that those examples must become standards which are clearly defined in ways that allow law enforcement agencies and individual law enforcement officers to be certified as meeting national requirements.

There will always be the need for training locally with sensitivities to local and community situations. However, just as with flight training that occurs in places around the country, a national set of standards should require every law enforcement training program to meet specific requirements. And, as events occur which identify shortcomings, the training requirements must evolve.

What must happen is that the best practices for protecting and serving need to be the norm. This requires thoroughly understanding those best practices and sharing information throughout the law enforcement community about what those practices are, and finally training to achieve those practices.

I also think that just as we certify over 660,000 active pilots in the US, every law enforcement officer should be certified in a national system. We train, test and check the physical and mental condition of aircraft pilots because failure by a pilot puts lives at risk. Should we have less of a requirement for the men and women in law enforcement? Bad judgements put citizens lives at risk and fellow law enforcement officers at risk as well. We should be testing, certifying and tracking these nearly 700,000 individuals for their benefit and for the benefit of the people they serve.

About tracking. This is at the heart of safe aircraft operations. Aircraft operations are continuously tracked. Any anomaly is reported and investigated. This is not to find fault; it is to learn what exactly happened and then correct an issue not just with one aircraft or one pilot but throughout the entire air transportation system. And, if the anomaly involves pilot training, then the entire training community learns about it.

Again, as with safe and effective air transportation, an examination of anomalies in policing is critically important. The need to thoroughly understand how to make better decisions, properly use equipment and to recognize patterns of behavior are all as critical to effective police work as they are to safety in aviation.

Finally, just like the leaders in 1957 who moved so rapidly to put in place an approach to air safety that changed things for the better, we need that leadership now at the federal and local levels to recognize we are putting far too many people at risk today both in and out of uniform unless we commit to approaching the way we police the nation in a whole new manner. And, why not make that a way that has proven to work and delivered to the United States the safest, most efficient, while also the most complex, air transportation system in the world?

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

Curiosity got the better of me a few years ago as I kept noticing signs for “Chesapeake Country” on roads I traveled in the Easton area. Usually, these signs were affixed to a Scenic Byway sign.

Learning that advisors to the State of Maryland had suggested our region seek a stronger, more unified identity by channeling the famed book CHESAPEAKE by James A. Michener, I decided to travel the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway. Now, I did not cover the entire 419 land miles that makeup the Byway. I did stop and visit the furthest point north, Chesapeake City; and, I traveled to the southernmost point, Crisfield. And, there were lots of interesting destinations in between.

Many of the storied places along Chesapeake Bay are quiet today, belying their bustling past and commercial centers. Still, they are attractive locations for boating and recreation; and, I found their history as enjoyable to learn as relaxing in their historic sites.

While we’ve enjoyed our Byway for over two decades, it was the Federal government that recognized the northern portion. Turns out the U.S. Department of Transportation ended the national recognition effort some years ago. So, the southern roads had just the state designation. And, while much is described online, not even some of the Visitor Centers I stopped at were all that clear about just what Chesapeake Country was all about.

Well, it is a new day. Not only is the Federal government now in the business again of recognizing special areas and special routes, recently they designated our Chesapeake Country Byway an All-American Road. This is the highest designation a road can receive from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.

As one who traveled most of the route, I can attest to the special nature of this now All-American Road on the Eastern Shore. If the urge for safe and local travel exists in your household, you might just enjoy charting a course for yourself on the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway. 

Thanks to the Spy and a series done a few years ago, you can even get a sense of just what awaits you:

Chesapeake City
Crisfield
Easton to Blackwater Refuge
Chestertown to Eastern Neck Refuge
Cambridge to Taylors Island

It was reported a few days ago that about 14% of us have received a COVID vaccination and just over 7% of the U.S. population have received two COVID vaccine shots. Clearly, there is a long way to go.

Just imagine if in this nation we right now had around 88,000 locations and 300,000 or more people trained to deliver medication to individuals. How much better might it be if these well trained and experienced people in these places were already delivering nearly 200 million doses of regular influenza vaccine to patients every year.

If this kind of system existed in the nation, wouldn’t you want to see it better utilized for the COVID vaccine?

Well, it does exist. We call the places pharmacies and the people pharmacists. Yes, in addition to the flu vaccines they administer, they fill almost 4.5 billion prescriptions every year. And, doing this requires a network of suppliers and distributors that call on pharmacies once, sometimes twice, a day to supply them with medicines of all kinds.

As stories are told about trying to get appointments, of long lines, of waiting lists too long to even accept more people, I keep wondering: why are governments building parallel systems to administer the COVID vaccine?

One of the strangest approaches I heard about is occurring in the nation’s Capital. The District of Columbia officials actually distribute the vaccine according to zip codes of their choosing. Friday is an “open” day for all zip codes so citizens can log in and play a lottery-like challenge to get a vaccination.

Imagine if this odd plan applied to asthma medication or heart medications…..sorry, we only fill prescriptions for this medication if you live in certain zip codes…strange, isn’t it!

Then, there are the positive – sort of – stories of how so many people don’t show up for a government run scheduled appointment that pharmacists have been known to come out into their store and ask people if they want a vaccination because the unused vaccine for the day would have to be destroyed.

Here, where I live in Maryland, I am getting invited with some frequency to travel for a couple of hours to an amusement park where I could wait in a long line for my vaccination.

Perhaps the policy makers had it right when they initially spoke of using retail pharmacies to provide vaccinations. Most people live near a pharmacy. The pharmacy receives medical products everyday through a proven system involving thousands of trucks and many thousands of trained people.

Do we really need to use stadiums, amusement parks and the nation’s military for distribution?

With many millions more doses of the vaccine delivered than there have been shots administered, we really should take a new look at how best to get the other 93% of the population their second shot, not to mention getting people their first shot. I think having the government in the middle of the distribution business is not helping. We have an incredible structure in place to receive medications from manufacturers and deliver those medications to the nation’s local pharmacies. Let’s use the system built over decades and allow the government focus on the distribution system they own and operate so well: the Postal Service.

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

 

Today, we are on the verge of seeing Congress pass legislation providing economic assistance for individuals and companies. The debate continued so long that the close observer most likely suffered from viewer fatigue.

But, there is something different going on. A bipartisan group of Senators worked at working together. And, by doing so, they achieved something many had forgotten possible. Namely, the number of Senators backing a relief package exceeded 51 and that meant the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, faced the possibility of having any one Senator call for a vote on the measure, something allowed by the Senate rules.

None of this just happened by accident. David Brooks tweeted that he was on a conference call discussing these developments with the the No Labels group (www.NoLabels.org) where negotiations on the $900 billion stimulus legislation were being discussed. He described a level of bipartisan enthusiasm not recently witnessed.

The measure does not provide liability limiting elements that Senate Leader McConnell said any bill must have before he brought it to a vote. But, the power of 51+ Senators caused a rare retreat by Leader McConnell. Bipartisanship and process finally worked to favor action over inaction.

It is being suggested that Leader McConnell moved off his objection because Senators in Georgia facing reelection are being hammered by voters for no stimulus package. This is surely true, but it had been true for some time. None the less, the political realities along with the vote count provided a path for McConnell’s endorsement.

Doing the big things that need to be done will require more not less of this. But, as the stimulus package moves to final passage, there is a sign of hope in the governing process.

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

While some debate whether Albert Einstein is the original source of this quote, the power of the message in these time in which we live is beyond question.

Increasingly, people are asking how to get out of the mess we witness in Washington, D.C. While the balance of power in the Senate will not be fully known until next month with the special elections in Georgia, there will clearly be deep divides in the legislative branch giving the newly forming Biden administration significant challenges.

Can we rise above the course debate of the past several years?

I hope so, and I think so. The will of the people seems to show a strong preference for “getting something done,” as opposed to constant and frequently petty opposition for the sake of improving political positioning. However, if we are to find a more constructive path, the elected officials in Washington need more positive experiences around collaboration. Over time, the acts of compromise and negotiation have been eclipsed by less productive behavior. Simply put, relationships have ruptured and need to be repaired. All parties need to find a better, more productive path.

Just where might that be found? Well, tackling the nation’s infrastructure needs may be one area where agreement can be found. This is something about which there is agreement at the federal level as well as at other levels of government where infrastructure needs are appreciated. If focus on something with broad support can be done early in 2021, then perhaps the positive experience will bring potential agreements around more challenging policy debates.

While reasonable, this becomes possible only if behaviors really do change!

First, we the people as voters need to make clear that the same old approach is absolutely not deserving of our support. Nothing motivates elected officials more than the threat of losing voter appeal.

And, elected officials must be held to a higher standard.

It needs to be made clear that as an elected official, if you focus your time on delivering soundbites on cable news, then you are not serving people.

If you refuse to seek agreement through debate and compromise, then you are not serving the people.

If you think more about blocking action on important measures than finding a path forward, then you are not serving the people.

If you put partisanship ahead of policy making, then you are not serving the people.

And, on this last note, lest one thinks that partisanship is a safer place to be, the most recent Gallup survey asking about which party people identify with found that less than a third of voters identified with either Republican or Democrats. “Independent” is actually the place more people define themselves today than with either party.

There is a path forward, but it surely is not based on doing the same things that have been done year after year in Washington. We do need positive action on a host of issues confronting the federal government and as voters we really do need to demand results from both parties!

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

Again, the voters have spoken and one candidate won the necessary Electoral College votes sufficient to be elected President of the United States.

But, former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris did more than that. They won millions more votes than an incumbent President. And, they did it campaigning as people who, if elected, would represent all of the people. Indeed, by they way they campaigned, they can now govern in a more unifying way.

So, after this hard fought election, I think we all may benefit from a pause to consider our hopes.

I do hope President Biden can govern in a way that brings the country together.

I hope that process starts now with a collaborative transition leading to a smooth flow of power to a new party and a new President.

I hope Republican leaders will realize that one reason millions more voted for the candidate in the other party is out of a desire to see an honest, fact-based approach to containing the coronavirus.

I hope Democrats and Republicans find common ground on initiatives related to the coronavirus, rebuilding our economy in safe and effective ways and rebuilding the reputation of the United States abroad.

I hope thoughtful conservative Republicans will work to rebuild a party that stands for things that are positive and constructive and lives up to our greatness as a nation.

And, I hope the Republican Party finds a few leaders among the ranks who can lead it back to compete around ideas and policies that impact all people.

I also hope that pundits, commentators and news personalities will leave the gotcha approach behind while holding accountable those in public office to really address facts and issues in ways that benefit us all.

It has been a long time since voters wanted to push reset on a presidency. While George H.W. Bush was not  reelected, he had served in the White House for twelve years when voters opted for a change. Thus, not in forty years has an individual serving in the White House for four years been turned away. May this be a message and the beginning of a process that involves our better selves in actions that address the real needs of all Americans.

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

The final debate of the Presidential campaign….and, the winner is? Kristen Welker, the moderator! She actually managed to moderate a discussion of sorts.

The key question to ask, after watching the debate or hearing the news reports, are you more inclined to vote for Donald Trump?

Going into the debate, I know of no poll suggesting the momentum had shifted. Polls tell us where voters are at the moment; and, at the moment a decisive majority of voters have trended to Joe Biden.

All the Trump campaign can do is wake up this morning and seek opportunities in key states.

However, to create an opportunity for Trump, voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Iowa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida and even Texas would have to had seen something about President Donald Trump to encourage them to support his reelection. Only time will tell whether this final debate made a difference in these key states.

There is a good deal of talk about how 48 million people have already voted. Truth is, that really is not all that relevant. Those voters had already made up their mind and it is highly unlikely that anything in last night’s debate would have moved them in a new direction. For most people, the discussion probably reinforced their views going into the evening.

What is important, is how many people go out and vote this weekend. If the numbers are high, it would suggest that people waited for the last debate and then decided. I would not be surprised to see early voting growing.

One other challenge for President Trump. While millions of people watched the debate and the follow on press coverage, millions will also watch President Trump’s performance this Sunday evening on 60 Minutes. And, thanks to the decision by President Trump to release his video of the interview, we know how that will go. And, there is no chance the 60 Minutes version of the interview will be better than the Trump video. What is clear is that most of the interview was a verbal battle over whether the President has a health care plan and on just how damaging Hunter Biden might be to his father’s campaign.

Health care is an important issue, but after watching the 60 Minute interview, Lesley Stahl will repeatedly remind people that the President has no health care plan. And, to the extent the President spends time trying to advance a Hunter Biden story, he is, in my opinion, dwelling on a topic few care to understand and even fewer will be moved by when it comes to their vote. Even on the President’s video, on neither topic did he look particularly strong.

So, the two major media events in the final days of the campaign stand little chance of moving the needle much when it comes to the electorate. In the end, the outcome surely hinges on something as old as elections themselves, voter turnout. If you care about how this election turns out, go out and vote!

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.