A Nation of Wusses

Even 2 years later, when he thinks about it, Ed Rendell, the former Mayor of Philadelphia, Governor of Pennsylvania, and Democratic National Chairman, still can't believe it. His beloved Philadelphia Eagles were to play an important home game with the Minnesota Vikings. There was a forecast for a significant snowstorm, but before even one flake of snow had fallen, the game was cancelled. And while there was some snow in the Philly area, the brutal forecast never materialized. Asked that day about the decision, Rendell blurted out that the cancellation was just more evidence that America was becoming "a nation of wusses."

He repeated his "nation of wusses" accusation in a front-page piece he wrote for The Washington Times. There he maintained that the cancellation was symbolic of a cautionary paralysis plaguing America and its politics. Echoing Tom Hanks' remarks on crying in baseball in the movie A League of Their Own, Rendell wrote: "Cancel a football game for bad weather? There's no cancelling a football game for bad weather."

Rendell, who appeared at Politics and Prose today, has chosen his accusation as the title for his new book A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.

"We used to be a nation of risk takers," Rendell says. "Now we close schools with an inch-and-a-half of snow on the ground. What message does that send to our kids."

Continuing his extended snow metaphor, Rendell talked about former Eagle football great Steve Van Buren. On the day of a 1950s Eagles game in a driving snowstorm, Van Buren took 2 trolleys and a bus to get to the game. "Can you envision any of today's athletes doing that?" Rendell asked.

Rendell said he wrote his book, which he composed completely in longhand, for 3 main reasons. One was to have his say in a fun, but serious way about the complex problems facing America today. "We have an infrastructure that is absolutely collapsing. It is dangerous and it hurts us as a nation," Rendell said. "We're getting killed every way economically. It is ludicrous and embarrassing. We have none of the world's 10 largest ports. Six of the 10 are in China. But when China undercuts us, all we do is say would you please stop."

The 33-year political veteran said he believes much of the problem stems from the political idea that party ideals and re-election is an ultimate goal, not helping people and restoring America to greatness. "Too many politicians have no respect for the people they represent," Rendell said.

A second reason Rendell says he wrote the book is to demonstrate that, despite strong beliefs today to the contrary, "government is not the enemy."

"Government can and does great things," Rendell said. "Government must be part of the solution. There is good government spending and there is bad government spending. The key is to invest in the right things. Politicians can lead - all they need is courage and will."

A third reason for the book is a call for young people to consider the political arena. "We need young people to get into public service," Rendell said.

Tales, Tips, and Tidbits
In his book, the popular, plain-spoken Rendell offers the top 10 reasons he believes why most American politicians are wusses. Here they are:
10. They refuse to give credit to a rival no matter what he does
9.   They refuse to admit mistakes
8.   They refuse to answer questions from the media
7.   They don't have the courage to say no to their base
6.   They refuse to debate
5.   They refuse to stand by their votes
4.   They refuse to speak in front of protesters
3.   They change their positions as early and as often as you change your socks
2.   They run from their allies at the first hint of trouble
1.   They take credit for things they voted against.