But if you watched President Joe Biden’s speech in Philadelphia earlier this month, you would think our greatest national threat pertains to our fellow Americans. Instead of appealing to our shared hopes, Biden stoked our deepest fears. Instead of advancing an innovative national agenda, he retreated to worn, partisan divisions. He embraced the dark “malaise” of Carter when he could have invoked the warm inspiration of Reagan. It was a lost opportunity, indicative of a lost administration. Our enemies look on and smile.
As mayor of the City of Miami, I interact with Americans in their most basic form of government. I don’t ask them about their party affiliation, their background, or their job. Instead, I listen to their needs and dreams, and ask: How can I help?
Leading a thriving American city teaches you that inspiration is a force multiplier, diversity is a competitive advantage, and inclusion is a strategic imperative. I work to keep Miami residents’ streets safe, their taxes low, and their lives secure, so they can live their lives, grow their businesses, and provide for their families. Unlike a president or governor, I cannot indulge in partisan pandering—I have to persuade and deliver real results.
In Miami, we’ve embraced the “How Can I Help” approach to drive reforms and get results. We’ve focused on the real needs of our people, rather than the shouts from the fringe. We broke the fake political binary: We’ve realigned our politics based on successful policies, from the environment and the economy to education and innovation. We believe our environment is our economy, and school choice is a civil right. We’ve expanded educational freedom for every child through child savings accounts, in order to combat structural inequality. We’ve cut taxes to their lowest rate in city history; we’ve cut crime to its lowest level in a lifetime; and we’ve championed the American innovative spirit. We’ve modernized basic services, but we’ve also advanced ambitious goals. It’s worked in Miami—and it can work across America, in every city, from local town to large metropolis.
We need to change how we govern, how we lead, how we see each other, and who we choose to lead us. The politics of divisive dysfunction erodes our federal government’s ability to perform basic functions, and it now seriously endangers our national security. We’re mistaking symptoms for causes; anger for alternatives; and spin for solutions.
As president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I know firsthand that Americans want a government that is on their side but off their backs; a government whose hand is off their wallet and whose nose is out of their bedrooms. They want a country that stands tall and a government that gets the basic things done—so they can live their lives and provide for their families. And Americans want leaders who are here to help them and to serve them, not to rule over them or regulate their lives. They want leaders who champion America the way a mayor champions a city. Because when you think about it, America is really one big city—a shining city—where everyone plays a role, everyone finds a place, and everyone has a home.
If all politics is local, then the lessons of local politics—where real results matter more than performative rhetoric—must reform our national politics. We need to listen, inspire, and help everyone succeed together. This dysfunctional brand of national politics—replete with fake issues, fake leaders, and fake news—is failing our nation. It needs to be replaced before our foreign adversaries can advance further. Every danger we now face must be met with America’s greatest strength—Americans themselves. And Americans deserve a much better vision of our future, our country, and ourselves.
Francis X. Suarez is the mayor of Miami.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
