The United States faces huge challenges, both here and abroad. And I'm running for president because this nation needs a leader with a proven track record, an ability to bring people together to tackle our problems here at home and abroad.

Bill Richardson, May 21, speaking in Los Angeles 

It seems to me at least that most presidential candidates, including Bill Richardson, talk about brining people together. They talk about bridging the gap between the parties, finding real solutions that work, fighting partisanship, and uniting Americans. But, other than just talking about these things, what really are these candidates doing?

Yes, I agree with a lot of people, that when it gets down to it, Richardson has the longest track record of actually brining people together for a common solution. It has been his stock and trade for decades. And, he isn't above getting his hands dirty, doing much of the heavy lifting himself in negotiations and crafting common solutions.

But, I think its time we make a big step towards "bringing people together." And, I'm not talking about bringing congressmen or politicians or world leaders together. I'm talking about bringing people, citizens together to, as Richardson would say, "tackle our problems here at home."

Here are a couple of examples:

Several years ago, the Eugene City Council faced an $8 million budget shortfall. The city began working with the Deliberative Democracy Project at the University of Oregon to involve citizens in deciding how to balance the budget. The resulting project, Eugene Decisions, utilized a series of surveys and questionnaires, followed by two sets of community workshops where participants used a booklet and worksheet to generate their own recommendations. Through this process, the city engaged over 1,200 residents in face-to-face meetings, received thousands of survey responses, and balanced its budget for the first time in many years.

... 

Several years ago, the City of San José allocated $120 million of redevelopment money into the city’s neighborhoods. This created a unique opportunity to organize coalitions of neighborhoods in 19 underserved areas of the city. Staff organizers worked with existing neighborhood leaders, identified and developed new leaders, and in some cases, developed new neighborhood organizations. The funding was the catalyst to get people to the table, but the ultimate goal was strong organizations with capable and confident leaders. Roughly 500 people per year take part in action committees to develop neighborhood plans. These plans guide all City resource allocations in these areas, affecting everything from sidewalks to community centers. More information. 

Richardson is right, we can start solving our own problems here. We don't need government or business to do it for us, but we do need the help of government and the help of business to pull it off. We need a president that sees this type of work as important, citizens pulling together and finding solutions to common problems.

This goes beyond President Bill Clinton's vision of Americorps, but it is built on that same sort of spirit of government giving us the tools to create common solutions.