Warren Rudman's Legacy

Senator Warren Rudman, one of NH's finest statesmen, passed away last night. I'll leave it to others to recount his numerous accomplishments. I'd like focus on his legacy.

What legacy, you might rightly ask. The legislation for which he is best known, the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, should have ended federal deficits by 1991, but decades of Congressional and Presidential unwillingness to make hard choices led to pushing back its timetables, and look where we are now. Some legacy.

And the bipartisanship for which he was so well known? No evidence of lasting impact there, either.

The Concord Coalition, which he co-founded? Still begging legislators to work toward reducing the deficit, so many years later.

What legacy, indeed. But wait. What if we do something radical. What if we see the event of his passing not as an ending, but as an inspiration. What if we - the common people of NH - embrace Warren Rudman's vision. What if we ask our Senators and Representatives in Washington to pledge themselves to being Americans first and party loyalists second. What if we tell them to have the guts to make hard choices, reach across the aisle, and do what needs to be done, regardless of political fallout from party leaders or the radicals on either left or right. What if we ask them to have Warren Rudman's courage. What if we ask them to approach the fiscal cliff asking, "What would Rudman do?"

If we can do that, Warren Rudman will live long after the funeral procession ends and the flowery tributes fade. Now THAT's a legacy.