Starbucks’s founder Howard Schultz just penned an emotional opinion piece in the New York Times today called “America Deserves a Servant Leader.”
It sounds like he’s testing the waters for whether to run.
Here are 3 excerpts from his opinion piece reprinted from the New York Times.
You can read the full article here.
What do you think, should he run?
In recent weeks, I have taken to recalling that humble, inspiring act of servant leadership as I observe the antithesis: a field of presidential aspirants unable to rise above petty politics. I know candidates want to play to the party faithful during the primary season, but the challenges facing us today are too dire for another status-quo election. We cannot afford more false promises, slogans, theatrics and fool’s gold. Our nation has been profoundly damaged by a lack of civility and courage in Washington, where leaders of both parties have abdicated their responsibility to forge reasonable compromises to expand the economy, rebuild our infrastructure, improve schools, transform entitlement programs and so much more. We have become too desensitized to the horrendous metrics that define today’s America, from student-loan debt to food-stamp dependency to the size of our prison population.
For too many Americans, the belief that propelled me, that I had the opportunity to climb the ladder of prosperity, has greatly diminished. I hear it from coast to coast as I sit with customers in our stores. Six in 10 Americans believe that the younger generation will not be better off than their parents. Millennials have never witnessed politics devoid of toxicity. Anxiety, not optimism, rules the day.
Our country is in desperate need of servant leaders, of men and women willing to kneel and embrace those who are not like them. Everyone seeking the presidency professes great love for our nation. But I ask myself, how can you be a genuine public servant if you belittle your fellow citizens and freeze out people who hold differing views?
There’s no doubt that a record number of Americans are disenchanted with politics-as-usual.
That’s the reason Donald Trump is in the race almost by accident.
And that’s why Howard Schultz might just be the next great thing to happen to American politics.
Could this be our next President?
