By Jim Tabor
If you have not seen Bernie Sanders’ wondrous TV ad, wordless save for Simon & Garfunkel’s “America” in the background – See it! Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nwRiuh1Cug.
It’s being hailed as the greatest political ad ever made and no wonder. If you can watch without tears erupting, best check for a pulse. This may be the only such creation that softens hard hearts all along the spectrum.
I saw it the day after attending a retreat for Mad River Valley Chamber board directors. Newbies (like me) and vets gathered to meet, greet and cogitate, facilitated by Valley treasure Patricia Floyd. We were joined, as it happened, by a huge but invisible elephant – concerns raised recently and publicly by some current and former chamber members. Open discussion materialized the unseen pachyderm soon enough. I’m new, so I can’t address the concerns specifically, but I have no doubt that they are sincere and heartfelt.
What I can say is this. Bernie’s ad works because it taps into the most powerful force of all (sorry gravity, strong force, etc.): love, in this case for the bright, shining ideal that America still represents despite so many attempts by greed and egos to strip its power and glory. There aren’t many things at my stage in life I claim to know with absolute certainty, but here are two. As a writer, I’ve traveled to most states and many countries and know that America is still among mankind’s greatest creations. I know with equal conviction that the Mad River Valley is one of the Earth’s and America’s most magical places. We are blessed beyond measure to live our lives in this bright, shining ideal of a country and in our equally bright and shining Valley. I’m not just spouting theory here, either. I feel The Valley’s magic in every hug, see it glowing in our eyes and smiles, hear it in our voices ringing with the joy of just ... being here.
What I’m trying to say is that I feel every day about The Valley as Bernie’s ad made me feel about America – and without heartstring-pulling music backing it up. The song’s refrain says, “We’ve all come to look for America” and it’s still here to find. Doesn’t Bernie’s rise prove that, yet again? And here in Vermont in our Valley, we’ve all come to look for a certain way of life, the best of which Bernie represents. Some would say that that way of life had been lost forever, but we know better. We not only came looking – we found it.
So here’s a third thing I know, because in 22 years here I’ve seen it happen time and again. Whatever differences we have are miniscule compared to the reverence we feel for this Valley and for each other. If I felt that way before attending the chamber retreat I referenced earlier, after the meeting I was so pumped I wanted to start shouting from hilltops. Sure, there are things the chamber can do better. But one lesson I learned over the years is that the best way to encourage change is to catch people doing things right. Same goes for organizations. So it’s important to start from that presumption – the chamber staff and board are good people with good intentions doing their very best to work for the good of our Valley. I won’t list all the programs and services here – that’s another column by another person. But I will tell you this. During my earlier career as a marketing and PR consultant, I represented, as counsel of record, the Stowe Area Association and the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce for six and nine years, respectively. So I know from chambers! I can tell you that ours is the most collegial, determined and heart-engaged such group I’ve seen. There is also an infusion of new blood (like me) that brings novel views and fresh energy to complement the longtime commitment and contributions of the “vets.”
We all know, of course, what the road to hell is paved with. Intentions and Simon & Garfunkel can only take you so far. There’s an old saying in business: Hire for attitude, train for skills. Fortunately for us all – and perhaps not surprisingly, given this Valley’s ability to lure the best and brightest – the chamber board is as rich in skills and experience as it is brimming with zeal. Without naming names (I’d have to get permissions and would miss my deadline!), here are just some of this board’s national-caliber skill sets: marketing, retail, public relations, international high-tech, finance, hospitality, travel writing, social media, restaurants and journalism. And these are, as I said, just some.
Finally, with the strains of “America” echoing in memory, I’ll close with this: As beautiful as it is, The Valley is just our backdrop, as Simon & Garfunkel’s music is the backdrop for Bernie’s paean. Another line from that song says, “Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together.” We’re not lovers in the classic sense (this ain’t Putney, after all), but we have married our fortunes together. And that, I’d suggest, is the source of all true magic’s power.
Author James M. Tabor has served as a corporate and ad agency vice president, marketing communications consultant and horse wrangler. He is now a member of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce board. He lives in Waitsfield.
