Bradley's 'Journey': From candidate to author

Six months after the end of his failed presidential campaign, Bill Bradley '65 is trying once again to contribute to the election-year political dialogue. In a new book released Tuesday, Bradley — a University trustee and former senator from New Jersey — returns to issues he has heralded since he entered the Senate more than 20 years ago.

In "The Journey From Here," (Artisan, $18.00) Bradley combines an outspoken critique of the American political climate with the optimism and vision that galvanized supporters nationwide last winter. In eight topical essays, he outlines his vision for campaign finance reform, improved health care and education, and — one of Bradley's signature causes — race relations.

The book's essays are unified by a single theme — that today we are blessed with the opportunity to solve problems we never before could challenge. We must use our current prosperity, Bradley argues, to correct grave injustices in America today and to prepare for the future.

Bradley's choice of issues for his book should be no surprise to those familiar with his career. Many of the anecdotes included in the book were staples in his campaign stump speeches, but in the book, they resound with a new appeal.

The written medium allows Bradley to more effectively communicate his message. Often criticized during the campaign for being a distant academic, Bradley reveals through his writing a closer connection to the American people. Without having to stand awkwardly in front of a swarm of cameras and face rapid-fire questioning, Bradley utilizes this forum to clearly lay out his vision.

Providing thoughts on everything from international peacekeeping to Headstart programs, Bradley writes passionately, almost poetically, about charting a better course for America. Some solutions have bipartisan appeal — such as campaign finance reform to remove the influence of soft money — while others seem to come straight from the Democratic Party platform.

Bradley also weaves personal stories, statistics and political realities into his prose as a frame for his policy solutions. He outlines broad solutions for each policy area. For health care, he promotes a national system — born out of the lessons of the disastrous 1993 White House initiative — that will curb the rising number of uninsured Americans.

Children should be unconditionally included in a national health insurance program, he writes, as should lower-income Americans. Bradley also argues for expanding Medicare and writing legislation to protect patients' rights against insurance companies.

Continuing his discussion of the social ills in America today, Bradley follows with a frank exploration of race relations. Throughout his political career, Bradley has been praised by many members of the minority community for his steadfast resolve to attack racism on all levels.

Recalling the many difficult moments along the way, Bradley outlines a brief history of racial tension in the United States, showing both where we have come from and where we could go from here. Calling on youth to take the lead, Bradley issues a challenge to heal racial tensions and move society beyond the plague of stereotypes and bigotry.

In the most detailed section of the book, Bradley calls for massive reforms in the election process. Declaring, "Money is to politics what acid is to cloth: It eats away at the fabric of democracy," Bradley endorses full public financing of general elections.

Bradley also endorses policies to increase voter registration, such as enabling citizens to register on the day of the election rather than weeks before. He argues that having officials actually elected by a majority of Americans will fulfill the national commitment to democracy and thereby strengthen our country and reduce some of the current malaise of voters.

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Within these sweeping proposals, however, lies the major flaw of the book. While outlining his vision for a better America, Bradley simply overlooks both the political and economic reality of his proposals. By relying on emotional stories and vague proposals, Bradley escapes the inevitable conclusion that some solutions are simply unattainable.

His policies require not only substantial political maneuvering but also cultural reforms within American society. He calls for greater understanding by all Americans, and a renewed devotion to the family by all parents — indisputable ideals, yet insubstantial proposals.

In the end, the value of the book — in its high-minded rhetoric — is as a banner raised for a better America, not as a series of concrete policy proposals.

Though it ignores some basic political impracticalities, "The Journey From Here" is Bradley's inspiring pledge to remain active despite his recent defeat. As Bradley himself writes, "The fact that I didn't succeed in winning doesn't make the cause less just or the fight less honorable."

Addressing the young people of America, Bradley concludes by telling them to "never give up and never sell out." He acknowledges that his own journey has not yet concluded. After a lifetime of achievement — three time All-American at Princeton, Rhodes scholar at Oxford, Olympic gold medalist, NBA All-Star and three-term U.S. Senator — Bradley remains unsatisfied.

By concerning himself more with the nation's future than his own political prospects, Bradley attempts to raise himself from base politics to the status of a statesman.

Of course this, too, could be just another stump speech — but the book at least makes you want to believe Bradley has a higher goal.