"Every time we face up to our mistakes and failures, we grow stronger, because patriotism doesn’t require perfection from the past. It requires honesty in the present."

— Mike Bloomberg
Old North Church, Boston, MA
April 13, 2022

John,

Yesterday, Mike spoke at the Old North Church in Boston -- the historic site where, 247 years ago this month, two lanterns signaled the British approach by sea, kicking off Paul Revere's famous ride and initiating the American Revolution.

As the Old North Foundation’s 2022 Third Lantern Honoree, Mike in his acceptance speech reflected on America's enduring ideals, and our history as an imperfect -- but always-improving -- nation. He put forward a strong defense of our long tradition of debate and civic engagement on difficult questions, and signaled a new threat to the American Experiment: the "righteous intolerance" growing in our public discourse.

[It] is our calling as Americans to engage in this debate -- civilly, democratically, and peacefully. Not as enemies, but as fellow-citizens. It is our birthright, our civic duty, our most sacred tradition.

But sadly, I must stand before you tonight and say: It is being jeopardized by one of the gravest dangers any democracy can face: Righteous intolerance.

Recent discussions on civic issues are too often defined by this righteous intolerance -- an absolutist dismissal that uses mob rule and cancel culture to silence opposing views. Their increasing prevalence among extremes on both sides of the political spectrum represents a genuine threat to the American Experiment.

The solution, Mike says, is "not to rewrite history -- but to revisit it, and recast it, and reclaim it, and pass it down to the next generation, by teaching them about our civic foundations, cracks and all, so that they can continue the work of building a more perfect union."

Take a moment today to watch and share Mike's speech:

https://www.mikebloomberg.com/news/michael-r-bloomberg-honored-at-the-old-north-foundations-lantern-2022-event/

You can also read an adapted version of Mike's remarks, published this morning as an opinion piece in the Boston Globe.

Thanks,

MikeBloomberg.com