By Ruthie Ackerman, World Policy Journal
Star Spotter: Goldie Hawn, Demi Moore, Jesse Jackson, Julia Ormond, Ben Stiller.
When President Bill Clinton asked President Barack Obama to pass the Parmesan recently at a restaurant, Obama did not know his next question would be, “Will you come speak at my meeting?”
Not only did Obama agree to kick off Clinton’s star-studded annual meeting, the Clinton Global Initiative, but he did so after giving a speech on climate policy at the United Nations on the same stage as Chinese president Hu Jintao. Obama is facing increasing pressure to pass mandatory curbs on greenhouse gases and to get healthcare reform legislation passed, two issues that threaten to overshadow his first year in office.
In fact, talk of the health care reform debacle in Congress took center stage over other issues at the Clinton Global Initiative and put a damper on the mood compared to past years. Clinton looked wounded, tired—not his usual charming self. After Obama got stuck in traffic, Clinton was left with an extra three-minutes of stage time, which he used to bash Congress for their views on health care reform. Obama, on the other hand, didn’t let out a peep about healthcare, instead bounding on stage for his first public appearance with Clinton, with an important message: “You don’t have to hold a public office to be a public servant.” He then added, “That’s the beauty of service—anyone can do it and everyone should try.”
Obama then praised Clinton for saving millions of lives and recognized the connections between what individuals do in their local communities and the rest of the world. One person’s failure to pay their mortgage in Florida, he explained, can bring down the global financial system. Moreover, a flu that starts in one country can sicken the world. At the same time, one act of change can have the same multiplier effect. Thank you for your “stick-to-it-ness,” Obama beamed.
For this crowd, which included over 60 current and former heads of state, 500 business leaders, and 400 leaders from non-governmental and philanthropic organizations, aid is alive and well. Celebrities Goldie Hawn, Demi Moore, Ben Stiller, Julia Ormond, and Matt Damon, who announced a partnership with Water.org, were in attendance. Al Gore and Jesse Jackson were also spotted.
But the true leaders, who spend their lives in the trenches tackling the world’s problems, are those like author and activist Jimmie Briggs who is bringing together youth to fight violence against women and Zanaib Salbi, CEO and Founder of Women for Women International, which runs a sponsorship program to pair women from war and conflict countries with a sponsor that provides financial aid and emotional support.
In the end Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, said it best in the opening session with Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke, Coca-Cola chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent, and Kevin Rudd, prime minister of Australia: “We don’t need to make a tradeoff between growth, equity, and equal opportunity.”
Ruthie Ackerman is a journalist and a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute. She runs Ceasefire Liberia, a blog bridge helping Liberians in the Diaspora to communicate with those at home. She is also writing a book about Liberian refugees living in Staten Island.