CONFESSIONS OF A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

By Edwin Cooney

Yep, it’s true. Even as Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and others were crisscrossing our great nation pleading for money and votes from underpaid and over-taxed Americans, I too was scheming to run for President.

True, the office I sought doesn’t have the capacity for either good or mischief that the President of the United States possesses, but the office of President of the Batavia, New York State School for the Blind Alumni Association is somewhat important to a few hundred people who live around “this great nation of ours.” (Goodness, I even sound like one of those big time candidates, don’t I!)

The New York State School for the Blind has served students between the ages of five and twenty-one living with blindness since it opened in 1868—just three years after the close of the Civil War. (Many of its original students were blinded Civil War veterans.).

On the occasion of the school’s fiftieth anniversary in 1918, the Alumni Association was formed to support the educational and vocational aspirations of those who had attended or were attending the school. This year, our Alumni Association celebrated its ninetieth anniversary.

Of course, much has changed over the years. Those attending classes today at the school’s beautiful eleven acre campus bedecked with stately oaks and elms are multi-disabled students rather than the “normal” blind. Thus, to many of us, our beloved old alma mater seems to be a hospital as much as it does the school we once both loved and loathed returning to in the fall. As for the membership of the Association, it’s getting older, and its membership is no longer being refreshed due to the serious physical limitations of the school’s current population.

Hence, the entity I sought to lead is mostly about celebrating times gone by, and less about anticipating the future. We do, of course, make contributions to on-campus activities which lend themselves to such assistance, but our main focus is the planning of our annual reunion. So, you might well ask, why run for the presidency of an organization with a limited future? The answer is simple. Whatever our dreams for the future, we must live in and make meaningfully happy the “here and now”. Even more, the NYSSB Alumni Association is made up of people whose affection I cherish and whose interests I’d love to serve.

So I ran. I have ideas about the budgeting process as well as about other organizational and operational matters that I intended to put forward as President. It wasn’t much of a campaign. I believe Steve, who was the organization’s official nominee, had his Albany constituency pretty well lined up behind him. Bonnie, who was also originally a presidential candidate, instead accepted the Vice Presidency. She has provided a lot of very generous personal help to a lot of people over the years.

So, I lost. Some say not by very much, but lose I did. I’ve been telling people that I have the distinction of being the most seriously defeated presidential candidate in 2008 and that my percentage of votes was about that which Congressman Dennis Kucinich might receive in Crawford, Texas.

I write of this because I think it’s important to keep in sight a reality that it appears many activists of all political stripes seem to overlook. If an office of leadership is worth running for, its occupant must receive the cheerful support of everyone, including opposition activists, until a new political season rolls around. I’m certainly glad I ran for this small time presidency and I would like to have won. However, I expect to cheerfully serve in the appointed position I’m told I’ll likely be asked to occupy.

The future is uncertain for all would-be leaders whether our name is Barack, Hillary, John, Steve or Edwin. We attain our elective offices out of personal passion and commitment with the help of a lot of people who have their own hopes and expectations.

It was fun to have run and to have anticipated the possibility of presidential success and personal popularity. Thus, there’s really no need for me to despair. As sure as Christmas, Fourth of July, and Income Tax day, NYSSB’s political season will, in just two short years, be upon us once again.

Hmm, I wonder if I’ll run again!

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

EDWIN COONEY