Because I’ve covered politics for a long time, I have seen how some politicians genuflect for self-interests and personal ends. I’ve seen candidates literary walk into my office performing political acrobatics just to get their message out, but without any depth or substance or even clear-cut understanding of the office they are running for. In most cases they are not even qualified for the job and their current vocational or professional activity often has no relationship whatsoever to the office they are seeking.
You wonder how some of these individuals get into elected office. At the state Democratic convention in Lansing, one insider told me that the problem has been that often the party (the GOP is no exception) looks to political hacks, individuals with no serious merit or qualifications but with deep political connections when the immensely qualified candidates turn down offers to run.
To this end we’ve seen promises to build bridges where there is no river by folks who really shouldn’t be occupying the offices they are in now.
But in the midst of this political cacophony that handicaps the essence of making real the promises of democracy, we can find promise in the candidacy of attorney Richard Bernstein, whose story of being blind since birth is a powerful narrative of the triumph of the human spirit. His rise to the center of Democratic politics and seeking one of the most important positions of any elected office is a significant demonstration that disability does not mean inability.
Many people have told me that they wanted Bernstein to be Michigan’s attorney general four years ago because if he had been the state’s chief law enforcement officer, it would have sent a strong message to the nation that Michigan is a state that believes in expanding the rights of its people regardless of who they are as opposed to limiting their rights. Bernstein would have been the first blind attorney general in the nation’s history and it would have marked a seismic shift in how we view the disability community, and would have been a victory for all communities that believe that no matter what happens to us biologically, we can still use our full human potential. But that was four years ago.
Now Bernstein is running for a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court in this election cycle. His mantra “Blind Justice,” is not only an emotive theme but it also carries with it the very meaning of justice itself and how it should be dispensed by our courts. That the court should grant no favors when meting out justice has been the cry of many justice reform advocates over the years who want a Michigan Supreme Court that will decide a case based on merits, not who is representing a particular side or how deep the pockets are of either plaintiffs or the defendants. Often the court is the only place where those with no power, influence or high connections can seek redress.
When I asked Bernstein how voters should read his story, he responded, “As an individual who’s been blind since birth, I have a very deep understanding of what it’s like to be counted out, and how fairness is essential in a very fundamental way for every single person.”
But Bernstein’s candidacy is beyond the fact that if he wins he stands to be the blind-born Michigan Supreme Court Justice. He is competent and qualified to sit on the state’s highest court.
“I’ve had a unique experience as a lawyer, running my law firm’s Public Service Division and working on complex, landmark, precedent-setting cases,” Bernstein explained. “These cases impacted not only people in our state, but also our nation and in some instances set the course for legal approaches in other nations. I have extensive experience as a practitioner in the civil litigation arena. This will help bring a new and broader perspective to the court.”
Current Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack ran on a similar theme of justice for all, and underscoring the need for the downtrodden and the poor to feel a sense of justice in a courtroom. She referenced the work she did co-founding the University of Michigan’s Innocence Clinic, which helped to release a number of wrongly convicted defendants, including some from Detroit. Even against what the skeptics and the naysayers thought was a wrongheaded move to tout the significance of her work in the Innocence Clinic, McCormack made it a central theme of her campaign and won. The lesson there is that voters will pay attention to candidates who can use universally transcending themes in their message to appeal to the conscience of voters.
Yes, Bernstein knows what it means to be left out because he’s been blind from birth. He understands firsthand the challenges of acceptance and recognition the disability community faces. He knows what it means to belong to the “other” instead of the norm. That experience itself carries a certain level of compassionate justice for the majority of people who feel powerless and sometimes don’t trust the justice system to administer fairness because they believe that the interpretation of the law is based on how much money you can pay for representation.
“One of the most formative experiences of my life, as a blind person, was gym class. While everyone else participated, I sat on the sidelines,” Bernstein said. “That experience allows you a unique perspective of who you are. I could have chosen to be relegated to the sidelines for the rest of my life, but refused to accept that limitation. No one should be counted out. Since then, I have strived, through the practice of law, to ensure that everyone who wants to participate has the ability to do so.
“Because I personally refused to accept those limitations, today I am proud to have completed 18 marathons and a full Iron Man competition, and I couldn’t have done that without the motivation that everyone deserves an equal chance to be included, and I hope to bring that perspective to the Supreme Court.”
That is why having an independent Michigan Supreme Court is important in light of the need to maintain the integrity of the court as a place that is devoid of political and money influence.
Blind justice will be an important attribute according to Bernstein.
“I believe that justice should be blind, and I believe in fairness for all. I want to bring blind justice to Michigan’s Supreme Court. Justice that is blind to political ideology, blind to powerful special interests and blind to partisan politics. Justice should be fair, unbiased, and respect the rule of law,” Bernstein noted.
The question is, will voters answer his call to blind justice? Bernstein is making the case as Michigan stands on the threshold of sending a transformational message to America’s disability community and to the nation as a whole that the fundamental rights of people should be expanded, never limited, and that example is best shown in the promise of his candidacy.
There are moments in our individual survival stories when we are called upon to help others survive too. Bernstein survived the limitations of blindness and now he wants to help those under every form of limitation in our justice system to survive and thrive.
As my favorite Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Herschel said, “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement…get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.” A study of Richard Bernstein’s life can best be summed up as “radical amazement,” and his campaign is reflecting that in full throttle.
Bankole Thompson is the editor of the Michigan Chronicle and author of a forthcoming book on Detroit. His most recent book, “Obama and Christian Loyalty,” deals with the politics of the religious right, Black theology and the president’s faith posture across a myriad of issues with an epilogue written by former White House spokesman Robert S. Weiner. He is a senior political analyst at WDET-101.9FM (Detroit Public Radio) and a member of the weekly “Obama Watch” Sunday roundtable on WLIB-1190AM New York. Email bthompson@michronicle.com or visit https://www.bankolethompson.com.
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