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Keller @ Large: More Serious Debate, More Humility Needed

BOSTON (CBS) - After my day at the state Democratic Convention in Worcester on Saturday, I have good news and bad news.

Which would you like to hear first?

OK, here's the good news – the people there were great. I had a dozen great conversations with delegates who just wanted to say hello, and couldn't have been nicer.

Have you ever heard the old saying about how, in any given town, there are 50 people who make it work, who do all the volunteering and coaching and organizing? These are the people you find for the most part at both parties' political conventions, and whether or not you like their politics, you have to applaud their altruism.

And here's some more good news – the Democratic candidates for governor are all high-quality people, smart, ethical, accomplished. There isn't a clown in the bunch.

Now for the bad news.

There wasn't much in the way of fresh thinking and creative new ideas floating around that hockey rink.

While there are differences of degree among the candidates, all of them want government to spend more and do more, as we've been doing here for some time now. How continuing that status quo prepares our economy for the long-term is a question that wasn't asked or answered in Worcester.

And there was also an excess of back-patting.

If we are such great political thinkers and leaders here, as speaker after speaker said, why do we still have so many problems?

Maybe the rest of the campaign will produce more serious debate, and more humility.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

Keller at Large June 16 2014

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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