I was deeply saddened to see Paul Simon pass away. He was genuinely decent and kind man and my proudest political moment was when I worked on his 1988 campaign.

I keep coming back to his campaign slogan, "We Can Do Better" and how it compares to so much of the angry and divisive rhetoric of this year's campaign. Paul Simon had no love for Reaganism, but his slogan reflected a belief that all Americans could and should unite around shared purposes and values. Like another great man from downstate Illinois, he appealed to the "better angels of our nature." Let's hope that his vision prevails.