Over the weekend Thomas Friedman wrote about his disillusionment with the presidential campaigns of both Romney and Obama. In the candidates' discussion of policy, sparse at it's been, they've also failed to provide what Obama identifies as "a story  that gives [the American people] a sense of unity and purpose and optimism."

And according to Friedman, startups are just the thing to inspire us:

The days when Ford or G.E. came to town with 10,000 jobs are over. Instead, we need 2,000 people in every town each starting something that employs five people. We need everyone starting something! Therefore, we should aspire to be the world’s best launching pad.

It echoes some of President Clinton's advice a year ago, in which he outlined 14 job-creating initiatives. Number two on the list? Cash for startups. Friedman knows that startup innovation depends on more than just access to capital, and outlines broad criteria for turning America into the "world's best launching pad for new startups." Let's hope the candidates are paying attention.

Read Friedman's Op-Ed piece at The New York Times

image source: ReillyButler @ Flickr