A Republican friend of mine likes to say that the Democrats need to stop being the anti-Trump party and have their own vision. The MN DFL needs to be the “make government great” party, with plans to clean up fraud, waste, and abuse, unlike the GOP, which will be focused on killing government.
"What Republicans have engaged in is a kind of political self-immolation: allowing the loudest, most extreme, and most aggressive voices in the party to set policy and direction."
Yep. Dems have been guilty of the same. My read is that Biden's approach to immigration was too heavily influenced by those on the fringes. Very few people--especially not those in the center--are interested in wide open borders. Who wants hardened criminals and gang members pouring into the country? Who wants another 20 religious zealots determined to kill thousands of innocent civilians?
Besides the cognitive issues, Biden made two mistakes that handed the keys to Republicans: not recognizing affordability, and signaling to the world that our borders were wide open. We need immigrants. Arguably we need even more than entered the US under Biden. But we also need to make sure the ones we're letting in are adding value. I hope Dems do a better job of paying attention to broader public opinion in future, and not appease those with the loudest voices.
Is my perception wrong, or do fringes in both parties seem to have outsized influence in our governance? It feels like fringes had way less influence before the days of social media.
The extremists on both sides result in dysfunctional messaging that is annoying, ridiculous and damaging while taking up all the space on social media. It's getting difficult to know what/who we can trust. We need competent, pragmatic lawmakers who seek solutions from the center instead of grandstanding.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece and clear outline of what the "high ground" should look like for Dems, and Republicans for that matter. you've described a policy agenda that most moderates from both sides can get behind and would go a long way towards setting a reasonable path forward for rebuilding our state from the scorched earth that now defines our landscape. We need reject the extreme views on both sides and come together to define the future vision for what we want Minnesota to stand for.
A good piece on what not to believe about the Republicans. The recent events actually have not swayed the Republicans opinion on their own governance. Unlike the Democrats, Republicans actually love our country, warts and all. Democrats need to stop hating Trump, wealth, businesses, etc etc etc. Actually the Democratic leaders seem to like wealth when it applies to themselves, just not for the rest of us. For whatever ever reason, Democrats have believed that Trump will destroy the country but somehow it has not happened and for many it may actually be better. Why vilinize what is better, why not improve it instead?. Democrats need a real platform of what they can do as well as what they are doing. Just as it is not enough to say that we are generous to those in need, the follow through is even more important. Instead of dragging our feet with excuses of why if will take years to stop, the fraud has to stop sooner. We saw in "feeding our future" that reinstating the funds prior to oversight cost us many millions and perhaps billions. A platform built on hate and fear is just that, strong negative emotions that will tear us apart from the inside out. We have to be doers, accomplishers, people of positive action and results. How can we negotiate with other countries if we come to the table riddled with guilt and self doubt? We need to love our country for what it is, not hate it for what it cannot be.
A Republican friend of mine likes to say that the Democrats need to stop being the anti-Trump party and have their own vision. The MN DFL needs to be the “make government great” party, with plans to clean up fraud, waste, and abuse, unlike the GOP, which will be focused on killing government.
"What Republicans have engaged in is a kind of political self-immolation: allowing the loudest, most extreme, and most aggressive voices in the party to set policy and direction."
Yep. Dems have been guilty of the same. My read is that Biden's approach to immigration was too heavily influenced by those on the fringes. Very few people--especially not those in the center--are interested in wide open borders. Who wants hardened criminals and gang members pouring into the country? Who wants another 20 religious zealots determined to kill thousands of innocent civilians?
Besides the cognitive issues, Biden made two mistakes that handed the keys to Republicans: not recognizing affordability, and signaling to the world that our borders were wide open. We need immigrants. Arguably we need even more than entered the US under Biden. But we also need to make sure the ones we're letting in are adding value. I hope Dems do a better job of paying attention to broader public opinion in future, and not appease those with the loudest voices.
Is my perception wrong, or do fringes in both parties seem to have outsized influence in our governance? It feels like fringes had way less influence before the days of social media.
Absolutely social media and the way it rewards extremism is contributing to fringe elements becoming more prominent in politics.
The extremists on both sides result in dysfunctional messaging that is annoying, ridiculous and damaging while taking up all the space on social media. It's getting difficult to know what/who we can trust. We need competent, pragmatic lawmakers who seek solutions from the center instead of grandstanding.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece and clear outline of what the "high ground" should look like for Dems, and Republicans for that matter. you've described a policy agenda that most moderates from both sides can get behind and would go a long way towards setting a reasonable path forward for rebuilding our state from the scorched earth that now defines our landscape. We need reject the extreme views on both sides and come together to define the future vision for what we want Minnesota to stand for.
A good piece on what not to believe about the Republicans. The recent events actually have not swayed the Republicans opinion on their own governance. Unlike the Democrats, Republicans actually love our country, warts and all. Democrats need to stop hating Trump, wealth, businesses, etc etc etc. Actually the Democratic leaders seem to like wealth when it applies to themselves, just not for the rest of us. For whatever ever reason, Democrats have believed that Trump will destroy the country but somehow it has not happened and for many it may actually be better. Why vilinize what is better, why not improve it instead?. Democrats need a real platform of what they can do as well as what they are doing. Just as it is not enough to say that we are generous to those in need, the follow through is even more important. Instead of dragging our feet with excuses of why if will take years to stop, the fraud has to stop sooner. We saw in "feeding our future" that reinstating the funds prior to oversight cost us many millions and perhaps billions. A platform built on hate and fear is just that, strong negative emotions that will tear us apart from the inside out. We have to be doers, accomplishers, people of positive action and results. How can we negotiate with other countries if we come to the table riddled with guilt and self doubt? We need to love our country for what it is, not hate it for what it cannot be.