The two big ironies in American Politics today
ILLUSTRATED: Democrats need to explain in concrete terms why working government is needed. Democrats also need to train local campaign organizations.
Here are two realities in politics today that have me baffled:
Irony #1
Involvement of government in our lives.
If you live in a city, you interact with the government all the time: the city manhole worker, the cop directing traffic, the public transportation system. You yourself might even work for the government. But if you live on ranchland, you don’t interface with government in a tangible, visible way.
Hence, city dwellers are used to government and vote for Democrats, and rural voters aren’t used to government and vote Republican.
But if you look at the way federal tax dollars are spent, the big, urban states subsidize the small rural states link. Yet rural voters voted in the president and congressional majority that is bent on dismantling the federal government’s role. We need to turn this around.
Democrats in the Rockies are gaining ground because they are articulating in concrete terms why working government is important. Whether you are talking about visible public school buildings or intangible agriculture subsidies, we need to make it clear to voters in our districts why competent, working government is needed.
Irony #2
Investing in People
The Republicans in DC and many statehouses are working against the public education system, trying to save money and believing that “not everyone can be a ‘chief, we need some Indians’, so we shouldn’t fully educate everyone”. We Democrats believe that by reinvesting national wealth in people we get a stronger nation, since more people are rising.
Yet look at the way the parties run themselves. The GOP and the conservative movement invest tens of millions of dollars in training their people to be candidates and operatives. Our party is run by a bunch of private businesses in DC who have no incentive to share their knowledge and information.
The GOP is living by our ethos and they are winning. We are acting like economic royalists, and we are losing.That’s why it is critical what Howard Dean and numerous progressive groups are doing by setting up training sessions to compete. Our local organizations need to be professionalized so we are not so dependent on professional consultants. Consultants should advise campaigns, not run them.
Here are two realities in politics today that have me baffled:
Irony #1
Involvement of government in our lives.
If you live in a city, you interact with the government all the time: the city manhole worker, the cop directing traffic, the public transportation system. You yourself might even work for the government. But if you live on ranchland, you don’t interface with government in a tangible, visible way.
Hence, city dwellers are used to government and vote for Democrats, and rural voters aren’t used to government and vote Republican.
But if you look at the way federal tax dollars are spent, the big, urban states subsidize the small rural states link. Yet rural voters voted in the president and congressional majority that is bent on dismantling the federal government’s role. We need to turn this around.
Democrats in the Rockies are gaining ground because they are articulating in concrete terms why working government is important. Whether you are talking about visible public school buildings or intangible agriculture subsidies, we need to make it clear to voters in our districts why competent, working government is needed.
Irony #2
Investing in People
The Republicans in DC and many statehouses are working against the public education system, trying to save money and believing that “not everyone can be a ‘chief, we need some Indians’, so we shouldn’t fully educate everyone”. We Democrats believe that by reinvesting national wealth in people we get a stronger nation, since more people are rising.
Yet look at the way the parties run themselves. The GOP and the conservative movement invest tens of millions of dollars in training their people to be candidates and operatives. Our party is run by a bunch of private businesses in DC who have no incentive to share their knowledge and information.
The GOP is living by our ethos and they are winning. We are acting like economic royalists, and we are losing.That’s why it is critical what Howard Dean and numerous progressive groups are doing by setting up training sessions to compete. Our local organizations need to be professionalized so we are not so dependent on professional consultants. Consultants should advise campaigns, not run them.
posted by Teka Thomas at 9:54 PM
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