Candidates for the state’s top offices are running for or against President Trump. OK. Republicans like Trump, Democrats don’t. Now, what do you have to offer Minnesota voters?
I very much want to live in the alternative universe you describe, my friend. I want to live in a world where I got up this morning and read about how our rational foreign policy was working and enjoying the support of our allies. I want to read that progress is being made on a smart, balanced immigration policy. That a government-industry-academic group of experts is looking for a responsible way forward on AI.
I want to live in a universe where I feel comfortable turning my back on my government to focus on other things. It's one of the features of representative government that I value the most. I used to feel that
Sadly, though, I don’t live in that universe. I live in a universe where I have to deal with the reality of a president who threatens the public good. Whose irrational, unpredictable and incompetent "leadership" means that I wake up each morning to read something like last night's post. In this universe, we have to deal with the reality that *we* elected this man - twice - despite his lifetime track record of incompetence, corruption, racism, misogyny, xenophobia and a host of other traits that used to make us cringe.
So, yes, Donald Trump is distorting the politics of our state and crowding out everything else. His ability to do this is apparently a fundamental law of the universe we live in and is as inexplicable to me as quantum mechanics. Come this November and November 2028, *maybe* we as a state and as a nation will vote in a way that lessens the impact of this fundamental law but it won't change the fact that it exists.
Well said, and I agree. I remain hopeful (“irrational exuberance”?) that a rejection this November of Trump’s attacks on the Constitution and rule of law will be the first step in restoring principled conservative and liberal parties.
The corruption on one side is creating an environment for unfettered corruption on the other. Because no party vets, self-polices, or holds themselves accountable, we are left with a totally failed state. Wrong is wrong. This was a commonly held position among parties 25 years ago. Not anymore.
DJT has turned the amplifier up to 11. It is modern psychological operations (see "Flooding the Zone," RAND coined the phrase "Firehose of Falsehood").
"Us vs Them" is on steroids and citizens don't have any way to hold leaders accountable because we literally don't have the collective bandwidth. This is representative government without principle or ethics.
No doubt, times are dire. But this isn’t the time to give up. Instead, it is time to get more involved. I appreciate your willingness to jump into the fray. We need more people to take an active role in elective politics - as candidates, volunteers and engaged citizens and voters.
Right you are again, Tom. But the often toxic magnetism surrounding whatever Trump and his lieutenants are doing or saying at any given hour just sucks the air out of all the rooms nearly all the time. Furthermore, we voters in our own minds seldom think of the important issues or topics you mention for any more than a few moments before reverting to thinking and spouting about any of the many truly stupid, awful, or dangerous things that Trump and his cronies are doing just within the latest 30-minute news cycle. It feels as if we are trapped in a vicious, intentional scheme to dumb everyone down except for those in the mega-rich strata who get to functionally call all the shots.
I've increasingly noticed a Trump-centered version of Godwin's Law taking place, i.e., that as the length of an online discussion grows the probability of Trump being brought up approaches 100%. This is observable in all online threads, even the most politically distant. It is dismal that one individual could influence absolutely everything. Perhaps part of the issue is that all local politics -- including city, county, and state politics -- are culturally and financially downstream of the headwaters that are the federal government and people are increasingly aware of that. A dam built in Washington can lower the water level all the way down to the municipal level. Not sure what the solution is, it is there even is one. Great questions though. Everyone is definitely sleeping on Social Security and it worries me, because I'm 44... 😳
Perhaps less Goodwin and more self-selecting. Those who enjoy the discussion of politics and policy, myself included, both write about those topics and seek the perspectives of others. In today’s world, it is hard to discuss politics or policy without Trump creeping into the conversation. You are right about Social Security. Both Dems and Republicans are ignoring the issue, hoping for some magic, painless solution, I suppose.
I don’t think Minnesota will see Republicans make a significant move away from the worst aspects of MAGA until after the 2030 Census redraws legislative districts. The GOP has been able to delude itself into thinking it is a party of winning ideas and ideology because of the evenly divided legislature. Republicans too often blame the loss of their statewide candidates on urban voters, falsely claiming a metro electorate that is dependent on government handouts, election cheating, etc. The reality is quite different. Republicans win rural districts because those areas have become both smaller and redder. More and more voters live in the Twin Cities metro and Republicans have written them off. After redistricting, there will be fewer rural legislative districts and more electoral power shifting to the metro. Republicans will be forced to either create an agenda that goes beyond the concerns of rural voters or fade into irrelevancy. And, yes, it’s true that Democrats have something of the reverse problem - a lack of appeal to rural voters - but the geographic and demographic shift of voters will favor the DFL after 2030.
I very much want to live in the alternative universe you describe, my friend. I want to live in a world where I got up this morning and read about how our rational foreign policy was working and enjoying the support of our allies. I want to read that progress is being made on a smart, balanced immigration policy. That a government-industry-academic group of experts is looking for a responsible way forward on AI.
I want to live in a universe where I feel comfortable turning my back on my government to focus on other things. It's one of the features of representative government that I value the most. I used to feel that
Sadly, though, I don’t live in that universe. I live in a universe where I have to deal with the reality of a president who threatens the public good. Whose irrational, unpredictable and incompetent "leadership" means that I wake up each morning to read something like last night's post. In this universe, we have to deal with the reality that *we* elected this man - twice - despite his lifetime track record of incompetence, corruption, racism, misogyny, xenophobia and a host of other traits that used to make us cringe.
So, yes, Donald Trump is distorting the politics of our state and crowding out everything else. His ability to do this is apparently a fundamental law of the universe we live in and is as inexplicable to me as quantum mechanics. Come this November and November 2028, *maybe* we as a state and as a nation will vote in a way that lessens the impact of this fundamental law but it won't change the fact that it exists.
Well said, and I agree. I remain hopeful (“irrational exuberance”?) that a rejection this November of Trump’s attacks on the Constitution and rule of law will be the first step in restoring principled conservative and liberal parties.
Right on, and write on!
The corruption on one side is creating an environment for unfettered corruption on the other. Because no party vets, self-polices, or holds themselves accountable, we are left with a totally failed state. Wrong is wrong. This was a commonly held position among parties 25 years ago. Not anymore.
DJT has turned the amplifier up to 11. It is modern psychological operations (see "Flooding the Zone," RAND coined the phrase "Firehose of Falsehood").
"Us vs Them" is on steroids and citizens don't have any way to hold leaders accountable because we literally don't have the collective bandwidth. This is representative government without principle or ethics.
No doubt, times are dire. But this isn’t the time to give up. Instead, it is time to get more involved. I appreciate your willingness to jump into the fray. We need more people to take an active role in elective politics - as candidates, volunteers and engaged citizens and voters.
We must make things better and we will. America has had corrupt politics in the past. Ebb and flow of American democracy.
Right you are again, Tom. But the often toxic magnetism surrounding whatever Trump and his lieutenants are doing or saying at any given hour just sucks the air out of all the rooms nearly all the time. Furthermore, we voters in our own minds seldom think of the important issues or topics you mention for any more than a few moments before reverting to thinking and spouting about any of the many truly stupid, awful, or dangerous things that Trump and his cronies are doing just within the latest 30-minute news cycle. It feels as if we are trapped in a vicious, intentional scheme to dumb everyone down except for those in the mega-rich strata who get to functionally call all the shots.
I've increasingly noticed a Trump-centered version of Godwin's Law taking place, i.e., that as the length of an online discussion grows the probability of Trump being brought up approaches 100%. This is observable in all online threads, even the most politically distant. It is dismal that one individual could influence absolutely everything. Perhaps part of the issue is that all local politics -- including city, county, and state politics -- are culturally and financially downstream of the headwaters that are the federal government and people are increasingly aware of that. A dam built in Washington can lower the water level all the way down to the municipal level. Not sure what the solution is, it is there even is one. Great questions though. Everyone is definitely sleeping on Social Security and it worries me, because I'm 44... 😳
Perhaps less Goodwin and more self-selecting. Those who enjoy the discussion of politics and policy, myself included, both write about those topics and seek the perspectives of others. In today’s world, it is hard to discuss politics or policy without Trump creeping into the conversation. You are right about Social Security. Both Dems and Republicans are ignoring the issue, hoping for some magic, painless solution, I suppose.
How can we get Republicans to distance themselves from Trump. It will be a disaster for them in Minnesota if they don’t.
I don’t think Minnesota will see Republicans make a significant move away from the worst aspects of MAGA until after the 2030 Census redraws legislative districts. The GOP has been able to delude itself into thinking it is a party of winning ideas and ideology because of the evenly divided legislature. Republicans too often blame the loss of their statewide candidates on urban voters, falsely claiming a metro electorate that is dependent on government handouts, election cheating, etc. The reality is quite different. Republicans win rural districts because those areas have become both smaller and redder. More and more voters live in the Twin Cities metro and Republicans have written them off. After redistricting, there will be fewer rural legislative districts and more electoral power shifting to the metro. Republicans will be forced to either create an agenda that goes beyond the concerns of rural voters or fade into irrelevancy. And, yes, it’s true that Democrats have something of the reverse problem - a lack of appeal to rural voters - but the geographic and demographic shift of voters will favor the DFL after 2030.