Democrats

Dear Democrats:

I realize I am just a community college political science teacher, and the airwaves are excessive with generally unhelpful political platitudes. That said, I am compelled periodically to step up when I feel something might move the country towards a more perfect union. 

You just blew it. For the better part of the last week, there were no Republicans and no president in Washington. This left a lot of reporters with nothing to do, and it left you with an empty landscape rich with opportunity. Hold a daily news conference on Capitol Hill, asking for the Epstein files. Go to a DC food shelter, showing the need. Use one of those votes to reopen the government to introduce resolutions condemning the president’s refusal to negotiate, the need for healthcare reform, or even the need for a living wage.

What did I see instead? A lot of Democrats already with jobs where they could make a difference, highlighting how they’re running for another office they want next year, with photo ops featuring rich people. Even more Democrats belittling Republicans and putting all the blame on them. You handed the media spotlight to events in Asia without so much as a whisper of dissent.

This reinforces the notion you are no longer the party of FDR that supported the middle class. When Harry Truman left the presidency, he returned to his modest home in Independence, Missouri, staying there for the rest of his life. Bill Clinton owns 2 houses, totaling over 10,000 square feet.

Huh.
Meanwhile, half the middle class feels you’ve done nothing for them for 20 years, which is why they’re wearing red hats. The other half are trying to figure out where to get a can of beans to feed their kids, and what to do about healthcare on January 1, when it will cost more than a new car, or even their house. Way too many of this last half are developing plans when their front door is knocked on—or kicked down— in the middle of the night for no real reason.

The folks who are still paying attention to you understand what you’re up against in Washington.  It’s kind of like what they’re up against finding a job, finding food, finding healthcare, or fearing for their lives. But they don’t go on social media and complain about their challenges. They can’t afford that luxury, because their boss would fire them, conservatives would target them, or ICE might hunt them down.

Or they’re just too tired.

Follow their lead. Show them you’re fighting back. You may need to do some of this behind the scenes, but limit that. Be more public, proactive, and compassionate. Use social media and a flurry of press conferences to call on Costco, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Amazon, and Walmart to piece together a strategy they pay for that helps starving families through Thanksgiving. They’ll make a zillion dollars this year off of people who currently have no food. They can give up a couple million this month, but they need some encouragement.

Right now, your job is to do just that. Use your social media accounts to lean on these folks, hard. If you need to keep campaigning, OK, but keep it off the airwaves. Elegant political discourse and vague promises may get you far in Washington, but out here, folks get new jobs when they’re doing a good job in their current job. It’s time to punch the clock. You might lose.  Let’s see.

Do that, and we’ll sort out who’s making America great again.

Bread

Rises for feeding.
Bakes to form community.
Shared to build futures.

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