Focus on Midterms

Unifying against ignorance and hate to ensure we take back the House at the Midterms should be our prime directive between now and November.

To do this, consider these three steps.

Resist getting sucked into the distraction-by-design drama of Trump tweets. Encourage others to do the same, and in conversation, gently try to redirect from his tweets to just about any other topic. This often means turning off MSNBC and CNN (and Fox) since these are addicted to focusing nearly exclusively on Trump tweets, much to his delight.

Dial down our own drama. Make The News Hour and NPR our daily electronic news media. Maybe even add one of the three networks, because while flawed they are all three more dull than drama-driven.

Then, try to hold two contradictory ideas in our minds at the same time: we must find any way to remain united as the decent folks opposed to ignorance, hate and indecency AND we need to do this without contributing to mobilizing his base (or even better, contributing to pulling some of his supporters back into the mainstream). So while we are united by our shared desire to remove the most indecent and ignorant and hateful president of our lifetime…we also recognize that there are some whose life struggles feel so hopeless that they supported a disruptor (and if we can stop calling ‘them’ idiots, we might be able to welcome them back into the fold.) And win the House.

In response a friend posted about how the Dems keep getting it wrong…the problem is the Dems…. Since I must assume he did not miss my point, I initially conclude he would rather have a President Trump than a moderate Democrat. But then I dialed it back, trying to take my own advice, and conclude that, of course, it is important for Dems to pick candidates who can win. I prefer, however, to communicate this message without wrapping it in ‘the Dems are the problem’ packaging, because doing that makes it harder to pick candidates who can win and for candidates who are picked to win.

So, I added a fourth step.

Schram's editorial in today's ABJ noted this about the overlap between Bobby Kennedy and Wallace voters: 'A Newark mailman wearing a Wallace button boasted proudly that he had Bobby’s autograph back home, adding: “He had the same thing Wallace has got that none of the other politicians have: guts.”' There are some (perhaps many) Trump voters we cannot get to open their eyes and hearts, but we can ignore them because it is the angry moderate, the Kennedy-Wallace voter, we need to bring home. And maybe I should have added a fourth step: until we have removed the clear and present danger that is Trump in the WH, we should direct all of our criticism at the Republicans. All of it. After we save the world, we can return to our internal battles.

It is always hard to talk about politics, because there is a lot at stake and significant room for honest disagreement.

It is harder when Trumpism reigns. Must win House in midterms.

Since this is (in some ways) a continuation of my thinking above, from the next day, I will add it here...

I did not vote for him. I consider him to be just about the worst possible role model, whose approach to governance is undermining respect for the rule of law and democratic decision-making. At the same time, I see no value in replicating his approach by dismissing anything he says or does just because he said it or did it.

With that in mind, and with all the usual caveats about ‘time will tell’ and verification and ‘why did he have to do even this is such a tawdry manner,’ I think it is important to recognize that an agreement with North Korea centering on steps toward denuclearization and normalization of our relationship, however small those steps, ought to be seen as a step in the right direction. I thought President Obama was right to say he was ready to speak with our enemies (and it is galling to watch Republicans praise this president for doing just that after insisting Obama was traitorous for even suggesting such a thing).

I consistently struggle to understand the logic (if that is the right word) behind this president’s decision making. I am not yet convinced, even in this case, that there is a coherent plan (beyond enhancing his brand). But one of the most frustrating aspects of both his presidency and his enablers treatment of the Obama presidency is there repeated failure to exercise forbearance and recognize when the other side does something good for the country (or when their own side needs to reconsider). So, I do not want to replicate that dualistic and unpatriotic and dishonest approach to thinking and talking about politics. This editorial helped me get a small glimpse into the president’s tactical thinking here.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-06-12/trump-s-approach-to-kim-is-amoral-also-it-may-work