Eyes on the Prize
Andrea Mitchell of NBC News interviewed Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. Perez gave this advice to Democrats in the primary process: “I hope you fall in love with multiple people, and then fall in line when we get the nominee” (NBC.)
There was lots of criticism about his statement. Members of the Democratic Party are notoriously strong headed; the concept of “falling in line” is not really what Democrats do. We’re more like “herding cats:” we will never be “in line” but hopefully will all meander in the same direction.
But what Perez meant was clear. There are lots of candidates running for the nomination for President of the United States. Perez wants Democrats to get involved, get excited, and get to the polls for the primaries. And when that process is over, and the convention chooses one of them to run against Donald Trump (or whoever is standing in his place) then we need put our efforts behind that candidate. Our eyes need to be on the prize, removing Trumpism, and winning the Presidency.
My Pledge
So as a Democrat, less than 100 days from the beginning at the Iowa caucuses, I’m working on “falling in love” with a candidate. But regardless of the choice I make today, I make a pledge to Mr. Perez: I will “fall in line” after the convention, and put my energies behind whoever we decide will be the Democratic nominee, even if it’s Bernie Sanders.
But Bernie Sanders isn’t the one I’m falling in love with. So lets examine the candidates in light of that.
Incremental Change
If the United States was “table rasa,” a blank slate, then I would be all-in for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. The goals of Social Democrats, including universal public health care, are ideas that I agree with. But I also have been a participant and student of politics for my entire life, and I don’t see the United States making the kind of massive changes that those candidates demand.
We are a nation of incremental change. Even in the Great Depression, really the last chance for the overarching changes that the Social Democrats want, the US made what really are modest changes. The New Deal was practical and worked within the framework of a capitalist democracy. Like it or not, that’s what the nation would accept then, even in their moment of extreme economic crisis.
Our nation is in a crisis today. The income inequality that exists, with the top 10% holding 70% of the wealth, and the top 1% having 29% of the total wealth; is unsustainable in a democracy. This is particularly true in our democracy, where the Courts have ruled that free speech means unlimited spending in political campaigns.
So the United States is primed for a change, but not for the “revolution” that Sanders and Warren want.
The Environment
The one area where incremental change may not be possible is the looming environmental crisis. We need to change, and change right now, to avoid the worst of the climatic changes we have created. Whoever the Democratic candidate is, they must have a commitment to make dramatic changes to the current “back to the fifties” vision.
All of the Democrats have a plan, and all of the candidates will do a better job. But it is clear that the answers of the past decades haven’t provided a solution for the future. We need a new plan, and a leader to make it work.
Health Insurance
The United States is ready for everyone to have health care. But a substantial number of Americans want to keep the private insurance they now have. This is a “deal breaker” for many, so much so that whoever the Democratic candidate for President is, there must be some provision in their health care plan to allow for private insurance. This puts Sanders and Warren out, and Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Booker, Biden and some others in.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t include a public option insurance plan, and it doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t be able to control drug costs. That should be a part of every Democratic health care plan.
Corporate Loyalty
It is clear that many US corporations are loyal only to their shareholders. There seems to be no greater loyalty to their workers, or their nation. Whether it’s GM closing its truck manufacturing in the US and moving to Mexico, or Apple tailoring apps to the will of the Chinese government, the US government will need to examine the incentives they provide to these companies. While Warren and Sanders have made it clear where they stand, the more moderate candidates have said less about controlling them.
And finally, the giants of social media have determined that they are unwilling to control the platforms they created. These brilliant intellects believe they can simply remain a conduit without responsibility for what’s delivered. The fact that this increases their own profits I’m sure has something to do with their refusal. Most of the Democratic candidates are willing to take those giants on.
The Choice
While I respect and admire Joe Biden, I agree with those who feel his time has past. Biden is not Barack Obama, and the nation of 2020 is not the same as the one that in 2008 took the remarkable step of electing him.
The argument for Biden is the one he made from the first: that he is the one sure thing against Donald Trump. But in watching him campaign, I’m not sure he’s up to the task. And more significantly, I’m not convinced that the famous “binary choice” is Trump or Biden. In listening to our nation, I’m closer to believing that it’s “Anybody” or Trump. And if it’s “Anybody”, then Biden doesn’t HAVE to be the one. Biden represents the successes and ideals of the Obama Administration, but he also represents the failures and compromises made by them. We are moving onto a different era, with different and more pressing problems.
And while I like Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker, and think either would make a great President, I don’t see either catching fire with the electorate.
Voting My Heart
So, after all of this, who has “won my heart?”
Pete Buttigieg is thirty-seven, articulate, a veteran, and a city mayor in the Midwest. Every time I listen to him, I become more convinced that he would be the one to pick up the mantle of change, of bringing the United States into a future of diversity, climate change, and diverging economics. I see him as the one to stand on the shoulders of the Obama legacy, learn from his mistakes, and move our nation forward.
I well know his weaknesses. He has less Federal government experience than the other leading candidates. And the fact that he is gay will be an excuse for some to vote against him. He needs to increase his appeal to the broader base of the Democratic Party. If he cannot find a way to do that, he won’t survive in the primary. If he can find a way to reach the broader base, then he can win the general election in November.
And, to speak to the “elephant in the room;” if someone votes against him because he’s gay, then they would have found some other reason to vote against any other Democrat. It’s just where we are today.
So, if Mayor Pete remains in the running come the Ohio primary, he will get my vote.
But if he fails to win the nomination, I will gladly “fall in line” for the Democratic nominee. It’s not just that I am a “yellow dog” Democrat (I’d vote for a yellow dog if it had a D by its name.)
I have my “eyes on the prize.”
