Archive for the ‘Identity Politics’ Category

The thing that’s getting more play at the DFL convention than expected is that Erin Murphy’s momentum is real and that she might win the DFL endorsement. Tonight, Murphy announced that she’d been endorsed by OutfrontAction via this tweet:

That’s why I’m honored to be endorsed by @outfrontaction, who are leading the fight.

— Erin Murphy (@epmurphymn) June 2, 2018

A quick glimpse at OutFrontAction’s about us webpage identifies which identity group OutfrontAction represents:

OutFront Minnesota’s mission is to create a state where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are free to be who they are, love who they love, and live without fear of violence, harassment or discrimination. We envision a state where LGBTQ individuals have equal opportunities, protection and rights. We are working toward the day when all Minnesotans have the freedom, power and confidence to make the best choices for their own lives.

There’s little question whether this is an important endorsement the night before the DFL endorses a gubernatorial candidate. That isn’t the same as saying this is a winning issue in a general election. It isn’t. Compare that with the top contenders’ issue pages. Check out how substantive Jeff Johnson’s issues page is. Then compare the DFL candidates’ pages with Tim Pawlenty’s issues page.

The difference between the Republicans’ issues pages and the DFL candidates’ issues pages isn’t a fair fight. Murphy doesn’t have an issues page. Instead, she calls her page her Vision page. On that page, she talks about single-payer “health care, equity & justice, economic justice, reproductive justice, immigration and mining.”

On immigration, Murphy says this:

Minnesota must be a state where all of our neighbors are treated with respect and dignity. It’s also critical for our future; we need the hard work and bright ideas of people all over the world to build our economy. That’s why, as a state, we must unite against efforts by the federal government to attack immigrants living in Minnesota. Our communities must be strong, safe, and welcoming.

• I support drivers licenses for all, an initiative that keeps our roads safe while ensuring that people are able to get to work or take their child to the doctor and school.
• Our state and law enforcement must not serve as an extension of ICE, nor should Minnesota prisons be used as detention centers.

In other words, Murphy supports Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state. In terms of mining, here’s part of what Murphy says:

I’ll protect our state from corporate interests that seek to weaken our permitting process for their financial gain. We see these efforts both at the state and federal level. I’ve voted against them repeatedly, and would continue to oppose them if the science is not sound.

Although we often focus on mining, in Minnesota, we are hard on our water – with agriculture, with overdevelopment, with road salt, and with manufacturing. So it’s imperative we invest in the research already taking place at the Natural Resources and Research Institute at UMD around advanced filtration, reverse osmosis, and other ways to clean impaired waters. As governor I would ensure that we invest in that research more heavily to protect and repair water, regardless of the project.

In short, Murphy will be a friend of environmental activists. This has long-reaching effects. It affects farmers, miners, construction workers and cities building wastewater treatment plants. It isn’t a stretch to say that environmental activists would have too much influence in our lives if Murphy was elected.

Cory Booker didn’t testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing yesterday. In article after article, TV segment after TV segment, pundits and announcers insisted that Sen. Booker testified. This article is one such article that fits that description.

Caitlin Huey-Burns wrote that “one could almost mark January 11, 2017 as the day the 2020 presidential race began: That was the day New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker took the unprecedented opportunity to testify against colleague Jeff Sessions, Trump’s choice for attorney general.”

I watched parts of Sen. Booker’s performance. I couldn’t watch all of it because it was a lightweight’s performance masquerading as a hit job. His emotions appeared contrived or manufactured. His sincerity was totally missing. He didn’t add anything substantive to the confirmation hearing. Mostly, it was an appeal to be the next identity politics warrior for the Democratic Party. (As though they don’t have enough of those already.)

Putting it bluntly, Sen. Booker is superficial and a lightweight. Watch for yourself:

Then there’s this:

But as they settle into life in the minority in Washington, Democrats have the opportunity “to test-drive the opposition,” says Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. “We don’t have to accept the course of the next four years as a foregone conclusion.”

Still, Ferguson cautions that the trick is to oppose Trump’s agenda because “it is the wrong direction for the country, not … merely for the sake of obstructing.”

Thus far, they’re looking like mean-spirited obstructionists. If they continue with that tactic, it won’t be long before they’ll have to accept the course of the next four years as a foregone conclusion. After 2018, the Democratic Party will be reduced to rubble in the Senate. They’re already rubble in the House. If the Democratic Party doesn’t figure out what the voters told them this election, they’ll be in the wilderness an additional decade. That’s certainly the direction they’re heading.

Technorati: Cory Booker, Presidential Ambitions, Testimony, Stump Speech, Identity Politics, Obstructionists, Democrats, Jeff Sessions, Confirmation Hearing, Republicans