Here on the ground change happens fast. Everything seems to be in a rush. Problems feel frequent and urgent. It’s loud and anxiety runs high.
From the satellite view, the earth looks the same as it did thousands of years ago – like a beautiful, serene place upon which to exist.
When we’re operating a political party on the ground we often find ourselves reacting to the most recent, immediate issues. We forget about what were the most immediate and important issues just weeks earlier. Instead of learning from the past, we repeat mistakes.
I would argue that, although the current MN Republican Party consists of the most inept and ignorant elected officials in our state’s history, they are still better than the DFL at being patient enough to enact slow change as though they’re planning from a satellite view instead of from a panicked ground level.
The vast majority of people in Minnesota and the country are progressive in their thinking. When progressive issues are brought to a vote, the people vote in favor of it. In 2012 the issue of gay marriage was forced on Minnesota voters, ironically not by progressives but by conservatives. Conservatives misjudged the will of the people and forced a vote to make gay marriage permanently illegal by trying to pass it as an amendment to the State Constitution. The people voted overwhelmingly against the amendment. Progressives took that reaction and began working to legalize gay marriage. But if it had been up to progressives, gay marriage may have stalled in our state. MN progressives were afraid to talk about legalizing gay marriage in the legislature until the issue was forced by over-confident conservatives.
Why?
Requiring background checks to buy guns polls no lower than 81% in rural Minnesota, and up to 88% when you poll the metro area. So why has the legislature not acted on this popular measure? And why are DFL legislators and candidates afraid to bring it up?
Part of the recent panic on the ground has been the pandemic. Understandably, COVID relief measures have necessitated the reprioritizing of many legislative issues. But the pandemic has also put a microscope on one of the top issues the DFL has been trying to work on for a decade – statewide reliable internet access. Lack of broadband access has made it difficult if not impossible for thousands of children statewide to continue their education while schools have been closed. Why was this not a top DFL talking point during the 2020 election?
The MN GOP has been fighting against expanding broadband for over six years. Governor Mark Dayton initiated the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband in 2011. In 2014, a task force study recommended a budget of $100 Million to expand broadband to all parts of Minnesota. Everyone considered it a no-brainer. But by 2015 the MN GOP took control the state House and, amazingly, their budget proposal included ZERO dollars for broadband expansion. This elicited so much outrage in greater Minnesota that the GOP reluctantly agreed to include $10 Million for it – one tenth of what was needed.
The result is thatMinnesota is still in dire need of broadband access. Thousands of kids are struggling and falling behind in school. Entrepreneurs and people being asked to work remotely can only be successful if they’re fortunate enough to have good internet access, creating a system of winners and losers. In particular, rural Minnesota will continue to lose people and economic opportunities until this problem is adequately addressed. This issue alone could win elections in rural Minnesota for the DFL.
Why then, is the MN GOP winning so many elections in rural Minnesota?
Because the DFL is failing to message in a way that convinces outstate Minnesotans the DFL is on their side and the MN GOP is not. The DFL is not delivering a clear and coordinated message to Minnesotans that the DFL’s policy intentions are what the vast majority of Minnesotans want. Further, the DFL is not clearly pointing out that the MN GOP is working against the wishes of the vast majority of Minnesotans.
The first step in solving a problem is recognizing there is a problem, and identifying what that problem is. We’ve recognized the problem. Let’s move forward.
Moving Forward
We should not be shying away from bold initiatives. FDR put forth arguably the boldest policies in our country’s history and he was reelected three times. Those bold policies remain untouchable eighty years later – no one would dare try to do away with social security.
A modern-day example is the Representative from the never-before-blue Orange County in California. In 2018 Katie Porter became the first Democrat to ever win that House seat. She has since become nationally known as a valiant progressive in Congress and still won reelection in her strong red district with an even larger margin of 53.5% of the vote in 2020.
There’s an example of untouchable bold progressive initiative in recent Minnesota history as well. The 4th Tier Tax was implemented here eight years ago. Of course, the MN GOP fought against it at the time, but they don’t talk about it anymore. They know it helped turn their
$6 Billion deficit into a $2.6 Billion surplus in about a year. Without the revenues the 4th Tier Tax creates the legislature would not be able to balance the state budget. It was a bold initiative to put in place at the time, but it works for Minnesota too well for the Republicans to argue against it.
Since the policies the DFL wants to pass are in line with the vast majority of Minnesotans, why would we not want to talk about them, fight for them, and pass them into law? Do we think we’ll lose the next election by pleasing the overwhelming majority of the voters?
When the whole state of Minnesota – as opposed to individual districts – votes on something, they vote progressive. This is why the MN GOP has not won a statewide election since 2006. Let’s spread that success down to state house and senate elections. Let’s allow lessons from the past inform us on how to move forward. And let’s coordinate our messaging so it can fully break through to the voters.
Messaging to Outstate Minnesota
Broadband
The DFL had a comprehensive plan and budget to bring broadband to every part of Minnesota eight years ago and the MN GOP blocked all funding for it. Every time the DFL tries to move forward on solving this problem they are blocked by the GOP, hindering small business owners in greater Minnesota for years and holding back students of all ages, even more so during the pandemic.
Solving a problem like this is exactly what government is here for. Like The Rural Electrification Act of 1936, we could provide the means for rural Minnesotans to have the same advantages small business owners and school kids in metro areas have. Minnesota’s small towns could retain their talented entrepreneurs and have the same chance to thrive.
Family Farms
The “F” in DFL stands for “farmer”. The Minnesota Farmer Party merged with the Minnesota Democratic Party in 1947 because Democrats fought hard for farmers and workers in the state. While the MN GOP pays a lot of lip service to supporting farmers, they’re really only concerned with large corporate farms and the campaign money they supply.
For decades family farmers have been cheated, bought, and edged out by these huge agribusiness monopolies. And they’ve been lied to by politicians promising to strengthen antitrust enforcement. Enforcing anti-monopoly rules like those already existing in the Packers and Stockyard Act, and strengthening Country of Origin Labeling would be some good first steps in setting things back to right.
Farmers’ share of every retail food dollar has fallen from 50% in 1952 to 15% today. We must explore ways to help keep small farmers thriving and prosperous. Family farmers are the most knowledgeable and respectful custodians of the land and environment, and they should be rewarded for their good practices. They should also have first dibs in selling to their local community.
LGA – Local Government Assistance
By the 1970s Minnesota had become an example for the whole country in the areas of education, quality of life, our business environment, and more – and the DFL was a large contributor to that. One of their successful efforts was LGA – Local Government Assistance.
LGA works by pooling tax revenues and redistributing them in a way that empowers the smallest of towns in the state to decide for themselves the best way to use those revenues.
The MN GOP has worked hard trying to snuff out LGA. The result has been a suffocation of small towns in greater Minnesota, and has contributed to a catastrophic disparity in education funding in a state that had previously been the envy of the country.
The DFL has fought to restore a robust LGA program and has worked to update and adjust it for maximum efficiency. Bringing back a DFL majority would allow LGA to contribute to a greater Minnesota that is once again thriving.
Mining in the Iron Range and Elsewhere
The solution to this intraparty dispute could be simplified: Any mining company that can show they have previously mined the minerals they are applying to mine without problems, such as contamination of water or other pollution issues can gain a contract after a thorough environmental study.
Furthermore, the company must commit to completely cleaning up any and all contamination of water, aquifers and/or any other pollution issues completely on their own. They will also not be allowed to file any chapter of bankruptcy prior to completely cleaning up any mess they make.
These are reasonable requirements. If they sign off on these, they are more than welcome to proceed.
In Conclusion
The DFL must be careful not to criticize peoples’ choices — people in greater Minnesota don’t want to hear us telling them that they’re voting against their own best interests. What we need is better, more effective, more consistent messaging that clearly defines why the policies of the DFL benefit them and their families.
The data shows that the DFL’s convictions are in line with the vast majority of Minnesotans.
So let’s be bold, coordinated, consistant, stick to our convictions and help people thrive.
