#187 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday November 4)
Good morning!
VICTORIES ABOUND
Tuesday night saw several victories, each of which had its own message and all of which, together, say a lot about a lot of things. The Braves beat the Astros. Republican Youngkin beat Democrat McAuliffe, and Minneapolis residents beat-back an effort to eliminate the police and replace them with a health care response program.
For Democrats, it must seem like the world has caved in. But it really hasn’t. Instead of focusing on the loss of a single gubernatorial race, the Democrats need to focus on lessons to be learned and applied going forward toward the 2022 election. Losing the historically fickle Virginia statehouse is a seeming regular occurrence. There is no reason to believe that this spells a catastrophic result in 2022. Some of the lessons from Tuesday night:
The people do not want to “defund the police.” Despite notable examples of police brutality and racism, most people (including most who live in disadvantaged communities) want safety and protection. And while they long for better policing and holding the bad apples accountable, they still appreciate the value of public safety and order. Hopefully all parties will take this election result as an invitation to expand how we think about policing to include mental health intervention, dispute resolution and deescalation and more community-based policing.
The people want a government that does something. The Democrats are fiddling as Rome burns. There is an infrastructure bill that has been wallowing in limbo, pending a broad social spending plan. Love him or hate him, it’s possible that Joe Manchin, Senator from that great polluting and underserved state of West Virginia, is on to something. People want the infrastructure bill. The House progressives need to ensure its quick passage and not hold it up in a futile attempt to shame the moderates in their own party to pursue unattainable legislative success. People want a scaled-back, but nonetheless robust, social spending bill. The progressives need to accept that “half a loaf is better than none at all” and get something passed. Progressives need to face the reality that moving toward a more fulsome social safety net will be an incremental process. First adopt a few programs and demonstrate their efficacy; then move to achieve more.
Donald Trump was not on the ballot. Much as the Former (and, I fear, soon to be again) Fearless Leader may try to take credit for the Virginia victory, it was all about governing effectively and about schools. Youngkin successfully walked the tightrope between appealing to the base, while not going all in on Trumpism. There is a lesson to more moderate Republicans that elections can be won without complete fealty to the former guy. The war about education in Virginia wasn’t necessarily about what is being taught in Virginia schools as much as the quality of the teaching and the expectations of parents. Terry McAuliffe likely lost the election when he suggested in a debate that parents shouldn’t be involved in their kids’ schooling. That’s just nonsense—they have a right to expect more from our educational system.
Good pitching beats good hitting every time. Max Fried, Harvard Westlake alumnus, pitched six great innings as a starter to seal the Atlanta offensive display and win the World Series. Houston’s bats (and trash cans) were silent. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in 90 days…
Have a good day,
Glenn
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