As Mister Mix writes, Platner is out. And he showed his true colors on the way out by not taking even the slightest bit of responsibility for his eventual flame out.
That got me thinking about Democrats who are actually stepping up and taking the lead. Then, I read this this morning:
Yeah, Newsom’s hair is too slicked back, and he’s trying to be too cute threading the needle on trans rights (human rights) but give him credit. Voting rights and fighting voter suppression are two of the key issues/factors in the upcoming mid-terms and subsequent presidential cycle in 2028.
Senator Jon Ossoff continues to impress with his rhetoric AND actions. I love this post from NY Times Pitchbot:
Ossoff’s laser-like focus on corruption and its direct negative impact on Americans is THE Way as far as I’m concerned.
Then there’s Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois. He is turning Illinois into a laboratory of implementing progressive Democratic values and seems to be succeeding in a big way.
Finally, There’s AOC. She’s fearless and has parlayed and broadened her former membership in “The Squad” to become a unifying leader in the Democratic Party, supporting candidates across the Dem spectrum who she believes promulgate the progressive values she holds.
She’s staking a claim an almost statesman-like role in the Party without asking for permission. True leadership.
These are the people to watch. These are the people who are attempting to drag the “institutionalists” in the Democratic Party kicking and screaming into today’s reality. And again, they are not asking for permission - or frankly, for forgiveness either.
No candidate is perfect. No candidate will hold views that perfectly align with every “progressive” or “liberal” or “moderate”. That’s ok. This is not the time to pick out a single disagreement or policy dispute as a reason to diss the leaders we need in this country to bring our politics and policy back to “government by the people, for the people and of the people”.
Now is the time to back everyone - and anyone - willing to speak truth to power in plain language and use their progressive values to create people-first public policy.
"Brave" – Sara Bareilles
