Monday
Mar 14,2005
A wonderful article from the City Pages. Take the time to read it or at least skim it for some interesting insight on the New GOP.
Former Minnesota Senator and lifelong Republican Dave Durenberger on the rise of the new Bush Republicans in Minnesota and elsewhere
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“New” Republicans
My Grandpa, to this day, speaks of his many years in the Democratic (DFL) Party here in Minnesota, and more specifically, the southern Minneapolis precinct. He, and to an even greater extent my late Grandma, were very active in school…
Long time lurker, first time commenter.
First, thanks for pointing this story out! I would have totally missed it otherwise…and it is rather telling.
My grandpa spent a good deal of his life involved in DFL politics here in the state of Minnesota. He often complains how disappointing it is to have both of the major parties falling over each other to prove that government doesn’t work anymore. Durenberger mirrors my grandpa’s concerns, from a DFL perspective, from an IR perspective.
Minnesota used to be not only liberal (one of the reasons the parties HAD names like the DFL and IR) but progressive as well. We need not only more moderates in office, but progressives who had the internal optimism to believe that government DOES have a roll in bettering the lives of everyone in its jurisdiction – not just be a drag on them.
I think the main problem is that many politicians (both DFL and IR) have lost sight of the role of government. They focus so much on getting re-elected that they don’t work on the future. Their short-sightedness is going to have long-term effects that very few people realize. I have a wise professor who says that we are on the cusp of a new society. Policies that are being made today are going to forever change the landscape of America. Sadly, the current political climate is not one that supports a lot of progessive policies. Seems like we are actually going backwards.
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