He's an activist who never really made the transition (many such cases). Guess what, your job as a politician is to talk to people, including your local party leaders. If you find that boring or exhausting or not real work, you might better off doing something else.
And it’s even more important to talk to and listen to people and generally be present in your district if you’re running as a progressive in a mostly conservative district. Winning over a majority of constituents in that case is an uphill battle, and you’re gonna need all the support you can get.
Weeeelllll, depends exactly which parts of it. It’s a very mixed bag covering a pretty broad range of demographics and viewpoints.
It’s not at all unilaterally progressive, by a long shot. Hence why it would help to talk to people in the district outside the most progressive circles.
Retail politics is an incredible skill and the good ones are incredible at it, even the people we all hate.
If you're a politician, and by running for political office you automatically are one, this is just admitting that they're better politicians than me
I noticed long ago that complaints of "cheezing" or "cheap" tactics are often just this.
Same applies for the lost causers and dunning school's dismissal of Grant and Thomas.
I wouldn't go so far as to comparing it to the Lost Cause, but I take your point.
There is definitely a weird note of not playing by the rules when describing *the* most effective political strategy in this country in pejorative terms
there's a real "I only like this candidate because they are performatively *above* politics" while failing to recognize that "politics" is the actual job.
“As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?'' - Martha fucking Coakley, before her disastrous loss to a dude who did exactly that.
She took off *how* many weeks ahead of the special election?
I still remember the perverse last ditch hopes that voters would turn out to vote for her because they were activated by all the frightening news coverage of how shitty her campaign was.
She also did super-condescending things like saying "nobody will give Ted Kennedy's seat to a Republican" without understanding the seat belonged to the Commonwealth and not Kennedy. She basically stopped campaigning after the primary.
If you want my autopsy results I'm pretty sure he lost the election when he jumped early on the "gotta hand it to Hamas" train (e.g.: early doubter of mass rape allegations) after 10/7
It's either alone the reason such a big target was slapped on his back or a microcosm of a greater habit of publicly taking extremely unpopular positions that have nothing to do with the office and then walking them back. Either way, it's election-loser behavior.
Scuse me... um, I just want all of MY personal beliefs validated by my candidates, whomst I send to act on behalf of me, and will assiduously perform my bidding beyond my best expectations
Keith Ellison is a fascinating politician to me, and in part because he survived Congress during the Hell Years of GWB, was absolutely hosed by the DNC in his bid for leadership, and fought for progressive policies a lot of the time, and yet he’s a *really good* retail politician and team player.
MN CD-5 is a safer seat, but Ilhan keeps that locked down because Keith has shown her the ropes, imo. Ilhan going out and participating in fishing tournaments like Keith was a real sign
I think folks get the order of permissions backwards. People can handle a lot of posting or online energy if the elected office is good at their everyday shit like constituent services and district issues, not the other way around. At least for Dems.
Absolutely! The best principles (and teachers) I've known are all incredibly involved in the goings on of their families and kids. It's the exact same skillset and it makes a world of difference.
My mom just retired from being a public elementary school teacher and librarian for the past 30+ years and we had a little get together at the house. Former students and parents showed up, totally unexpected, with gift baskets and things and she was absolutely beside herself.
Some people become principals because they are sick of dealing with parents (often with good reason). But yeah good principals interact with parents and the public a lot!
