From the governor's "Morning Joe" interview:
. . .
What I know is, is that people like JD Vance know nothing about small town America. . . . And he gets it all wrong. It’s not about hate. It’s not about collapsing in. The Golden Rule there is mind your own damn business.
Their policies are what destroyed rural America. They’ve divided us. They’re in our exam rooms. They’re telling us what books to read. And I think what Kamala Harris knows is bringing people together around the shared values – strong public schools, strong labor unions that create the middle class, healthcare that’s affordable and accessible. Those are the things.
You look what they’re talking about: they went right to division. They did not give us a plan on healthcare. Donald Trump talked about infrastructure. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris built bridges, built roads.
So I think this is going back to the bread and butter, getting away from this division. We do not like what has happened where we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary. And I think bringing back people together --
Well, it’s true. And these guys are just weird. It is. They’re running for He-Man Women Hater’s Club or something. That’s what they go at. That’s not what people are interested in.
. . .
Consider the question of "what people are interested in" just in regard to women's healthcare:
Are Americans interested in criminalizing, step by step, healthcare for women? (After the overthrow of Roe v. Wade, there are already draconian bans in several states on medical procedures that threaten women's lives, well-being, and reproductive health -- even if a woman is carrying a fetus that is not viable. Republicans have proposed giving police departments access to medical records. They have set their sights on banning birth control and IVF. That's quite an agenda for employing the coercive power of the state.)
Or are Americans interested in lowering the cost of healthcare and making it more accessible? (In other words, in solving a pair of social problems experienced by many, through implementation of public policies that offer to improve the lives and life-circumstances of people without ready access to medical care.)
The first vision, the MAGA vision, grants a role for legislatures, courts, prosecutors and police in decisions that women and families would otherwise make in consultation with doctors and other counselors of their choice.
Weird? Or a deliberate method of constraining the rights and autonomy of women relative to men?
Neither Donald Trump, nor JD Vance have offered a healthcare plan. On the other hand, Trump has denigrated Kamala Harris's racial identity and Vance has vilified women without children who have feline pets.
The two Democrats set to be on the ticket are having a blast, celebrating America, pledging -- if elected -- to represent all Americans, not just some of us. They've been dubbed happy warriors. And the Democratic campaign differs as much in substance from the GOP campaign as it differs in tone. The two Democrats are traditional political pragmatists. They seek to enact public policies, after winning elections, to better the lives of the folks in their communities. The Republican Party used to be this way. But since Newt Gingrich's brief ascension, the Tea Party revolt (after Obama's election), and the embrace of Donald Trump as the undisputed leader of the Republican Party, the GOP has moved further and further away from a traditional Republican agenda.
Listen to what Trump and Vance are saying to suss out what the 2024 MAGA agenda is. We can tell they're angry. They're trying hard to scare folks. And they most certainly delight in trolling their political opposition. But it is hardly clear that what these guys are selling actually offers anything like practical solutions to the problems that beset the party's voting base, or rural America, much less issues of concern to a broader swath of Americans.
Here's how the Republican Party greeted the selection of Tim Walz as number two on the ticket:
Are these guys weird? Yeah, though that's not all. Often they just seem like assholes. That's probably a consequence of the tough guy/never back down/chip on the shoulder persona they display for other guys in the tribe. From outside, it looks different than from inside. And it's that tribal focus that sets them apart: they lack empathy, respect, regard for anyone outside the tribe who might disagree or push back on their point of view. They are profoundly undemocratic. Because in a democracy, everyone's point of view counts. You don't get to reject democratic majorities when you lose just because you don't like the people in the opposition.
"He'll unleash HELL ON EARTH ..." / "THE WORST VP IN HISTORY," / "Even worse than Dangerously Liberal and Crooked ..." are messages that resonate with true believers, with folks deep inside the tent. But, for the broader community, for much of America, for most of us outside the tent, that message separates these guys from the mainstream. (Yes, they seem weird at least.)
The two parties are offering different visions for America and for our country's future. We'll have a choice in November. I'm betting that most Americans will opt for the Harris-Walz vision on November 5.