"If you are an American, you are not my Enemy"

Mary Peltola had an absolutely terrific interview last night (September 1) on MSNBC with Alex Wagner.  She showed exactly why she won, especially on a "ranked choice" ballot in a state like Alaska, and why she has had such an effective term as a state legislator.  Democrats would do very well to model their campaign strategy after her approach.  

The whole interview could be characterized by one statement she made, which stood out to me as the essence of American politics, and in stark contrast to the grumbling, whining, muttering Maga mob.  

"If you are an American, you are not my enemy."  

That's quite a contrast to the threats of civil war that Trump and his Maga supporters are openly threatening in order to impose their will on the American people.  It also demonstrates a grasp of politics that unifies people who live in the same geo-political state but who are from different racial, ethnic, cultural, economic and social backgrounds.  She is a politician, which isn't necessarily a bad descriptive term by the way, who understands what true freedom really means, and how to make government work for the people.  

Clearly, she is a Democrat who reflects the core values of the party.  Rather than making a contentious, obstructionist war out of the legislative process, she believes in negotiation on behalf of the people.  I couldn't really count how many times she pointed to the will of the people as her guidance for where to invest her time and energy.  Her demeanor and approach earned her the votes and supports of Democrats who, while they are a minority in Alaska, were motivated to turn out for her in high numbers.  It also earned her the respect of members of the opposition party, even one of them who is uncompromising, agenda-driven and more loyal to a politician than to the United States, Sarah Palin.  And while that might be simply because Palin realized that the kind of character assassination she normally deals in would have been more detrimental than beneficial as an opponent in this case, the fact that she was pressured into saying something nice is evidence of Peltola's character and respect.  

Isn't That the Kind of Unity we Need? 

America is being ripped apart by political divisiveness.  There are differences of opinion on where that started, but this recent epidemic of it is something I blame on Rush Limbaugh, who was bent on undermining democracy and replacing it with fascism by building an audience that had enough influence to pressure Republicans into abandoning their policy and agenda for one of simply being stonewalling obstructionists in order to weaken the federal system and ultimately, to drive political power and dollars into the hands of the wealthiest people in the country.  

The most relevant question to ask is "Who benefits from a divided America?"  There's a long list of answers to that question.  And the hands of those who will benefit from an American civil war are all over the politicians who are at the forefront of trying to bring it about, starting with Donald J. Trump. The most powerful weapons we have to defend against this onslaught of potential tyranny are education and the ballot box, both of which are under attack.  

Mary Peltola isn't the only Democrat who has been successful in bringing about a measure of visible political unity.  That's also the trademark of President Joe Biden.  He's had to go on the attack, and he's delivered a couple of powerful messages this week that are right on target.  He's called out a faction that has made itself the enemy of the people and by so doing, have underlined their selfish ambitions.  The Maga mob is, after all, a minority, which has power and influence that depends more on the apathy of Americans who don't participate in representative, constitutional democracy than it does on its own strength.  It couldn't achieve its political goals in 2020 because a segment of Americans fed up with the incompetence and criminal activity of the former President decided to get involved.  Its turn to conspiracy theories, lies and violence betrays its lack of patriotism, love for country and self-respect.  

In a state where the Republican party has a significant majority among registered voters, the fact that Peltola was able to achieve a victory is a good sign that a majority of Americans are fed up with "Limbaugh Fascism" and Trumpism.  Instead of automatically ranking their second choice as the other member of the Republican party that they didn't vote for the first time around, they chose Peltola.  She was actually the highest vote getter the first time around, but the reactions of the pollsters and pundits, whose predictions were massively wrong, shows how surprising it was that her vote totals and her lead actually grew.  She beat Palin with first choice voters, and she added to her margin with the second choice.  And with that, Alaska voters sent the message that they are tired of the divisive, "win-lose," vengeance of Trumpism.  

Let's hope the rest of the country feels the same way.  

This is What Democrats Do

Democrats have never been a "winner take all, loser go home" party.  They are the party of democracy and freedom for all and the "will of the people"  And in spite of the rhetoric, the people tend to prosper and do better economically under Democrats than under Republicans, including when it comes to taxes, using any factual comparison.  The last three Democrats who were elected President of the United States, including the current one, have presided over economic and job growth that was a recovery from their Republican predecessors' setbacks and recessions caused by bad tax and economic policy and mishandling of a national crisis.  

Thomas Jefferson said, "Perhaps the single thing which may be required to others before toleration to them would be an oath that they would allow toleration to others."  I'd call that a foundational principle of the Democratic party.  

He also said, about true religious freedom, "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god.  It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."  So says the man whose Democratic-Republican party provided the philosophical and political foundation for modern Democrats.  

A Self-Proclaimed Enemy

The Trump-Maga wing of the GOP declared themselves to be the enemies of the people on January 6, 2021, when they attacked Congress by overrunning the U.S. Capitol.  And they have continued to push this anti-American, anti-patriotic political tripe, based on a baseless lie and unproven conspiracy theories.  So the arrests, guilty verdicts, confessions and prison time being served by those who were part of that mob are justified under the rule of law.  Support for the law enforcement officers, justice department and judicial system which is prosecuting these cases is evidence of support for the rule of law.  

The Democrats are standing with law enforcement against those who attacked them, with the rule of law against a lawless mob advocating for more lawlessness, and for truth and integrity against fraudulent attempts to steal the election with phony electors who actually allowed their names to be put on those seditious, fake ballots that were to be submitted to Congress.  Everyone who took part in that seditious insurrection and everyone who supports it has made themselves the enemies of American freedom and democracy, and of the American people.  

Thank you, Mary, for your eloquently articulated support for real American values and for your defense of freedom and the constitution.  Thank you for the gracious spirit that you bring to politics which will be a major asset to the House of Representatives.  You have demonstrated that you deserve to be elected to a full term in Congress in your own right.  Here's to hoping it happens.