Page 10
August 21, 2019
B ID /C LASSIFIED O PINION
Politics Focused on Policy Alone Bound to Fail
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Candidates need
a moral vision
“Yes we can,” went Barack
Obama’s presidential cam-
paign slogan, inspired by labor
rights activist Dolores Huerta.
After mass shootings killed
31 people in Texas and Ohio, I
can’t help but recall how those
three words — “yes we can” — en-
couraged hope and unity. Nearly 11
years after Obama’s historic elec-
tion, however, it seems like we’ve
been set back four centuries.
Over just two years, Donald
Trump’s racist and hate-filled rhet-
oric has influenced a rise in white
nationalism and domestic terror,
inspiring people like the El Paso
shooter to drive 10 hours to kill “as
many Mexicans as possible.”
Since taking his oath in office,
one thing has been made abundant-
ly clear about our commander in
chief: He is blatantly racist.
The proof is evident in Trump’s
immigration policies, the most in-
humane we’ve seen in recent his-
tory. Most recently, these policies
saw ICE agents arrest over 680
suspected undocumented workers
in Mississippi, their children left
behind.
It’s not just immigration. Across
every policy issue — from climate
to health care to taxes — our pol-
itics have been beset with racism,
greed, and violence.
As we approach the 2020 presi-
dential elections, we find ourselves
in a tragic gap between who we cur-
rently are as a nation, and who we
have the chance to become.
Democratic
presi-
dential candidates are
clamoring to put forth
an agenda that would
set right the wrongs
of this administration.
There are currently 24
candidates running in
the primaries with a
plan in place on how best to defeat
Donald Trump.
Several are offering good poli-
cies. But the majority of them —
and arguably the party as a whole
— don’t seem to understand what
they’re up against.
Marianne Williamson, the most
googled Democratic primary candi-
date in 49 out of 50 states after the
last debate, summed it up like this:
“Donald Trump is not a politician.
Donald Trump is a phenomenon.
And it will take a phenomenon to
beat him.”
Williamson may be a long-shot
candidate, but she is absolutely cor-
rect.
Over the past few months, we’ve
heard much from Washington —
often from Democratic Party lead-
ers — about what can’t be done as
our democracy unravels. We can’t
impeach Donald Trump. We can’t
pass gun control legislation. We
can’t reunite immigrant families.
Instead of pursuing these bolder
ideas, many moderates say it’s better
to dial back expectations. But why?
“This is a moment,” Williamson
counters, “where what some might
consider a ‘safe choice’ is the most
dangerous choice we can make.”
Accordingly, she’s endorsed every-
thing from universal health care to
reparations for slavery.
No one is suggesting that sweep-
ing progressive policies like those
proposed by Williamson, or better
known candidates like Bernie Sand-
ers and Elizabeth Warren, be exe-
cuted in one fell swoop.
But when a president’s agenda
reeks of authoritarianism, we des-
perately need to consider all that is
possible — or could be.
Williamson has been referred to
as the “left-wing Trump.” Her polit-
ical platform centers on “love” and
“healing,” a peaceful alternative to
the current Trump-driven culture war
that is undermining our humanity.
Deriding what she calls “yada
yada politics” that focus on policy
details without any necessary shift
in thinking, Williamson has chal-
lenged us to address the root of
what ails society — ailments that
have been perpetuated by status quo
policies and politicians.
It seems the moral infrastructure
of our country needs rebuilding.
And that’s going to take a phenom-
enon, not just a person or a policy.
From gun control and immigra-
tion reform to our integrity and our
values, can we get elected officials
to make the right choice instead of
the “safe” choice?
If we push them — si, se puede.
Yes, we can.
Tracey L. Rogers is an entrepre-
neur and activist living in Northern
Virginia. Distributed by other-
words.org.
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