Thank you Terry for continuing to share your and so many others valid concerns about the wrong direction our city is going. We must start making demands of our elected officials until they get it right.
The heavy burden on residents and business owners is pushing both groups out of our once thriving city. We have some of the highest tax rates and seem to have a significant problem utilizing those tax dollars in a fiduciary and pragmatic way.
Continuing to fund programs like the Violence Interrupter groups without any real data to show the benefits provided is just another example of the tone deaf city council continuing down the same path each day and expecting a different set of outcomes. City council has budgeted another $4,000,000.00 for Violence Interrupter groups for the 2025 cycle, we need trained police officers that can be called to a specific location to handle the violent situations that pop up randomly not well intended groups who are literally guessing where they should be and at what time their services are required. A literal 4,000,000.00 crap shoot.
Please attend your local caucus on April 8th and get out and vote in November. We cannot afford another four years of this kind of leadership.
One of those changes should be to get rid of the caucus system which allows the 2% who show up to choose which candidates will be on the ballot in the fall. In this one-party town, the candidate with the DFL endorsement wins 95% of the time.
Caucuses give a huge advantage to the ideologues who can turn out the fervent few, leaving those who are busy with work or child care or infirmity out of the process.
And instead of having an entire day in which to vote, as in a primary, you have to be there at a specific time and sit through an often confusing process in order to vote for delegates who will go on to another convention and spend a day sitting through another tedious process.
If you are steeped in the arcana of local politics and are an outgoing person, this can be fun. But if you aren't, this caucus stuff might not be for you! That said, go anyway. We're stuck with them for now, and this is a crucial city election. There are good candidates taking on the TC-DSA candidates and their allies, but you likely won't get a chance to vote for them if they don't get the endorsement.
Right on about the caucus process, Susan. The far left is arguing it’s the best way to “make your voice heard” because it currently favors them in Minneapolis. They don’t care that their views don’t reflect Minneapolitans in general, or that the same caucus process also favors extreme right-wingers in other parts of the state.
We should get rid of the caucus system. But who is advocating for that? Instead of putting money and resources to influence the DFL to end it, we’re seeing PACs prepare to spend $600,000 or more to influence the caucus system to their benefit. That is the dollar amount We Love Mpls alone wants to spend just on the caucuses. Who knows how much All of Mpls will spend. If they are successful in booting progressive from the council, won’t the lesson learned be that the caucus system isn’t that bad after all?
Thanks Terry, good read. One thing that has had me baffled for years is how the DFL and Twin Cities DSA have often co-endorsed candidates, particularly on the Mpls City Council. If that’s where the DFL is headed, I want no part of it.
There’s a parallel to what Ezra Klein has been saying recently too. Klein’s example is high speed rail in California. It’s been on the drawing board for decades, but with literally no tangible results. If Democrats want to govern, they need to get off of their ideological horse, get their ear to the ground, and quickly/effectively deliver for society’s needs.
Thank you, Terry. I support you in this even if I can't vote in Minneapolis. Just upgraded to a paid subscription because it takes a lot of courage to speak truth about this situation. I commend you and because I love Minneapolis, I want to see it turn around. I can't believe I've watched the loss of Uptown, the waste, the crime, and organized crime sucking our tax dollars right before my eyes.
Insightful observations about our local political climate. I really appreciate it. I also appreciate the link to the New York times article about Representative Jason Crow. I was unfamiliar with him and we definitely need more people like this that are willing to listen to People, meet them where they're at, and have lines in the sands of times that they know that they are willing to not vote lockstep with their party. With either party.
Thank you Terry! Sending this piece around to all candidates, well, the one that are interested in earning their salaries and committed to the fight to help a City that is in trouble. Change is possible, right here in Mpls.
Terry, Thanks for these thoughts. I don't think I'm disagreeing with anything you said, but only adding a bit, in saying that I think the mentality that is needed is "get it done - and don't deny realities".
Regardless of what one thinks of capitalism, it's not going to be eliminated by someone sitting in the Mayor's office, or any of the Mpls. City Council, School Board, or Park Board seats. Thinking it could is denying a reality. Same with trying to make people more comfortable with their real and perceived level of general safety by having fewer highly trained police - OR by tolerating miscreants in the ranks. Same with thinking that a solution to homelessness, either long-, medium-, or short-term, could possibly involve making it easier, or more comfortable, to reside in an encampment. Sadly, the list goes on...
In my years of working on candidates' campaigns, I have encountered too many who did have a "get it done" mentality, but who wanted to get one or more things done which were grounded in some ideology that required denying some aspect of reality. Frequently this was "the other guy" in a race, but often enough, on one issue or another, my own candidate had a blind spot somewhere. It serves us ALL to be open to having these pointed out to us.
I am willing to vote for someone who, having at least a few good ideas, offers no solution to one problem or another, but is willing to listen to others and learn, on that issue. I am reluctant to vote for someone who feels he or she must have "all the answers", and engages in the denial of realities to get to one or more of those policy prescriptions.
Voters should definitely ask the candidates for office what it is that they want to get done, and how they think they are going to do those things, but they should then ask themselves "is this plan reflective of reality?"
Good analysis- thanks. Any specific suggestions? Give money to “All of Mpls”? Donate to a specific council candidate? I’m thinking Chowdhury and Cashman are vulnerable, and there are promising center-left candidates challenging them.
Another great article, Terry. The far left thinks (or pretends to think) that Harris lost the election because she isn’t a hardcore leftist. I could see MN turning red in statewide races in the next 2 to 4 years due to the ineptitude of the DFL.
A clear signal that people are sick of leftist extremes is how Amy Klobuchar, a moderate Dem, outperformed Harris and Walz’s numbers around the state in 2024. There are also several analyses showing how Omar underperformed in the last election. But, the DSA types are just doubling down.
(Personally, I think Harris’s problem was that she never found her political voice and tried to avoid ticking off the far left. She was unwilling to own the fact she’s always been more of a centrist, and to clearly articulate her viewpoints accordingly. If she had, I think she would have won.)
Harris lost in large part because every incumbent leader all over the world got crushed due to COVID and inflation outrage. She was also in an almost impossible position because Biden decided to run again. To your point, it's hard to find a voice in a short run. But she did piss people off by ignoring people who sincerely believe a genocide or something close to that is occurring. She didn't even let someone speak at the convention. There's been polling after the election that suggests that Dems who stayed home did it because they didn't agree with Biden or Harris on Israel/Gaza. While the Dem brand is in the tank at the moment (in part because Dems don't like what they are seeing in their leaders at the moment), Dems are cleaning up in special elections. This week, a Democrat flipped a state senate seat in Pennsylvania. He won in a district that Trump carried by 15 points. He focused on stopping what Elon is doing. Today, Trump pulled Stefanik's nomination to the UN because they are worried they might lose other open seats, including Waltz's seat in FL. They don't want to risk her seat now, as it's close to the Canadian border and I assume Dems would be competitive there. Assuming there are free and fair elections and things stay on course (e.g., chaos, lawlessness, and economic pain), I don't see any reason why Dems won't have a very successful midterms. It's hard to avoid history - the party out of power always does well.
My final thought was on how to combat the far left. It's simply to continue to remind everyone how few votes it took for many to win the last election. Keep listing the numbers over and over again so everyone knows, the result is not a given. Having alternative independent candidates available to run should we not like the winners of the caucus in conjunction would also help. We do not have to limit ourselves to a flawed system and continued opposition would change the rules.
Since anti-capitalism was mentioned so prominently I wanted to point out how many of the future city council and mayoral candidates, even the more moderate ones interviewed here all mention how they want to support "small independent businesses" not "all businesses". This is an implied prejudice that the large businesses are bad and that all small businesses are good. It feeds into the mantra of hate we are currently experiencing. We need a variety, some people do well working for larger more structured businesses while others do better with the smaller paycheck of a smaller friendlier business. The hate does seem to lump all businesses together from the single unit landlord to the multinational corporations but it does have a greater emphasis on the latter. We have to become smarter than the rhetoric.
It's true, the far left Democratic party and their followers still has not figured out why they lost the election. This fact actually shows how immersed they still are in the media. Every day we hear how Republicans are jumping ship into the arms of the Democratics but it's just not true because most actually like much of the direction things are headed. The reporting is what they believe has to be how people are feeling because they just can't see anything else.
Most of my Democratic friends believe whole heartedly in all of the socialistic promises but none actually live it. They like their cars, vacations and sizable paychecks. The hypocrisy is really annoying to me because I am actually closer to living it but hate the idea of it. Look at how many people play the lottery. It shows how much most people want that step up in life, for things to be easier than the next guy. Perhaps unearned income is better in their eyes than earned income since earned income represents capitalism.
The anti-capitalism thing is a huge issue, I am not even sure they believe in it themselves. I think it is kind of a created thing they use to separate us, keep us fighting amongst ourselves instead of seeing them for what they are. Look at the amount of recently missing money, what we have seen could actually be miniscule on a national level. With all the building and untested green items, someone is getting rich. Are we sure it is not the Democratic leaders? They could be gone by the time we find out.
Thank you Terry for continuing to share your and so many others valid concerns about the wrong direction our city is going. We must start making demands of our elected officials until they get it right.
The heavy burden on residents and business owners is pushing both groups out of our once thriving city. We have some of the highest tax rates and seem to have a significant problem utilizing those tax dollars in a fiduciary and pragmatic way.
Continuing to fund programs like the Violence Interrupter groups without any real data to show the benefits provided is just another example of the tone deaf city council continuing down the same path each day and expecting a different set of outcomes. City council has budgeted another $4,000,000.00 for Violence Interrupter groups for the 2025 cycle, we need trained police officers that can be called to a specific location to handle the violent situations that pop up randomly not well intended groups who are literally guessing where they should be and at what time their services are required. A literal 4,000,000.00 crap shoot.
Please attend your local caucus on April 8th and get out and vote in November. We cannot afford another four years of this kind of leadership.
Thank you Terry, excellent piece, as always.
One of those changes should be to get rid of the caucus system which allows the 2% who show up to choose which candidates will be on the ballot in the fall. In this one-party town, the candidate with the DFL endorsement wins 95% of the time.
Caucuses give a huge advantage to the ideologues who can turn out the fervent few, leaving those who are busy with work or child care or infirmity out of the process.
And instead of having an entire day in which to vote, as in a primary, you have to be there at a specific time and sit through an often confusing process in order to vote for delegates who will go on to another convention and spend a day sitting through another tedious process.
If you are steeped in the arcana of local politics and are an outgoing person, this can be fun. But if you aren't, this caucus stuff might not be for you! That said, go anyway. We're stuck with them for now, and this is a crucial city election. There are good candidates taking on the TC-DSA candidates and their allies, but you likely won't get a chance to vote for them if they don't get the endorsement.
Right on about the caucus process, Susan. The far left is arguing it’s the best way to “make your voice heard” because it currently favors them in Minneapolis. They don’t care that their views don’t reflect Minneapolitans in general, or that the same caucus process also favors extreme right-wingers in other parts of the state.
We should get rid of the caucus system. But who is advocating for that? Instead of putting money and resources to influence the DFL to end it, we’re seeing PACs prepare to spend $600,000 or more to influence the caucus system to their benefit. That is the dollar amount We Love Mpls alone wants to spend just on the caucuses. Who knows how much All of Mpls will spend. If they are successful in booting progressive from the council, won’t the lesson learned be that the caucus system isn’t that bad after all?
Thanks Terry, good read. One thing that has had me baffled for years is how the DFL and Twin Cities DSA have often co-endorsed candidates, particularly on the Mpls City Council. If that’s where the DFL is headed, I want no part of it.
There’s a parallel to what Ezra Klein has been saying recently too. Klein’s example is high speed rail in California. It’s been on the drawing board for decades, but with literally no tangible results. If Democrats want to govern, they need to get off of their ideological horse, get their ear to the ground, and quickly/effectively deliver for society’s needs.
Thank you, Terry. I support you in this even if I can't vote in Minneapolis. Just upgraded to a paid subscription because it takes a lot of courage to speak truth about this situation. I commend you and because I love Minneapolis, I want to see it turn around. I can't believe I've watched the loss of Uptown, the waste, the crime, and organized crime sucking our tax dollars right before my eyes.
Thank you! Paid subscriptions help make the newsletter possible. The number of people motivated to see a turn around in the city is growing.
Insightful observations about our local political climate. I really appreciate it. I also appreciate the link to the New York times article about Representative Jason Crow. I was unfamiliar with him and we definitely need more people like this that are willing to listen to People, meet them where they're at, and have lines in the sands of times that they know that they are willing to not vote lockstep with their party. With either party.
Thank you Terry! Sending this piece around to all candidates, well, the one that are interested in earning their salaries and committed to the fight to help a City that is in trouble. Change is possible, right here in Mpls.
Terry, Thanks for these thoughts. I don't think I'm disagreeing with anything you said, but only adding a bit, in saying that I think the mentality that is needed is "get it done - and don't deny realities".
Regardless of what one thinks of capitalism, it's not going to be eliminated by someone sitting in the Mayor's office, or any of the Mpls. City Council, School Board, or Park Board seats. Thinking it could is denying a reality. Same with trying to make people more comfortable with their real and perceived level of general safety by having fewer highly trained police - OR by tolerating miscreants in the ranks. Same with thinking that a solution to homelessness, either long-, medium-, or short-term, could possibly involve making it easier, or more comfortable, to reside in an encampment. Sadly, the list goes on...
In my years of working on candidates' campaigns, I have encountered too many who did have a "get it done" mentality, but who wanted to get one or more things done which were grounded in some ideology that required denying some aspect of reality. Frequently this was "the other guy" in a race, but often enough, on one issue or another, my own candidate had a blind spot somewhere. It serves us ALL to be open to having these pointed out to us.
I am willing to vote for someone who, having at least a few good ideas, offers no solution to one problem or another, but is willing to listen to others and learn, on that issue. I am reluctant to vote for someone who feels he or she must have "all the answers", and engages in the denial of realities to get to one or more of those policy prescriptions.
Voters should definitely ask the candidates for office what it is that they want to get done, and how they think they are going to do those things, but they should then ask themselves "is this plan reflective of reality?"
Good analysis- thanks. Any specific suggestions? Give money to “All of Mpls”? Donate to a specific council candidate? I’m thinking Chowdhury and Cashman are vulnerable, and there are promising center-left candidates challenging them.
You could donate to your candidate of choice. The urgency at the moment seems to be getting people to caucus.
Another great article, Terry. The far left thinks (or pretends to think) that Harris lost the election because she isn’t a hardcore leftist. I could see MN turning red in statewide races in the next 2 to 4 years due to the ineptitude of the DFL.
A clear signal that people are sick of leftist extremes is how Amy Klobuchar, a moderate Dem, outperformed Harris and Walz’s numbers around the state in 2024. There are also several analyses showing how Omar underperformed in the last election. But, the DSA types are just doubling down.
(Personally, I think Harris’s problem was that she never found her political voice and tried to avoid ticking off the far left. She was unwilling to own the fact she’s always been more of a centrist, and to clearly articulate her viewpoints accordingly. If she had, I think she would have won.)
Harris lost in large part because every incumbent leader all over the world got crushed due to COVID and inflation outrage. She was also in an almost impossible position because Biden decided to run again. To your point, it's hard to find a voice in a short run. But she did piss people off by ignoring people who sincerely believe a genocide or something close to that is occurring. She didn't even let someone speak at the convention. There's been polling after the election that suggests that Dems who stayed home did it because they didn't agree with Biden or Harris on Israel/Gaza. While the Dem brand is in the tank at the moment (in part because Dems don't like what they are seeing in their leaders at the moment), Dems are cleaning up in special elections. This week, a Democrat flipped a state senate seat in Pennsylvania. He won in a district that Trump carried by 15 points. He focused on stopping what Elon is doing. Today, Trump pulled Stefanik's nomination to the UN because they are worried they might lose other open seats, including Waltz's seat in FL. They don't want to risk her seat now, as it's close to the Canadian border and I assume Dems would be competitive there. Assuming there are free and fair elections and things stay on course (e.g., chaos, lawlessness, and economic pain), I don't see any reason why Dems won't have a very successful midterms. It's hard to avoid history - the party out of power always does well.
My final thought was on how to combat the far left. It's simply to continue to remind everyone how few votes it took for many to win the last election. Keep listing the numbers over and over again so everyone knows, the result is not a given. Having alternative independent candidates available to run should we not like the winners of the caucus in conjunction would also help. We do not have to limit ourselves to a flawed system and continued opposition would change the rules.
Since anti-capitalism was mentioned so prominently I wanted to point out how many of the future city council and mayoral candidates, even the more moderate ones interviewed here all mention how they want to support "small independent businesses" not "all businesses". This is an implied prejudice that the large businesses are bad and that all small businesses are good. It feeds into the mantra of hate we are currently experiencing. We need a variety, some people do well working for larger more structured businesses while others do better with the smaller paycheck of a smaller friendlier business. The hate does seem to lump all businesses together from the single unit landlord to the multinational corporations but it does have a greater emphasis on the latter. We have to become smarter than the rhetoric.
It's true, the far left Democratic party and their followers still has not figured out why they lost the election. This fact actually shows how immersed they still are in the media. Every day we hear how Republicans are jumping ship into the arms of the Democratics but it's just not true because most actually like much of the direction things are headed. The reporting is what they believe has to be how people are feeling because they just can't see anything else.
Most of my Democratic friends believe whole heartedly in all of the socialistic promises but none actually live it. They like their cars, vacations and sizable paychecks. The hypocrisy is really annoying to me because I am actually closer to living it but hate the idea of it. Look at how many people play the lottery. It shows how much most people want that step up in life, for things to be easier than the next guy. Perhaps unearned income is better in their eyes than earned income since earned income represents capitalism.
The anti-capitalism thing is a huge issue, I am not even sure they believe in it themselves. I think it is kind of a created thing they use to separate us, keep us fighting amongst ourselves instead of seeing them for what they are. Look at the amount of recently missing money, what we have seen could actually be miniscule on a national level. With all the building and untested green items, someone is getting rich. Are we sure it is not the Democratic leaders? They could be gone by the time we find out.
Amen