Is the outcome of the mayor's race assured?
To me it looks like there are four kinds of citizens in Mpls that make it
so:
1. People who don't vote due to apathy or disillusionment with a system
that will not represent them anyway.
2. Conventional voters: (heavily DFL in Mpls) who just vote according to
party loyalty, personal connections or preferences regarding specific
conventional issues. For example: local pork-barrel projects, taxes,
religious convictions related to politics, "law and order" promises -- all
as defined, managed, and offered as a menu by the party elite.
3. Less conventional voters: I include myself here as well as plenty of
DFLers and Greens and Republicans and others. These are folks who do not
accept the menu offered by the Republicratic duopoly (really a DFL monopoly
in Minneapolis). In addition, these folks think through issues and come up
with different sets of solutions.
It seems to me that the political dialogue is so tightly managed by the DFL
(would be joined by the Republicans, but so far not in Mpls local politics)
that there is no hope of a candidate winning on the basis of social justice
and/or environmental justice concerns.
The DFL candidates are trotting out all of the tried and true political bait
(see list above) to hook voters. The parameters of the discussion ensure
that social justice and environmental justice issues are not engaged at all,
or are assigned to political processes, agencies, and bureaucracy that will
simply ensure plenty of grandstanding, photo-ops, and credit-taking which
signify nothing...same-old, same-old....out with the old boss, in with the
new boss...
Farheen Hakeem seems to me to be interested in speaking directly about the
real issues related to social justice and ecological justice. Don Johnson
has offered new ways of thinking about environmental issues. Note that both
candidates oppose corporate welfare tax-and-spend like the Twins stadium,
but support innovative, hands-on local approaches to solving the pressing
issues of our day.
I predict that one of the DFL mayoral candidates will win. I predict that
no matter who wins, that Mayor will be shackled and hobbled so that even if
he or she works for real change it will be an uphill battle all the way. If
a very long-shot Green or independent candidate should win, look for
political sabotage or assassination from those who feel entitled to rule.
Even a DFL mayor who works for real change will be brought to toe the party
line.
Nothing will change here folks. "Move along citizens, there's nothing to
see here." Minneapolis sleepwalks into a critical period of energy resource
depletion and global warming completely unaware, completely unprepared, and
shackled with debt from old corporate welfare boondoggles and new ones on
the way.
Any other takes on the "assured outcome" of the Mayoral race? Or is the
outcome not assured at all?
-- pedaling for peace and ecojustice -- from Lynnhurst at present -- Gary
Hoover
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