New Thinking-Grassroots Movements-Minnesota-Bob Davis Podcast 786

These days people often say, “Politicians never do what they say”. Time to focus on a new way of thinking about politics in New Thinking-Grassroots Movements-Minnesota-Bob Davis Podcast 786.

Focus On Minnesota

First of all, let’s focus on Minnesota in New Thinking-Grassroots Movements-Minnesota-Bob Davis Podcast 786.

All States Are The Same. Right?

Seems like we think all states are the same. Every state has McDonald’s right? We eat the same foods. Watch the same shows.

Different Settlers

Especially relevant all the states were settled at different times. Different kinds of people settled them. Consequently the politics of all the states are different.

Minnesota Quirk

Furthermore political scientists say Minnesota is most noteworthy for its political quirks. Minnesota can produce a Walter Mondale and a Jesse Ventura. Therefore for history on Minnesota’s unique progressive history, go here.

Ranching Versus Farming – Oil versus Taconite

In addition one of the common refrains of Minnesota Republicans is, “Why can’t we be more like Texas?“. It’s as simple as when the states were settled and who settled them. The difference between ranching and farming. Or, between oil and mining.

Passive Aggressive Behavior or Minnesota Ice

Truth is when it comes to politics in the land of ten thousand lakes, passive aggressive behavior rules the roost.

Political Movements Going Nowhere

Moreover republican homegrown political movements are reactive and scattershot. So, they aren’t very effective.

Special Interests Are Choking All Minnesotans

Finally, special interests and money have a choke hold on Minnesota’s politics. Public private partnerships. Chambers of Commerce. Insurance Companies. Non-Profits. Seven rich guys in Minnetonka. One-Issue-Charlie religious contributors. Certainly a grassroots movement has to be strong enough to overpower these interests.

Above all nothing will change until the advent of a dynamic and powerful grassroots movement. Even more a movement that can deliver votes and money.

No More Self Serving Republican Reptiles

Great movements don’t start with self serving pols seeking glory and fame. In conclusion and by definition is starts with the people.

Sponsored by Water Butler Water Purification Systems and the Citizens Council For Health Freedom

New Thinking-Grassroots Movements-Minnesota-Bob Davis Podcast 786

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Victory Becomes Defeat-Big Mouth Loses-Bob Davis Podcast 776

A week after the midterms Democrats add to their wins. Moreover recounts could mean two governor and one more senate loss for the GOP. Throw in the Arizona Senate loss and you have to wonder. This is victory? In Victory Becomes Defeat-Big Mouth Loses-Bob Davis Podcast 776.

Not A Bad Performance For Democrats

32 House seats at minimum, 7 or more governors and several state legislatures is not a bad performance for an opposition party in a midterm.

May Be More Democrat Wins Coming

In addition recounts in Florida and Georgia may produce two more governorships and a senate hold for democrats. Pretty hard for Trump to claim victory now.

It Could Have Been Avoided

As I said in election night, republicans could have avoided this. More in Victory Becomes Defeat-Big Mouth Loses-Bob Davis Podcast 776.

Apologists Make Excuses

Already GOP apologists say the polls are biased, and they’re pointing fingers and making excuses. Especially relevant are complaints about recounts and money poured into negative advertising. This was a surprise?

Where Were The Big Republican Donors?

Finally 2018 saw the highest voter turn out of any midterm election in fifty years. Democrats cobbled together close wins across the country by turning out their voters. Why couldn’t the NRCC do the same? Where were the big republican donors? What happened to Trump’s big margins because of all the rallies? Find out in Victory Becomes Defeat-Big Mouth Loses-Bob Davis Podcast 776.

Better Than Hillary Is Not A Plan

In conclusion in my opinion “Better than Hillary“, waving the constitution and shouting “Build The Wall” is not a plan for the future. So called conservatives might not like the democrat plan but at least they had one. A plan beats no plan.

Big Mouth and Milquetoast

In the end a big mouth and milquetoast moderate republicanism isn’t enough to build on. I remain deeply disillusioned with both political parties but republicans disillusion me the most. In the last two years the GOP added trillions to the debt, failed to repeal the ACA and has relied too much on Trump’s mouth.

Maybe republicans got what they deserved.

Sponsored by Citizens Council For Health Freedom and Reliafund Payment Processors

Victory Becomes Defeat-Big Mouth Loses-Bob Davis Podcast 776

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Back To School 2017-Culling The Social Media Herd-Podcast 659

State Fair Time in Minnesota. A change in the weather. Time for Back to School. Back in the studio after summer traveling. An afternoon with FaceBook convinces me it’s time to start culling the social media herd. In Back To School 2017-Culling The Social Media Herd-Podcast 659.

Back In The Studio

These days all of my travel is on America’s back roads. Summer 2017 saw thousands of miles of travel for The Bob Davis Podcasts. All of it on two lane state and US highways. You see a different United States from the two lane highways. Whether it was Joliet, Illinois or Rapid City, South Dakota or traveling through rural Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, West Virginia or mining towns in Ohio. I did not see Americans consumed with politics.

Backroads Education

When you travel the backroads you see people doing what they do every day. Getting up and going to work. Running their businesses. Taking kids to baseball, football soccer and hockey games. This is not a country of feral political beasts. It is not a country of angry supporters of either political fringe. Looks pretty much the same as it did when my family toured the country by the same highways, back when I was a kid.

Social Media Cesspool

On social media though, it is a different world. In Back To School 2017-Culling The Social Media Herd-Podcast 659 it’s time to cull the social media herd. Unfollowing those dear friends who post links to articles and demand your support or comment on the latest political and usually nonsensical missive from someone who exhorts you to think and act a certain way.

Where’s The Vision?

Back to School also means reengaging in a political process gone mad. Vision? Concrete plans for the future? Political organization? Those are relics of the past. What’s left are screaming matches, memes, reposts and going ‘live’ on FaceBook to grind your political axe. How does a podcaster add to this cacophony of ignorance and advance the story at the same time? In Back To School 2017-Culling The Social Media Herd-Podcast 659.

No Good Citizens

Neither mainline political party serves the interests of its adherents anymore. Part of the reason is demographic. Much of the reason is people seem to think negatively commenting on a congressman’s FB Live post or protesting is the same as involvement. There are no political movements to convince legislators to take a course of action because no one wants to do that work anymore. Maybe the reason people have turned away from politics are the loud mouths and those who fill their social media feeds with partisan posts, and demand reaction.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Back To School 2017-Culling The Social Media Herd-Podcast 659

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