A word to Democrats trying to figure out how to save their party. The most eloquent of them, of course, think the answer is finding the right words. We need to talk more like working people, we need Trump’s touch with popular phrasing.She's right. Every major city in the U.S is run by Democrats - Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York - and most of those cities are a disgrace. Mayors like Brandon Johnson in Chicago and Karen Bass in Los Angeles have demonstrated a stunning ineptitude in managing their cities. Taxes are high, the streets are filthy, corruption is ubiquitous, residents are afraid to leave their homes at night, and the teachers' unions block every common sense attempt to improve their schools. If given the opportunity many of those who live in these cities would move out.
The answer isn’t to talk but do. Be supple. The Trumpian policies you honestly support—endorse them, join in the credit. If you think violent illegal immigrants should be removed, then back current efforts while standing—firmly, publicly—on the side of peaceful, hardworking families doing no harm and in fact contributing. Admit what your party’s gotten wrong the past 15 years. Don’t be defensive, be humble.
Most of all, make something work. You run nearly every great city in the nation. Make one work—clean it up, control crime, smash corruption, educate the kids.
You want everyone in the country to know who you are? Save a city.
Noonan's also correct that if Democrats want people to vote for them they should demonstrate that they have the ability to govern our cities. They should forget about DEI, pronouns, and "resistance" to Trump and fix the problems that people actually care about.
Fixing urban problems, however, takes talent, intelligence, and a free market economic philosophy unburdened by stultifying bureacracy, an exaggerated concern for environmental and LGBTQ sensibilities, and counterproductive commitments to racial and gender quotas. It requires that people at every level of city management hold offices on the basis of both competence and integrity with no regard to their race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Given those requirements, and given the ideological stranglehold the progressive left has on the Democrat party, it's very doubtful that the Democrats will anytime soon demonstrate that they have the ability to fix our cities.
