Brad Gutierrez
| Guest Opinion
Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill famously said, “All politics are local.” He was referring to the fact that national decisions have local impacts, and that local voices and observations are a far more reliable barometer of the political tide of a country.
I have been honored to be invited to speak to some of the regional Democratic Party organizations in recent weeks as they bring on new groups of volunteers and energize veteran political players for the upcoming elections. After each event, I find myself buoyed by the enthusiasm and commitment for the tasks ahead. In spending two hours with honest, hardworking people sharing their concerns about our world and their convictions to do what they can to right the ship, you cannot help but feel a renewed sense of optimism about the chances for a national reckoning. It will not be a reckoning born in the halls of Congress or in the aisles of state legislatures. This is a movement spawned in coffee shops, town halls, county commission meetings across this country led by citizen farmers, teachers, nurses, housewives, young Americans, and retirees who are more in touch with the current moment than anyone in Washington DC.
Volunteers, candidates for local offices, and party leaders are concerned about the costs of healthcare and funding for programs that help keep people out of the hospital. They are concerned about making sure kids go to school with a chance to learn starting with a healthy breakfast. They are concerned about holding officials accountable for promises made to help with Helene recovery efforts. They want to see greater transparency in government decisions at all levels, so people do not have to be Sherlock Holmes sleuths to know where their tax dollars are spent. Perhaps most importantly, they want to know their elected officials care about them, their opinions, and their lives.
No national leader’s public comments can be further from these ambitions and reasonable expectations than President Trump’s response to a question about why he is asking for an additional $200 billion for the Iran War when he continually says it is basically won and will be over soon: “We, ah, it’s always nice to have. It’s always nice to have.”
Add this flippant justification for an additional 20% boost to an already $1 trillion defense budget Pete Hegseth’s justification: “It takes a lot of money to kill bad guys.” Both of these statements reveal a complete lack of awareness for the seriousness of the war into which they have taken this country. They also reflect a gross ambivalence to the scope of the money they banter around like it is a bar tab on a Saturday night.
Engaged local citizens are not ambivalent. They watch their neighbors have to make decisions about medicine or food. They see adults and children with diabetes in emergency rooms by the end of the month because the food budget ran out and cyclical malnutrition is leaving them unable to survive without medical intervention. They witness small rural health clinics close because of cuts to Medicaid payments, often putting lower income people out of reach of access to basic healthcare.
The sad reality in today’s America is that the President who ran for office on the mantra, “I am your retribution. I am your savior,” is really only out for his own retribution and his own salvation. His cavalier approach to spending tax dollars on his military adventures abroad while celebrating his budget cuts to critical domestic programs at home, often to the detriment of the very voter base that put him in office, is the moment we are in. Fortunately, it is also the moment our local political volunteers see very clearly and are energized to address.
In talking to these groups I deliver one overarching message, “Public engagement is not optional during these times. Perfection is not the goal. Ensuring your voice is heard is.” If you are waiting for the likes of Chuck Edwards, Ted Budd, and Tom Tillis to fix this mess, grab a beer and have a seat. The solution doesn’t lie with them. It rests in the heart and soul of this country, the voters, local volunteers, and community leaders who care enough to stand up and be heard. Become one of them if the future of this country matters to you.
Brad Gutierrez, Ph.D. is a retired U.S. Air Force combat pilot, professor of Political Science, military diplomat, and senior public policy civil servant.