Campaigning For Congress In Indiana, Jennifer Christie Asks: "What If We Just Had A Genuine Conversation Focused In Solutions?"

Jennifer Christie is running for an open Indiana congressional seat north of Indianapolis. It's generally considered a "red" seat-- the PVI is R+9-- so, as usual, the DCCC insists on a Republican-lite politician as their candidate. That isn't Jessica, a full-throttle progressive. So while the DCCC candidate raises big bucks from DCCC mailing lists and parrots tired talking points, Jennifer is discussing real problems with Democrats, Republicans and independents-- including other candidates-- and looking for sensible common ground.

I always wind up admiring political leaders who understand how to work across the aisle. The DCCC Blue Dogs and New Dems have no idea what bipartisan means-- though they use the word more than anyone. To a corporate Dem-- who generally holds few, if any, Democratic values to begin with-- working across the aisle just means giving in to Republican ideology, maybe softening it around the sharpest edges. But some of the most successful congressmembers in our time have been progressives-- many who got their training in state legislatures-- who knew what it meant to find common ground without selling out. Former state legislators like Ted Lieu, Karen Bass, Pramila Jayapal and Jamie Raskin understands what it means to look for solutions to solve problems for constituents without discarding principles. They did it in their legislators and they do it in Congress. Alan Grayson, Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna have been incredibly successful working across the aisle with Republicans on issues that benefit everyone-- and no one can accuse any of them of the kinds of sell out tactics that define the Blue Dogs.

Jennifer Christie is that kind of a candidate, which is why I'm so especially hoping she wins her primary a week from Tuesday. She's talked with me about her ideas on this frequently, especially in regard to the Climate Crisis, and I asked her to write a guest post on it, which she did (below). Please give it a read through-- and if you like what you see, consider clicking on the Blue America 2020 congressional thermometer and chipping in what you can for her campaign.


Working Towards Solutions, Not Just Counting Coup
-by Jennifer Christie

Our election is in just over a week, and I have thought about what the general election will be like. Most predict that it will be ugly. But what if it weren’t? What if it were a genuine discourse on solutions to the issues of our time?  What if we just had an intelligent discussion?

I recently authored a letter to our state government regarding election ballots alongside three Republicans who I believe would welcome such a discourse. I have had the privilege of meeting each of them at public forums as well. They are running for the same seat as I am.

  I may not agree with these candidates on all solutions, but we care about many of the same issues. What if we had a public conversation focused on solutions? Has this ever happened on America or has the age of Trumpian politics made that impossible?

After interacting with a few of the more grassroots Republican candidates, I am a more optimistic. One of these candidates even has Climate Solutions as a top priority. As someone who has worked on climate change for years, I know that this is a bipartisan issue that opens the door to solution-oriented discussion about infrastructure, economic growth, and jobs. We also all agree that our health care system isn’t working for everyone. What if we start there, with the agreement that our goal is that everyone has quality healthcare? What if we started with the goal in mind? What if we behaved as problem-solvers instead of politicians?

I know where I stand in issues. I am the only candidate to support Medicare For All in my race as well as a Green New Deal. I also know that I cannot walk into Congress and just get everything I want; there is debate to be had. So let’s have it then-- genuine, fact-based, authentic debate!  What do we need to do to get there to have the debate in the first place?

The answer is in the grassroots. We not only need to speak up, we need to involve the grassroots, and we need authentic people in Congress. When I considered running, I almost talked myself out of it because I am not a politician. Then I thought how much I would love to be represented by a smart or hard-working person down the street. We would have entirely different discussions - and decisions.  Likewise,  the three Republican candidates that signed the letter with me talk about the need to get money out of politics which is a critical to an honest grassroots approach.

So what if we had a general election focused on ideas and authentic conversation....wouldn’t that be refreshing? We can only start with ourselves, so let’s begin.