Democrats and Republicans have spent decades cultivating a political center that serves donors rather than voters. In the 1990s, Bill Clinton signed the repeal of Glass Steagall, deregulating Wall Street and paving the way for the 2008 financial crisis. His administration, led by Larry Summers and Robert Rubin, crushed attempts by Commodities Futures Trading Commission chair Brooksley Born to regulate derivatives, a warning that proved prophetic. Joe Biden supported the 2005 bankruptcy bill that made it harder for ordinary Americans to escape crushing debt, a gift to credit card companies headquartered in Delaware. For years, Democratic leaders blocked Medicare drug price negotiation, a policy opposed only by pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists. The Democratic Leadership Council once boasted of its alliance with corporate power, and its ideological descendants still dominate the party’s biggest fundraising circuits.
Republicans have been no less faithful to donor interests. Paul Ryan built an entire career on attempts to cut Social Security and Medicare. The 2017 Trump tax cuts delivered eighty three percent of their benefits to the top one percent. States controlled by Republicans refused Medicaid expansion even when federal funds would have covered most of the costs, leaving millions uninsured and contributing to rural hospital closures. Kansas governor Sam Brownback’s extreme tax experiment collapsed the state budget and nearly destroyed its public school system. Florida removed 250,000 residents from Medicaid in 2023. Texas, despite leading the nation in uninsured residents, continues to reject the program expansion that would save both money and lives.
At this point in the story, it becomes impossible not to see the historical parallel. American politics today resembles the late Gilded Age, a period defined by extreme inequality, corporate dominance, and a political class that insisted everything was stable until the moment it collapsed. Reformers of that era were dismissed as cranks and radicals. Yet the public eventually forced through antitrust laws, labor rights, and the foundations of the modern safety net. Today’s establishment repeats the same mistake, insisting that demands for universal healthcare or affordable housing reflect extremism rather than necessity. History shows that this kind of denial does not preserve stability. It accelerates unraveling.
This is where a single warning from the past speaks louder than anything [that sycophants for the establishment like Bill Maher can say] on air. In his farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower cautioned that the country must guard against what he called the acquisition of unwarranted influence by the military industrial complex, adding that only an informed and alert citizenry could compel the proper meshing of private and public power. His point was not just about defense contractors. It was about the danger of allowing any concentrated power to shape a nation’s destiny without democratic accountability. That warning resonates today with an eerie precision because the concentrated power Eisenhower feared now resides not only in the defense industry but in the corporations that dominate healthcare, housing, energy, technology, and finance. The danger is not radical reform. The danger is allowing this system to continue without challenge.
The political class hides behind the claim that the center is safe, but the evidence suggests otherwise. The center is where inequality thrives. The center is where corporate power goes unchecked. The center is where politicians tell voters that universal healthcare is unrealistic but record defense budgets are inevitable. The center is where both parties shield themselves from accountability. The center is where incrementalism becomes paralysis and paralysis becomes cruelty.
The people know better. They know that an economic system that produces stable misery is not worth preserving. They know that the wealthiest country in human history has the resources to guarantee dignity. They know that the crisis is not the demand for more but the acceptance of less. The political class insists that change is dangerous. The voters understand that refusing change is more dangerous still.
– Tony Pentimalli Excerpted from “The Normalcy Illusion”
via social media
November 18, 2025
Following is a great 10-minute interview with Butch Ware, Green Party candidate for California Governor.
In this interview, Butch explains his political ideology and Green Party candidacy for California Governor to replace Gavin Newsom. He also discusses Bernie Sanders’ “sheep-dogging” of voters, populism, and duopoly politics, including the corporate capture of the two-party system.
The interview above is from September. More recently, Butch shared the following on social media about the Democratic Party’s capitulation to Republicans in the government shutdown fight.
The Dems are losing on purpose.
They could win their "fight" with the Repubs but what it takes to do so would cost them their multi-trillion $ corporate donor base.
They would rather LOSE, watch you suffer, and KEEP their POWER, than WIN and give it to you.
Born on November 15, 1932, Petula Clark began her professional career as a child performer durung World War II and went on to build a career that spans more than 80 years. She charted her first major hit in the UK with “The Little Shoemaker” in 1954 and became an international star in the 1960s with songs like “Downtown,” “My Love” and “I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love.”
What makes her journey exceptional is not just the hits, but the reach – singing in multiple languages, crossing into film and theatre, and continuing to perform and record for decades. She didn’t just shine for a year or two; she kept going, evolving, and adapting.
Petula’s career wasn’t all glitz either: behind the scenes she balanced family life and a demanding schedule, shifted between countries, and embraced new challenges. But it’s the joyous voice, the unmistakable melodies, and the sense of optimism in her songs that stick with us today.
So here’s to Petula Clark – still vibrant, still creative, still inspiring. A musical force, a silver-screen presence and a true survivor in the world of showbusiness.
May you continue to enjoy your day, Petula Clark, and know that your music and your legacy are still very much loved by generations of fans.
I’m curently reading Petula’s recently released autobiography, Is That You, Petula?. It’s a great read – insightful and entertaining. I highly recommend it.
Following is the living legend herself being interviewed just last week on the British talk show Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh . . .
Could it be any more obvious that they don’t give a damn about working and poor people? They’re ruthless representatives of the wealthy and the bosses as much as the Republicans are.
They carried out a government shutdown as a purely performative gesture, claiming that they were standing up for Affordable Care Act subsidies and the restoration of Medicaid funding.
But they held the shutdown just long enough for the 2025 elections to get done. Then they picked a group of Senators who are either retiring or are not up for re-election in 2026 to be the bad guys.
Tens of millions of poor people went through absolute heartache for the basic food assistance they lost during the shutdown. TSA workers went six weeks without pay, many of them facing evictions because they were unable to pay their rent.
The Democratic Party had multiple chances to make the ACA tax credits permanent when they had Biden in the White House and a majority in both the House and the Senate. They could have voted in Medicare for All, but they represent the billionaires and multimillionaires, so of course, they did not.
The Democratic Party is utterly rotten. Working people need a new party of our own. A party whose leaders fight against the bosses and their political goons.
I am running as an independent revolutionary socialist against genocidal billionaire-backed Democrat Adam Smith. Winning our election would be nothing short of a political earthquake in D.C. politics and a huge step towards a new party for workers.
My campaign is fighting for free healthcare for all funded by taxing the rich, national rent control, and a national $25/hour minimum wage. We are fighting for an end the genocide in Gaza, for a permanent end to all U.S. military aid to Israel, and to the brutal occupation of Palestinian lands.
Following is L.A. Progressive’s September 8 interview with Kshama Sawant. If you’re new to Kshama and her campaign, a campaign that I’m supporting, then this interview serves as an excellent introduction.
David Norton is a “reel creator” who posts his video commentaries on Facebook and and Tick Tock under the name If Not Us, Then Who?. He also has a substack.
A recent reel of David’s caught my attention. Following is what he said in this particular reel.
One of the primary functions of the Democratic Party in the United States is to prevent politics from moving further to the left.
Once you begin to understand that, you can start to make a lot more sense out of headlines like why the Democrats caved on the government shutdown when they had all of he leverage and got absolutely nothing out of it.
A quick litle meeting with their ruling class overlords, who said: we need butts in airplane seats for Thanksgiving, and we need feet walking through our stores well before Christmas; so get your shit together and find a few people to fall on the sword, and get your asses back in there.
And it also starts to make a lot of sense as to why you see the meteoric rise of complete neophyte politicians like Zohran Mamdani who espouses these exceptionally popular economic policy ideas that appeal to a range of people. And everybody’s oohing and ahhing, and saying: Oh, my God, could this be our future? These little, like, tidbits of socialism. Wow, life could be okay here; we won;t be exploited by the ruling class any more. Let’s go for it!
It makes sense as to why Bernie Sanders was completely fucked in 2016 [and Marianne Williamson completely ignored in 2024] by the Democratic Party [establishment], and why you don’t see any politicians on the actual left wing [of the party] have any modicum of success [on the national stage], right? It’s because they’re not allowed to. It’s because the ruling class doesn’t want it to happen, because they don’t benefit from socialism. And they made socialism a bad word.
After FDR died in 1945, [the financial elites] began to undo New Deal era policies, slowly. The ruling class grouped together and said, That shit fucking sucked. How do we change this ASAP?
They began to work on it; they began to [work on ensuring that government would] serve capital very quickly once again. They left in place some of the very best and most popular ideas, like social security; but they began to quash all of the strongholds that the working class had began to develop. They ripped apart unions and made solidarity and community more difficult to come by. We see the rise of hyper individualism, and we eventually get neoliberalism out of it.
And now we’ve got the [corporatist/oligarchic duoply of the] Democratic / Republican Party not serving the working class at all. But you take these people who aren’t afraid to say the ideas that appeal to the working class and, BOOM!, they rock it. They skyrocket into extreme popularity.
[The ruling class, however] don’t want you to have a better life. They only want to have a larger bottom line.
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men, ranging in age from 20 to 63. The disaster has been called “America’s defining shipwreck.”
Growing up in rural Australia in the 1970s, I knew about this tragedy from Gordon Lightfoot’s popular song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (1976). I was especially drawn to Lightfoot’s ballad not only because of its haunting quality but because of my interest in the sinking of the Titanic and the fact that my paternal grandfather, Aubrey (“Aub”) Bayly, had perished in the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur during World War II.
Remembering today the twenty-nine crewmen lost aboard the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which foundered in a sudden and violent storm while crossing Lake Superior on the night of November 10th, 1975 with no survivors.
The 13,600 gross ton vessel had served seventeen years hauling taconite iron ore before her final and most famous Detroit bound voyage, her last captain being 63-year-old Ernest Michael McSorley who had joined the Fitzgerald in 1972 and was known both for his steady hand as well as for his wide experience with Superior’s notoriously violent weather. An unexpected change in forecast shortly after the freighter’s outset from Superior, Wisconsin however on the afternoon of the 9th quickly escalated into sustained gale force winds and waves as high as 30 ft (9m) as the ship made her approach into Whitefish Bay, an often dangerous area which has seen many dozens of wrecks in poor weather.
The Fitzgerald maintained radio contact throughout most of the next morning and into the afternoon, reporting increasingly dire conditions, the loss of two hatch covers and a bad list. McSorley’s last message was received by the freighter Arthur M. Anderson at 7.10 PM, replying to their inquiry into her situation by saying simply, “we are holding our own.” Ten minutes later, Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared from radar.
The crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald:
Michael E. Armagost – third mate, 37
Frederick J. Beetcher – porter, 56
Thomas D. Bentsen – oiler, 23
Edward F. Bindon – first assistant engineer, 47
Thomas D. Borgeson – maintenance man, 41
Oliver J. “Buck” Champeau – third assistant engineer, 41
Nolan F. Church – porter, 55
Ransom E. Cundy – watchman, 53
Thomas E. Edwards – second assistant engineer, 50
Russell G. Haskell – second assistant engineer, 40
George J. Holl – chief engineer, 60
Bruce L. Hudson – deck hand, 22
Allen G. Kalmon – second cook, 43
Gordon F. MacLellan – wiper, 30
Joseph W. Mazes – special maintenance man, 59
John H. McCarthy – first mate, 62
Ernest M. McSorley – captain, 63
Eugene W. O'Brien – wheelsman, 50
Karl A. Peckol – watchman, 20
John J. Poviach – wheelsman, 59
James A. Pratt – second mate, 44
Robert C. Rafferty – steward/cook, 62
Paul M. Riippa – deck hand, 22
John D. Simmons – wheelsman, 63
William J. Spengler – watchman, 59
Mark A. Thomas – deck hand, 21
Ralph G. Walton – oiler, 58
David E. Weiss – cadet, 22
Blaine H. Wilhelm – oiler, 52
Above: The memorial to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald
in Superior, Wisconsin.
Ontario singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot wrote, composed, and recorded the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” for his 1976 album Summertime Dream. On NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday on February 14, 2015, Lightfoot said he was inspired to write the song when he saw the name misspelled “Edmond” in Newsweek magazine two weeks after the sinking; he said he felt that it dishonored the memory of the 29 who died.
Lightfoot’s popular ballad made the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald one of the best-known disasters in the history of Great Lakes shipping. The original lyrics of the song show a degree of artistic license compared to the events of the actual sinking: it states the destination as Cleveland instead of Detroit.
Also, in light of new evidence about what happened, Lightfoot modified one line for live performances, the original stanza being:
When suppertime came the old cook came on deck,
Saying “Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.”
At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in,
He said, “Fellas, it’s been good to know ya.”
Lightfoot changed the third line to “At 7 p.m. it grew dark, it was then,” although possibly to “At 7 p.m. it grew dark, it was dim.”
He also changed the word “musty” in the lines
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
to “rustic,” as the building is not actually musty (it is also not a cathedral as it is not the seat of a bishop, and its name is actually Mariners’ Church, but this line was never changed).
On May 2, 2023, at 3 p.m. the Mariners’ Church of Detroit tolled its bell 30 times; 29 times in memory of the crew of the Fitzgerald, and a 30th time in memory of Lightfoot, who died at age 84, on May 1, 2023. Additionally, the Split Rock Lighthouse, which overlooks Lake Superior in Minnesota, shone its light in honour of Lightfoot on May 3.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore, twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feeling?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
’Twas the witch of November come stealing
The dawn came late, and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came, it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’
"Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya"
At seven p.m., a main hatchway caved in, he said
"Fellas, it’s been good to know ya"
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put 15 more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early
The last few years have felt like end times. . . . [A]voidance is not the answer. Sorry to be cringe, but it seems the answer, actually, is hope. And right now it is most prominently represented by two politicians whose profiles we’ve seen go stratospheric. Here [in the U.K.], in Zack Polanski – the gay, Jewish, northern leader of the Green Party – and there [in the U.S.], in Zohran Mamdani – the young Muslim mayor elect of New York City. Both outspoken socialists, unafraid to shake things up or to actually get involved in the communities they purport to represent.
What won me over with Mamdani, aside from his no-brainer manifesto (affordable housing, free public buses, rent freezes, universal childcare for children under five), is how his campaign actually embraced people, rather than treating them as merely a bunch of demographics to placate. He spoke to young people the way we actually talk to one another. He went on podcasts, made memes, turned up at club nights (I’m still obsessed with him appearing at the club two nights before the election), and generally met people where they were instead of expecting them to come to him. He made the act of politics – and voting – feel exciting, accessible, unmissable. Bear in mind, I spent the night of New York’s mayoral election waiting with bated breath for the results, and I live in Hackney.
Now, with Andrew Cuomo defeated and Trump rattled, Mamdani is set to assume real power in the biggest city in the US. To me, the 34-year-old’s win feels like a fresh chapter: proof that there is an alternative to a status quo that increasingly only works for the few. It can be challenged – more than that, it can be toppled.
On this side of the pond, Zack Polanski is ruffling feathers with a smile, too. He took over from Carla Denyer as leader of the Greens only two months ago, and membership has already skyrocketed, surpassing 100,000 for the first time. This groundswell of support from voters desperate for an alternative to the main parties that is not Reform, means that what was once viewed as a well-meaning but inconsequential party of moral conscience and green fingers now has to be taken seriously. Hearing Polanksi’s voice cut through a news cycle that has come to be defined by division and hatred warms my heart.
Enough Senate Democrats caved last night to the Republicans that it looks likely that the shutdown will end – but without the Democrats achieving their goal of restoring Obamacare subsidies.
It was an astounding show of the Democrat’s lack of discipline in the face of total Republican discipline. It revealed Chuck Schumer’s inability to keep Senate Democrats together and Trump’s ability to keep Senate Republicans together.
I’ll be surprised if Schumer survives as Senate Minority Leader.
Overall, the Democrat’s cave is a huge mistake.
First, Democrats hold all the cards. As even Trump admitted after Tuesday’s blowout, voters chose Democrats across the board because of the shutdown. It’s clear that voters are blaming on Republicans.
Given this, why in hell should Democrats cave?
Second, Senate Democrats never voted for Trump’s Big Ugly bill that removed the Obamacare subsidies (among many other travesties) because Republicans used a process called “reconciliation” which allowed them to pass the Big Ugly with a bare Senate majority and no Democratic votes.
So now that Democrats finally have some bargaining leverage, why would they give it up?
Third, while it’s obvious that some Americans are hurting right now because of the shutdown, caving to Republicans won’t end the hurt because Trump and his lapdogs continue to assert that they have the power to slash whatever programs they don’t like.
Republican leader John Thune assured Senate Democrats that he’d give them a vote on Obamacare subsidies sometime in December, but this is a near-worthless promise. Even if the Senate voted to continue to subsidies, the Republican-controlled House is unlikely to allow a vote on them.
Even worse, there’s no guarantee that Trump’s White House will go along. In fact, it’s clear that the White House will dig in on all sorts of programs Democrats support. Do Senate Democrats really believe that Americans will hurt any less when government is reopened and Trump and his sycophants and lapdogs can hack away at whatever programs they dislike?
Finally, because of the Democrats’ cave, premiums under the Affordable Care Act are likely to soar starting in January, which is likely to cause many young and healthier people to exit from the program – forcing those who remain to pay even higher premiums or not get coverage at all. In other words, Trump and his Republicans will have found a backdoor means of eroding or ending a program they’ve been targeting since Trump first came to power in 2016.
I admire Senate Democrats’ soft hearts but not their soft heads. I hope there’s still time for them to regain their mettle.
Image: Senator Angus King (I-Maine) speaks at a press conference with other Senate Democrats who caved to Republicans in Washington, DC on November 9, 2025. (Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Author and Princeton Professor of African American Studies Eddie Glaude Jr. recently shared a 20-minute video in which he provides an insightful and helpful summary on recent and ongoing events in the U.S. and beyond, including Tuesday’s elections, the government shutdown, the latest from Gaza, and so much more.
In the two days since, there’s been some major developments with the shutdown issue, as the “updates” section following Glaude’s video documents.
They’re very nice and kind . . . but I’ll tell you how they strike me. They all seem terribly sad. I can’t think why. . . . But they put me in mind of trees in November.
They may have won this race, but we have changed the narrative about what kind of city Minneapolis can be. Because now, truly affordable housing, workers’ rights, and public safety rooted in care are no longer side conversations; they are at the center of the narrative.
– Omar Fateh
Yesterday morning, when it was confirmed that incumbent Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey had won reelection, Minnesota state senator Omar Fateh, the Democratic socialist who was Frey’s leading challenger and the candidate I was supporting, shared the following on social media.
Thank you, Minneapolis!
While this wasn’t the outcome we wanted, I am incredibly grateful to every single person who supported our grassroots campaign.
I’ll keep fighting alongside you to build the city we deserve. Onward.
In response, I posted these words:
Thank YOU, Omar! You ran a deeply meaningful and inspiring campaign, one that I and so many others were honored and happy to support. 👍🏼💗
Above: Standing at right with Sen. Omar Fateh and my friend Joseph – Minneapolis, September 17, 2025.
It’s the type of platform that compelled one supporter to post on Facebook back in August: “Omar Fateh has shown he’s not just another politician – he’s a movement. While others cling to insider deals and big-money donors, he’s standing firmly with working people, amplifying the voices of residents who are too often ignored. The establishment may try to block him, but the people of Minneapolis are rallying behind him because they see in him an incoming mayor who fights for justice, equity, and real change.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey fended off a challenge from democratic socialist Omar Fateh to secure a third term by winning enough support in the second round of the city’s ranked-choice voting system.
City election officials declared Frey, a Democrat, the winner Wednesday morning after tabulating second- and subsequent-choice votes. Frey won 42% of first-choice votes, followed by Fateh with 32%, former pastor DeWayne Davis with 14%, and entrepreneur Jazz Hampton with 10%.
Fateh – a Democratic state senator and son of Somali immigrants – congratulated Frey on his victory.
“They may have won this race, but we have changed the narrative about what kind of city Minneapolis can be,” he said. “Because now, truly affordable housing, workers’ rights, and public safety rooted in care are no longer side conversations; they are at the center of the narrative.”
. . . Fateh’s campaign drew comparisons with that of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, another progressive state lawmaker and democratic socialist who was bombarded with racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic hate by prominent right-wing figures. Like Mamdani, Fateh hoped voters would focus on his record of serving his constituency in the state Legislature.
Among the dozens of bills authored by Fateh were a successful proposal to fund tuition-free public colleges and universities and tribal colleges for students from families with household incomes below $80,000, including undocumented immigrants, and another measure that exempted fentanyl test strips from being considered drug paraphernalia.
Fateh was also the chief state Senate author of a bill that would have ensured that drivers on ride-hailing applications like Uber and Lyft were paid minimum wage and received workplace protections. Although the bill was approved by both houses of the state Legislature, it was vetoed by Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Gov. Tim Walz, sparking widespread outrage among progressives.
Initially chosen over Frey by state DFL delegates, Fatah’s endorsement was rescinded in August by state party officials, sparking widespread outrage from progressives including Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who condemned the “inexcusable” move, which she chalked up to “the influence of big money in our politics.”
On Tuesday, November 4, Omar addressed those who had gathered for his election party at a downtown Minneapolis hotel about the campaign he had ran against Frey.
Omar gave his speech before the final outcome of the election was known; in other words, prior to a second round of rank choice voting to determine the winner of the Minneapolis mayoral race.
Earlier today Mukhtar M. Ibrahim offered an insightful and hopeful take on the mayoral campaigns of Omar Fateh in Minneapolis and Kaohly Vang Her in St. Paul.
A Hmong refugee’s daughter will soon govern St. Paul. A Somali trailblazer changed the politics of Minneapolis.
The 2025 mayoral elections didn’t just decide who leads the Twin Cities. They revealed who the Twin Cities are becoming.
Kaohly Vang Her’s victory in St. Paul and Omar Fateh’s strong showing in Minneapolis mark a generational shift in political power, one led by immigrant communities, renters, working families, and young voters who are reshaping what leadership looks like across Minnesota.
Her’s win is historic. In just three months, she built a campaign rooted in grit, community, and pragmatism, door by door, conversation by conversation. The first Hmong woman to lead a major American city, she represents both continuity and change: a candidate fluent in policy and deeply grounded in the lived experiences of her constituents.
Across the river, Omar Fateh ran an excellent campaign that transformed Minneapolis politics. He may have fallen short of unseating a two-term mayor, but he redrew the map, geographically and ideologically. His coalition brought renters, students, and working-class families into the center of city politics, pushing affordable housing, public safety, and economic justice to the top of the civic agenda.
Together, these campaigns signal a broader shift.
The old model of Minnesota politics, dominated by establishment networks and legacy coalitions, is giving way to a more dynamic, diverse, and grassroots-driven era. Representation has evolved from symbolism to strategy, from presence to power.
For years, both Minneapolis and St. Paul have called themselves progressive cities. These elections showed what happens when that label is tested, when new leaders from communities once seen as outsiders claim their place inside the institutions of power.
The next chapter of Twin Cities politics won’t be written by the same hands. And that may be the story’s greatest promise.
I conclude this post by sharing the following compilation of messages from supporters of Omar and his campaign. These comments were posted on Omar’s Facebook page over the last two days. They are accompanied by photos also posted on the Omar for Mayor Facebook page.
• Well done, Omar! You have succeeded beyond doubt, and measure. Your triumph lays with your integrity, honesty and tenacity. You may have not gone the length, but sometimes victory is simply showing up and persevering.
• Congrats, Omar! You are still the winner of the young generation who are looking upon you. Don’t give up. Move forward, young man. Sky is the limit. 🙏
• A loss can sometimes mean more than a victory. You gave it your all, great fight, and best of luck next time, Champ!
• You have done something that most people would never dare to try. This is not the end — it’s just the beginning. A time will come when people will applaud your success. Congratulations, Mr. Omar Fatah
• Omar, you ran an exceptional campaign and we are all proud of you. Continue fighting the good fight!
• True leaders are defined by resilience, not results and you’ve shown that beautifully 🥰❤️
• Congratulations brother Omar Fateh you have opened the paths towards future success.
• Congratulations! Every setback is a setup for a stronger comeback. I’m sure you’ll rise higher, wiser, and more powerful than today.
• Thank you for your courage and dedication You inspired so many of us and gave hope to our city. This isn’t a loss it’s a new beginning Onward and proud of you.
• Omar Fateh, you fought so hard and came so close, and that in itself is something to be proud of. Your dedication and heart truly inspired so many of us. There’s always a next time, and I believe that one day you’ll represent the people and see your dream come true.
• Proud of your effort and dedication, Omar Fateh! You’ve shown real leadership and integrity. The fight continues, and we’re with you all the way!
• Thank you for your efforts. We truly need more politicians like you.
• I wish you all the best! Your campaign was so successful, and coming second to Frey was an amazing achievement. So try again next time.
• We love you, Omar Fateh! You ran an incredible campaign and your leadership and integrity are unmatched. You have opened doors for so many people and you are a role model for all of us. Thank you for your service!
• You ran an amazing campaign! Thank you for your hard work and dedication — we’re proud of you.
• Thank you, Senator Omar Fateh! 🌟 You ran an incredible campaign for Minneapolis Mayor, inspiring and engaging voters from all walks of life, and turning out an unprecedented number of supporters. Even without the numbers you hoped for, you won by organizing, connecting, and motivating our community.
• Congratulations, brother! 🎉 True leadership is not only about winning.
• Proud of the movement you built. This is just the beginning.
• A great effort. Thank you for shining your light. Minneapolis loses with Jacob Frey.
• Congrats! This marks the beginning of your success. You are a hero who has shown courage, confidence, and determination. I wish you a bright and successful future.
• That was an incredible campaign with a lot positive things to build on. Keep going!
• You have achieved something unimaginable; though it was difficult, you still remain steadfast in your goal and in proving that you truly deserve to represent us.
• You deserved more, Omar, but your impact was real. Keep going! We’re with you.
• You showed true leadership and integrity throughout your campaign. Keep your head high. This is just one chapter of a much bigger journey.
• You have made us all proud, and you will forever hold a special place in our hearts. May Allah continue to bless and guide you always.
I established The Wild Reed in 2006 as a sign of solidarity with all who are dedicated to living lives of integrity – though, in particular, with gay people seeking to be true to both the gift of their sexuality and their Catholic faith. The Wild Reed's original by-line read, “Thoughts and reflections from a progressive, gay, Catholic perspective.” As you can see, it reads differently now. This is because my journey has, in many ways, taken me beyond, or perhaps better still, deeper into the realities that the words “progressive,” “gay,” and “Catholic” seek to describe.
Even though reeds can symbolize frailty, they may also represent the strength found in flexibility. Popular wisdom says that the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm. Tall green reeds are associated with water, fertility, abundance, wealth, and rebirth. The sound of a reed pipe is often considered the voice of a soul pining for God or a lost love.
On September 24, 2012,Michael BaylyofCatholics for Marriage Equality MNwas interviewed by Suzanne Linton of Our World Today about same-sex relationships and why Catholics can vote 'no' on the proposed Minnesota anti-marriage equality amendment.
"I believe your blog to be of utmost importance for all people regardless of their orientation. . . . Thank you for your blog and the care and dedication that you give in bringing the TRUTH to everyone."– William
"Michael, if there is ever a moment in your day or in your life when you feel low and despondent and wonder whether what you are doing is anything worthwhile, think of this: thanks to your writing on the internet, a young man miles away is now willing to embrace life completely and use his talents and passions unashamedly to celebrate God and his creation. Any success I face in the future and any lives I touch would have been made possible thanks to you and your honesty and wisdom."– AB
"Since I discovered your blog I have felt so much more encouraged and inspired knowing that I'm not the only gay guy in the Catholic Church trying to balance my Faith and my sexuality. Continue being a beacon of hope and a guide to the future within our Church!"– Phillip
"Your posts about Catholic issues are always informative and well researched, and I especially appreciate your photography and the personal posts about your own experience. I'm very glad I found your blog and that I've had the chance to get to know you."– Crystal
"Thank you for taking the time to create this fantastic blog. It is so inspiring!"– George
"I cannot claim to be an expert on Catholic blogs, but from what I've seen, The Wild Reed ranks among the very best."– Kevin
"Reading your blog leaves me with the consolation of knowing that the words Catholic, gay and progressive are not mutually exclusive.."– Patrick
"I grieve for the Roman institution’s betrayal of God’s invitation to change. I fear that somewhere in the midst of this denial is a great sin that rests on the shoulders of those who lead and those who passively follow. But knowing that there are voices, voices of the prophets out there gives me hope. Please keep up the good work."– Peter
"I ran across your blog the other day looking for something else. I stopped to look at it and then bookmarked it because you have written some excellent articles that I want to read. I find your writing to be insightful and interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more of it. Keep up the good work. We really, really need sane people with a voice these days."– Jane Gael
"Michael, your site is like water in the desert."– Jayden
