Ted Cruz, Ron Paul, Marco Rubio, and Hillary Clinton are taking their places in the starting gates for the horse race to the White House in 2016. Smiles and frowns all around, emails asking “Are you IN?“with a request for money from the partisan Yea-Sayers and Nay-Sayers. But the fact is that every horse they ride – conservative and liberal – is owned by Wall Street.
Painting of Governor Floyd B. Olson
I’m not “IN” until a candidate rides a different horse into the starting gate. Until someone acts and sounds like Floyd B. Olson.
Click What would Floyd B. do? to find a candidate who puts them all the declared candidates to shame.
Floyd B. Olson was neither a Democrat nor a Republican. He was the first third party candidate elected Governor of Minnesota as the candidate of the progressive Farmer-Labor Party. Years later the Farmer-Labor Party joined with the Democratic Party to form the Democratic Farm-Labor Party (DFL).
“I am not a liberal. I am what I want to be — a radical,” said Governor Olson to the 1934 Farmer-Labor party convention. A radical is not an ideologue. It’s a person who insists on going to the root of things. Olson was the nemesis of Wall Street, a champion of the people.
The Farmer-Labor party, a loose and, at times, tenuous coalition of farmers, workers, socialists, isolationists and progressives, coalesced around the idea that working together they would bring about a fairer distribution of income for themselves and increase social justice for the larger society. – Russell Fridley, Minnesota Law & Politics.
If and when someone like Floyd B. Olson rides a different horse into the starting gate for the 2016 White House horse race, I’ll be IN with both feet. Until then, I’m not IN.
– Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, April 18, 2015.
Views from the Edge 
Hi, Gordon. Elizabeth Warren has some good ideas, but is too naive about Hillary, I think. BUT, what about Bernie? I’ve been supporting him (small, monthly) for well over a year. I still think we might need him more in the Senate than the presidency, and I’m much afraid that he couldn’t win. Republicans of the Paul Ryan sort have pushed evil Ayn Rand ideas into too many people, and even without that philosophy of self-centered-ness, socialism has been a dirty word for a terribly long time. But I think he has the right spirit, the right ideas.
LikeLike
Carolyn, You’re a champ! Another concern is foreign policy. Neither Elizabeth or Bernie is experienced in foreign policy in a time when it is so critical. I’m afraid Hillary is too hawkish, and she has an edge to her that is what we used to call “snotty” – illustrated by her facial expression and body posture while answering the press on using her private email account for State Department business. Other words for “snotty” are “privileged” and “entitled”, as in “how dare you questions me!” I want Bernie on the stage in the debates, though he likely doesn’t have a chance beyond that. He is like a laser. He hones in on an issue so clearly. There’s no mistaking what he’s saying or asking. He will put Hillary on the spot re: Wall Street and Main Street, TPP, big banks, etc. In the meantime Jim Webb and O’Malley are potential candidates to watch if Hillary stumbles.
LikeLike
I used to belong to the FL when I lived in rural Mn. Interesting that HHH, Mondale, Freeman et al solidified their hold on the D Party by purging the FL party of leftists enabling a merger as DFL thus ending the radical politics of the likes of Floyd B. Olson.
LikeLike
Interesting part of the history of the DFL I didn’t know until you brought it to my attention. I cringe over the difference between Olson’s courage with respect to bank foreclosures, women’s rights in the workplace, distribution of wealth, estate tax and progressive income tax are a far cry from the political scene on 2015. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike