Our local elected officials make significant decisions which directly impact our lives every year. One example is how there are resolutions in every city council across this country right now which are restricting police violence or giving them more leeway. When it comes to the management of local police forces your city council has far more direct power than the federal government, especially during this time of federal dysfunction. Even in the best of times if the Federal government were to make rules about police brutality it would take a long time to make sure those rules are followed in each of the tens of thousands of municipalities across America. However, if we focus on what our local officials are doing than they can make practically immediate changes regarding their agencies. Part of this also has to do how with in many parts of the United States Republicans completely dominate local and state governments because the DNC was headed by two DINOs, Tim Kaine and Debbie Wasserman Schultz who had no interest in sending money to local parties, and here we are. This leads to a deficit of experienced candidates in most of the country which makes it hard to get the best qualified candidates to run for congress, which allows people like Trump to violate the Constitution, Geneva Protocols, and general human decency.
Local politics effects so much of our daily lives, our water, our roads, our electricity. They regulate local utilities and ensure health and safety hazards to protect workers. Perhaps more than anything else, the local politics determines the zoning of your area, which determines how dense your neighborhoods are. Your transit agency is local politics, which is one of the biggest determinants on whether people are able to climb out of poverty.
Whether you are looking for people to ascend to higher office or to find someone to improve your local community, it is important to vote for every race on your ballot in every election.
President Harry S Truman is a really good example of a local politician who started his career in local politics as a Jackson County Judge and then moved up the ranks as United States Senator and then as Vice President, becoming President upon the death of President Roosevelt. If he hadn’t been voted in as the Presideing Judge of Jackson County he never would have been able to implement his Fair Deal which included the prohibition of child labor, Fulbright Program, the National Science Foundation, expansion of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and major programs to help Americans buy homes. This all started because he was active in local politics which led him to eventually become the President of the United States.
Vice President Joe Biden had a similar career to President Truman. He was elected as a Member of the New Castle County Council in 1970 at the age of 28 and became the Senator from Delaware at the age of 23. He became the Vice President of the United States in 2009 and is currently favored in both betting pools and polls to become they next President of the United States.
The Democratic Party likewise needs to ensure it competes with Republicans in every county across these United States because those local politicians can help rural America develop at the same time as they are prepared to run for Federal office, and perhaps someday to become President of the United States. Getting the best people possible elected into local politics makes a major difference in our day to day lives, and gives the National Party a strong pipeline of candidates so we can get the best candidates for Congress and the Presidency.
Remember to vote in your local elections. They really matter.