Hong supporters' anger needs to be respected but they must also remember what's at stake

Though Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to jump in at the last second to support the revived candidacy of David Crowley may prove to have been a winning move, he has clearly deepened the divide between the party’s disparate wings.

He has done so by, first, betraying his promise of neutrality; second, by appearing to not just put his thumb on the scales for a moderate over an uber-progressive but by seeming to torpedo the latter’s campaign entirely; and third, by saying all the wrong things in the aftermath of Crowley’s stunning win over Democratic Socialist candidate Francesca Hong. Among those tone-deaf utterances was an offhand request that Hong supporters simply get behind Crowley as he attempts to defeat Tom Tiffany in November, a request that struck understandably bitter Hong supporters as dismissive and presumptuous.

How to somehow end the acrimony between the two camps and how to win over Hong supporters for the essential push to defeat a MAGA-backed, election-denying far-right opponent are fairly existential matters facing the Democratic Party a week after the primary. 

First, let’s acknowledge why Hong supporters are right to be angry. The fact is, Francesca Hong outworked everyone from the get-go, conducting an energetic and rousing grassroots campaign that put hope in the hearts of tuned-out young people. She raised money through small donations and used that money to support a vibrant social media campaign that talked directly and plainly to disaffected Democratic voters about real issues that impacted them in their daily lives. 

Meanwhile, so-called moderate, establishment Democrats, startled by Hong’s galvanizing strategy that created seemingly insurmountable momentum, spent much of their time chasing big dollars from traditional sources such as unions, megadonors and the Democratic Party itself. Crowley raked in nearly a million dollars over the final weeks from the Democratic Party establishment. Electability became a buzzword that irritated progressives and frightened more traditional Democrats who could already see the GOP attack ads over the next three months.

All of this is exactly the type of stuff that has so many mostly young progressive voters so turned off by the Democratic Party that they have been willing to sit out crucial elections. That mindset is partly responsible for Donald Trump’s two presidential wins. And while the bottom line is that any victory by an anti-Democratic, anti-human rights, anti-women’s rights candidate who also wants more tax cuts for the wealthy pushes progressive objectives further and further from fruition, that can’t be the only argument for them to get behind Crowley.

As I watch the angry back-and forth exchanges on social media, I find myself searching for my own blind spots. I am miffed when Hong supporters claim both parties are the same, both mere branches of a corporate elite. The attempts by Democrats to get through undeniably progressive policy and the Republicans’ steadfast pushback suggests otherwise. But I also understand when the progressive wing recoils at business-as-usual politics and campaign cycles. 

But – and here is where I begin to turn away from the burn-it-all-down wing – we are operating within the system we have, not the system we’d like to have. And that brings with it certain ugly realities that simply can’t be ignored. Not if the objective is progressive policy, economic justice, stronger democracy, affordable healthcare and childcare, cleaner air and water, etc. Because if you are so dead set against guns that you bring a knife into battle, you may stay true to your beliefs but you’re doing nothing to further the larger cause. 

Here is my most fervent hope over the next couple of months: that Hong supporters come to believe this and that Crowley supporters and more moderate Dems give those disappointed and angry progressives the proper space to get there. And that they acknowledge why they are disappointed and angry.  This doesn't have to be either/or. It shouldn't be either/or. Which is where I see the disconnect on social media, with each side staking its claim to righteousness.

Here’s another reality: If Democrats win back the State Senate and State Assembly, they are going to get to work on Day 1 addressing all those vital issues impacting working class Wisconsinites that Republicans the past 15 years have blithely ignored. Bill after bill will cross the Governor's desk, bills that will result in middle-class tax cuts, expanded and more affordable healthcare, subsidies to address our childcare crisis, stronger environmental regulation, adequate funding for public schools, and more.

Whether Hong or Crowley had won, it’s a better-than-decent bet either would have eagerly signed such legislation.

But if Tiffany wins on Nov. 3, those bills might just as well go to the incinerator as to the Governor.

So, let’s fix this before it’s too late. We’ve wasted the past 15 years in Wisconsin. Let’s not add four more to that.