The Politics of Joy

An old friend of mine posted on Facebook with her thoughts on the Harris/Walz ticket. I agree with everything she said about Walz and Minnesota politics, but the part of her post that resonated with me the most was this:

... I have been struck at how much lighter I feel in the last two days. I think I underestimated how much the tone of this political race/climate has seeped into my psyche, causing me to be depressed about the state of our democracy. It’s a novel experience to remember that joy and positivity can actually be a campaign theme. I am not sure when I lost that belief and I’m glad to find it again (and I suspect I am not alone).

Like my friend, I knew I was feeling terrible about things, but it had become just the way things are. I felt helpless. And now I don't. It was already much better after the Harris campaign began, and now it's even better. 

I want to thank Minnesota State Senator Erin Murphy, who campaigned against Tim Walz for governor in 2018 with the campaign slogan the Politics of Joy. And it was Murphy (along with Minnesota House Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic) who shepherded many bills through the 2023 Minnesota Legislature so that Walz could sign them — including the school lunch bill he signed to the acclimation of children:

As Walz has said, being elected means you should burn political capital to help people. That's part of the politics of joy, which I think he and Minnesota's DFL adapted from Murphy.

Erin Murphy: remember her name.