I sit down and talk about Gov. Steve Bullock

I sat down on a Sunday afternoon to talk about Steve Bullock with Organizer Jacob Appel. Bullock is on my short list and I looked forward to talking about him and find out more about the Bullock campaign. The opinions here are all my own, and hope that I do not misrepresent Mr. Appel or the Bullock campaign in any way.

Gov Bullock had just recently undertaken a tour of Iowa with a focus on the counties that had voted for Obama but then voted for Trump. Over a year ago, I posted about a article from Nate Silver’s 538 that I thought was the key to the election. A year later, I still firmly believe 2020 will be about the voters who switched to Trump. I suspect that some are voters who bought the rhetoric about Hillary being too far to the left. More accurately, I suspect these voters felt that Trump did a better job of understanding them and that he would focus on jobs and the economy. I posit that if you can truly understand the needs of these voters, then you win the White House.

So Bullock was in towns like Decorah, Elkader and Calmar and speaking in Winnishek County, a place where Trump flipped 16% of Obama voters. Not only that, he was drawing large crowds and picking up endorsements along the way. For a campaign that hadn’t gotten as much press as some candidates, it was a good week.

I remember seeing Bullock’s promo email tagline mention that he is the only Democratic candidate to win a statewide election in a state that went to Trump. I had to double check that for myself (more for the reason that with 24 candidates, the law of averages, right?) but sure enough, it’s true. Additionally, with a few recent changes, Bullock is now the only Governor in the Democratic Race.

Jacob has been a fan of Bullock right from the start; from seeing him at the 2018 Iowa State Fair. I blogged about his Fair appearance since it was big news at the time. Bullock wasn’t using the P word then, and was slotted in between such Presidential wannabes like early bird John Delaney and self-aggrandizer Michael Avenatti. From the start, Bullock, in his jeans and cowboy boots, was making a pitch for Middle America.

This year, Bullock was slotted for the first day of the Soapbox. The race is now filled with candidates from both coasts. While Bullock might have ended up speaking on a weekday, he also pulled a slot where he was able to speak to those who showed up early to see Joe Biden.

Jacob mentions charisma often and the “it factor” when discussing Bullock- necessary qualities for a nominee. He spent time with the Governor as he toured Iowa and swapped stories about attending college microeconomics class (That word brings up unwelcome memories to me, too, even nearly three decades later).

I told Jacob that I knew Inslee was the environment guy; that Swalwell was the gun control guy; and Yang was the "$1000 a month" guy. I mainly knew Bullock as the “End Citizens United” guy. I asked more.

It gets downplayed but Campaign finance reform surely should rank high as something all Americans care about. It should be one of the issues that unite Berners and Libertarians, and all common sense Americans; and Bullock has been a leader, sometimes with executive orders and sometimes by bipartisan work in State Congress. He even went to the Supreme Court to challenge Citizens United in American Tradition Partnership vs Bullock. In Montana, major government contracts have to disclose so called “dark money”. Bullock hates that 60 Fortune 500 pay less taxes than you do. He also hates that money from Trump’s tax cuts are going mostly into Stock buybacks, and that it doesn’t  ultimately go to most Americans

These are all things that liberals (and libertarians) for that matter, should cheer for. The kind of thing Bernie Sanders talks about.

Jacob mentioned that Bullock might not be as well known as Montana is not the kind of place where a Governor is going to seek out publicity. He just does his job and he polls as America’s second favorite governor (Republican Larry Hogan in blue state Maryland reads the same in profile, but in reverse).

Bullock cares about the same thing Democrats care about. He is worried about climate change but he knows that he needs to engage farmers and ranchers- the original conservationists. He wants logical steps towards Immigration Reform.

The day Jacob and I met was the day Beto O’Rourke’s gun buyback plan was going viral. The immediate reaction on Twitter was fierce. I knew some of my friends would never support that, and I knew this would feed the wedge issue that Dems want to take all the guns. Not only O’Rourke, but even Joe Biden has been pushed to endorse gun buyback as a solution to gun violence.

Personally, I am torn. As a Midwesterner, many of my friends are hunters, but I also know something needs to be done. I like Bullock’s ideas in regards to the issue. Background checks, a ban on semi-automatic weapons, age restrictions and hunter safety courses.

Bullock is a gun owner and I think he can relate to Iowans on the issue.

I think about myself, Jacob (with vintage Kerry and Obama bumper stickers on his laptop) and other diehard liberal voters. I know we will vote for whoever the Dems nominate, we will vote for, whether it be Warren or Harris, Bernie or Yang, Marianne Williamson or Mayor Pete, Joe Biden or Joe Sestak.

I also think about my uncles who will vote for Trump no matter who the Dem nominee is. I know that. But what about my friends who voted for Obama and then voted for Trump. Who will they vote for?

For the ones who voted for Obama but was worried about Hillary. The lifelong Republican, I know who saw hope in Obama’s message and voted for Barack. Heck, I think of my friends who came to the Democratic Party since 2000 because of a GOP that went so far to the Right. What kind of candidate are they going to vote for?  I also think of 2008 when Obama was able to flip Indiana and contend in places like Nebraska.

Bullock supports a Balanced Budget (something many of my Conservative friends claim to care about). His approach to Education Reform reads better than the radical Loan Forgiveness/Free College plans that would have a hard time in Congress. Bullock does support making community colleges free and providing reasonable loan rates to College students. Bullock worked hard to pay off his own student loans.

While conservatives rip Medicare For All as another handout, the truth is Trump is moving to gut the system. Trumpcare is a short term solution that makes people feel like they have adequate coverage until they go to use it. Bullock has supported a public option and wants to make medical coverage affordable for Americans. He went into Republican counties in Montana where hospitals were closing and got Medicaid expansion passed.

Will Bullock’s message get heard? He will not be on the third debate stage, nor was he helped by the time constraints of the second. He does have a fairly extensive Iowa tour in September. Jacob always would go back to the Bullock charisma, that he was relatable and “down to Earth” and the theme of the campaign which is “Everyone Deserves a Fair Shot”. The kind of message that the Democrats should be carrying.

I finished our conversation by asking Jacob the question I ask every Presidential Campaign. “What kind of music does Gov Bullock listen to?”

Jacob said he didn’t know off the top of his head, but he knew that the Governor is a runner who has shared his playlists on social media. So there was my answer. Bullock’s Summer playlist is pretty great - “Tubthumping”, Mavis Staples, Santana, A Tribe Called Quest, Fleetwood Mac, Macklemore, Nell Case, Chris Whitley, Petty, Springsteen, Elton, Adele, Sarah Jaffe, Lonestar and Bleachers.

Thanks again to Jacob for letting me bend my ear for almost an hour, and discussing all matter of politics on a Sunday afternoon.