By Tom Still
MADISON, Wis. – Conversations inside the head of a business centrist:
Self: Here we are, faced with a choice between two Republicans who don’t resemble the GOP of our past and two Democrats who didn’t compete for a single primary vote but now stand within three months of the White House.
Alter-self: C’mon, Mr. Confused Centrist, it’s been heading this way for quite a while – a lot of Republicans are enchanted by a cult figure and some Democrats have forgotten what Jim Carville said years ago: “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Self: True enough, but is this the best we can do? Donald Trump seems unhinged at times and J.D. Vance is less of a hillbilly than folks on any branch of our own family tree. Kamala Harris was kept at arms’ length by her boss for three years; now she can’t stop talking. And Tim Walz is well … Tim who?
Alter-self: Let’s start with Walz, since Harris just picked him for a running mate. He seems like a likeable guy – football coach, teacher, Army National Guard vet and someone likely to take down a buck with a single shot. But he also has a record, built in part during the pandemic and George Floyd protests, that makes one wonder if he’s the moderate the Dems needed to balance out Kamala’s liberal image.
Self: Exactly. I want to like him, even if he’s probably a Cornhusker, Gophers and Vikings fan, but I do wonder if he’s a McGovern liberal in Northwoods camouflage.
Alter-self: Fair enough, but let’s give him credit for coming up with that one-word description for Trump and Vance … weird. Then again, Walz and Vance do have one thing in common: They both crave Diet Mountain Dew.
Self: I think a better description, especially for Trump, is “obsessed.” He seems fixated on winning the same voters, over and over again. He’s hooked on the applause meters at his rallies and hasn’t really thought too much about the 10% of American voters who might decide this election. Name-calling is not what grabs those folks.
Alter-self: Agreed. I would like to hear more about issues than insults. Take foreign policy: There’s a neo-isolationist side to today’s Republican Party that harkens back to Charles Lindbergh, but we’re living in an age of instant global communication, not a 33-hour transatlantic flight. Look at the recent stock market meltdown: That took place in real time around the globe.
Self: I think most Americans recognize we can’t turn our backs on long-time allies around the world. Moderate Democrat Wesley Bell just won a primary election against “Squad” member Cori Bush, largely over her anti-Israel rhetoric.
Alter-self: I’m not sure which side is worse when it comes to economic realism in today’s world: Republicans who think high tariffs work, which they never have, or Democrats who sometimes argue the same. Then-Senator Harris opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership and voted against the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, saying it was too weak on environmental issues.
Then there’s the soaring national debt – the interest on which now costs almost as much as defense – and looming insolvency of Social Security and Medicare if nothing is done to turn things around.
Self: Speaking of economic realism, we’ve yet to hear much from either ticket on some of the mega-issues in the tech world. Is artificial intelligence to be universally feared and regulated by the feds and the various states, or approached as a tool that can transform entire industries? China would love to see more U.S. regulation or a state-by-state hodge-podge. How can data and personal privacy be secured in an era of cyber-scammers? What is the proper balance between controlling drug prices and encouraging innovation, which doesn’t come cheap when the Food and Drug Administration requires comprehensive clinical trials?
Alter-self: Good questions all but …
Self: … And don’t forget the “digital divide,” which is important in states such as Wisconsin with rural pockets that can be broadband deserts.
Alter-self: Digital divide or no, you and millions of other voters will need to make up your divided minds before the November election. Do you think you can do that?
Self: Gee, I don’t know … what do you think?
Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. He can be reached at news@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.
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