From the Minneapolis Star Tribune earlier this week,
Tuesday’s Minneapolis election will be a battle among competing factions of Democrats.
Yes, the city is ruled by Democrats, but the politics are largely split between moderates and a more progressive wing, anchored by a growing faction of democratic socialists like Sen. Omar Fateh, a candidate for mayor.
As I’ve framed the contest: it’s a competition between gradually and suddenly. Frey, the two-term incumbent, represents the moderate wing, opting for a continued long and slow decline. Fateh offers the “suddenly” option of immediate collapse and utter devastation.
And by “utter devastation,” I mean that there will be no inhabitable multi-story buildings within the city limits by the end of Fateh’s first term. Looters will be looting looters.
Which to choose? As reporter Deena Winter points out, it will be fun to watch,
Adding spice to the stew: The factions don’t get along well. Decorum has deteriorated to the point where council members openly attack each other and the mayor from the dais, on social media and at public events, such as when Council Member Aisha Chughtai lobbed expletives at Frey from a concert stage in August.
Even if the socialists prevail on Tuesday, don’t expect that to change. It’s Mensheviks vs. Bolsheviks and no one is ever pure enough for the Bolsheviks, even their own members. Especially their own members.
