Houston Democratic Candidates Stressing Reach Out To Republicans, Must Make Case It is Pragmatic & Safe To Do So

There are Democrats on the 2023 Houston municipal candidate trail who frequently stress the need to reach out to Republican voters and elected officials.

​But these candidates never say such conversations should be contingent on, for example, Republican willingness to accept election results.

Is it pragmatic to conduct affairs with people who are working to take away our most basic rights without imposing any conditions?

A political class might well talk and seek accommodation among itself, while leaving rank & file Houstonians out in the undemocratic cold. And then these far-right Republicans will turn on the officials who thought they could be reasoned with.

​The old saying is there is no Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole.

But we don't need authoritarians and white supremacists in charge of filling the potholes.

Democrats running for Houston municipal office asking us to chat with Republicans no matter what, must offer more than just a notion that Republicans will change course if we would only get to know them better.

Democrats saying better communication and interaction with Republicans would be good, must make the case that such talk would be a two-way street involving Republican willingness to step back from escalating political tensions in Harris County and the nation.

​It is not Democrats refusing to accept election results, storming the U.S. Capitol and supporting Donald Trump.

Maybe agreement is not possible in this climate. Maybe there should be attention on how Democrats running for City Council can help Houstonians protect themselves from the far-right.

​The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to help strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

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