I’m turning the mike over to Harry Boyte for today. Here’s his latest op-ed:
- Neither ‘nurturing mother’ nor ‘alien force,’ government of the people needs a rebirth
By Harry C. Boyte St. Paul Pioneer Press June 24, 2010
The fall governor’s race offers a chance to bring back the genuinely populist politics which created the ‘Minnesota Miracle.’ But it will be up to everyone to make it real. Both Democrats and Republicans have forgotten the essence of this politics – productive citizenship in which government is partner of citizens in addressing our problems. A campaign built on renewed citizenship would be far different than the pro or anti-government approaches that now dominate.
There is no better formulation of the authentic populist philosophy than Abraham Lincoln, who called for government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” In his formulation government was not simply “for” the people. It was embedded in the life of communities, “of” the people. And it was meeting ground and instrument of the people, “by” the people.