For decades, Democrats feared being labeled as the party of “tax and spend.” But now, many believe that shifts in society are leading more Americans to embrace the idea.
Chloe Maxmin saw a climate emergency. Like many 20-somethings, she saw climate change as something that demanded immediate action. What’s interesting is what she did next.
Running for the Maine state Senate in a Republican district, Ms. Maxmin started going door to door, talking not just to supportive Democrats but also to supporters of President Donald Trump. And a remarkable thing happened.
“I had all these preconceptions about Republicans, and all of that was completely broken down,” she tells The Nation. “Because when I took the time to listen to people, and really respect where they were coming from, I did find that I have way more in common with them than I thought that I did.”
The result? She beat the Republican minority leader and learned to talk about climate differently to get others on board. “The climate movement is pretty privileged and urban-centric, and that plays out in what policy looks like,” she adds. “So I wanted to start a new conversation in the statehouse about a different type of climate policy rooted in rural and working places, and really [homing] in on a just transition, especially for rural places.”
Maybe that kind of politics holds a lesson for all politics – and the climate debate, she says. “The power of local politics is you can have the kind of conversations that can humanize politics again.”
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