Hi -- I wanted to share my piece in "The Record" highlighting how commonsense, problem-solving candidates beat extremists in last week's election. Here is a link to the article, and I pasted it below.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and thank you for all you've done to help me promote reasonable centrism and support our Jersey Values.
Yours,
Josh
Elections 2022: We learned that common sense beats extremism | Opinion
Josh Gottheimer | Published 4:04 a.m. ET Nov. 18, 2022
It may be weeks before we have the final seat count in the House, but, regardless, the broader lessons from this historic election are clear as day.
Red ripple: First, there was no red wave — or even a ripple. In district after district, common-sense moderation and sanity won out over extremism and Trumpism. Overall, voters decided they didn’t want more far-right obstructionists in Congress — they sought out Democratic problem solvers willing to work with both sides to get stuff done for their families. They backed candidates who talked up the possibilities for our country, celebrated our great diversity and leaned into optimism — not those who peddled hate, division and despair. And they made clear that they’re sick of the dysfunction and chaos.
So, those of us who championed pragmatic, middle-of-the-road policies like investing in police and the right to choose beat out far-right opponents who kowtowed to Trump, denied election results and promised to gut Social Security and Medicare. Add to that a huge surge from women across the country following Dobbs, far stronger candidates and word from former President Donald Trump that he planned to run again, and you had a recipe for success.
Strong record: Second, after two years at the helm, the Democrats in the House had a strong record of bipartisan accomplishments to run on. We passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which will fix our roads, bridges and tunnels; a bipartisan gun safety bill, a bipartisan bill to care for our veterans exposed to toxic burn pits; a bipartisan chips manufacturing bill to stand up to China; and a police funding bill. We added to those achievements legislation that will help pay down the debt, lower the costs of the most expensive prescription drugs, cap the price of insulin, and support a commonsense energy policy.
Inflation: Third, voters were rightly upset about rising costs, but they didn’t place the full blame at our doorsteps. They understood it was years in the making — from COVID-19’s economic impact to an overstressed supply chain, the Federal Reserve’s years of quantitative easing, and the war in Ukraine. They also saw that we were taking steps to address costs and put money in the pockets of families across the country.
Democracy and extremism: Fourth, the Republicans’ attempt to brand swing-seat Democrats as acolytes of Bernie Sanders and “the Squad” failed laughably. Americans wanted sanity, not extremism, and House Democrats stuck to commonsense steps to move our country forward. The policy agenda, and the messages we delivered to voters, were much closer to Presidents Obama and Clinton’s Democratic Party than the far left’s.
What's next?
So, where do we go from here? With a Republican House majority, they will have to decide quickly if they want the extremist, Freedom Caucus, Marjorie Taylor Green wing of their party to control their agenda. Or, if they want to adopt a more moderate set of policies, build bridges to centrist Democrats, and put some points on the board for the country ahead of the next presidential election. The question is whether they will recognize that working together civilly across party lines isn’t a weakness, but a strength to be harnessed. I hope that they do.
Many of us in the House Problem Solvers Caucus and beyond stand ready to put country first, work together, and pass bipartisan legislation, even on the trickiest areas like immigration reform and domestic energy. We may not always agree, but we understand that the path to enacting transformative legislation for the American people is not to disregard those across the aisle, but rather to partner with them to help our nation. After all, as he reiterated in his Inaugural Address, that’s what Joe Biden ran on and why voters from both parties elected him: “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal … And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.”
As for Democrats, if we are smart, we will follow that counsel and embrace the ultimate lesson of this election: Americans don’t want extremism, and they don’t reward it electorally. They want pragmatic, reasonable and, whenever possible, bipartisan, big tent governing — and leaders who support smart, responsible government, protect personal privacy, champion success and competition, and encourage broad based opportunity and responsibility. That includes an agenda that is fiscally responsible, delivers accountability and justice for those who break the law, protects the right to choose, supports our veterans and military, promotes jobs and small businesses, stands up to adversaries like China and Russia, and champions freedom of choice.
Divided government or not, for Democrats to prevail in 2024, we must be the champions of commonsense and moderation. If we do that, we can deliver results for the American people, help unite the country, and continue to perfect our union.