Wins, Losses, Ties, and Changes

Normalcy means bending and changing in uncomfortable ways

Normal can be uncomfortable

One of the things I lamented often after President Biden took office was the misguided belief that his election would restore “normalcy” to government. There was this optimistic and hopeful belief permeating the left that all they would have to do in Washington D.C. would be to govern like a proper Administration and things would swing back from the extremism, incompetence, and malevolence of the Trump Administration.

Normalcy went out the window the minute Trump came down that stupid escalator. You can’t just magically make normalcy happen. You must go beyond what was the standard to set a new baseline. That means pursuing justice for those that broke the law. Training government employees the standards after tightening them. Pushing Congress to follow their own rules and govern. It was never going to happen easily, and one could argue reasonably, it still hasn’t.

I feel like it’s not that different than the garden of my new home. It had been overgrown for five years and needs a dramatic, aggressive, and direct effort to recover. We have been putting in the work and now green shoots of flowers are springing up amongst the weeds desperately clinging to what they believed was theirs to keep. There is progress amongst the mess, but it takes work, and it isn’t pretty at all.

That’s how I see the debt ceiling agreement that Joe Biden landed with Kevin McCarthy. Everyone on this platform has written their take on it but I noticed something different. I’m not a policy guy so I won’t dive into what the various major points of contention are in the final package. Here is what I will say though: It’s all so oddly…normal.

The Speaker of the House and President acting all normal

What the f&*k do you mean by normal!?!

We are now hearing that both sides appear to have actually negotiated in good faith after months of protestations otherwise. McCarthy appears to go in with certain demands and Biden’s team came in with redlines they simply would not allow to go into effect. They both recognized that an actual default would be devastating for the economy, the U.S. international reputation, and the people they are all elected to serve.

So, they sat down and argued. They walked away then came back. They played the press to their side. They reached out to their surrogates to carry their messages. Then as the deadline approached the seem to have compromised and found a solution.

Believe it or not but in a bygone era that’s how things were done. The two parties actually spoke to each other. They battled over policy points. They disagreed but also generally tried to govern the nation. Often both sides failed to get everything they wanted but they both understood that progress for their causes is what mattered.

There was a time when politics wasn’t just measured in absolute W’s and L’s. Most sports are measured that way. There are no moral victories in football. You get a win or a loss. If you don’t get enough wins you don’t go to the playoffs, coaches get fired, and you are seen as a failure.

Lessons on the pitch

Thanks to the arrival of Major League Soccer to my hometown of St. Louis I have learned that soccer doesn’t measure their season so simply. The long season and scoring system do measure wins and losses, but also ties. You can move forward to the playoffs in soccer not just based on if you get the wins but if there is a tie at the top the team with the most goals for the season will advance.

18-year old local St. Louis City SC player Miguel Perez after his first MLS score

There is a lesson there for those of us who have witnessed politics turn into a cutthroat game of absolute victory as the only measure in the last decades. Governing isn’t that simple and returning to normal won’t be easy or comfortable. I admit freely to being a partisan zealot against working with the Republican House leadership but in the end, I am also thirsting for our nation to just act normal for once.

For the first time in a long time, I can look at this past week and say…wow…that’s what normal used to look like.

Perhaps there is hope after all. Time will tell.

Time for us to make uncomfortable change here too

I have been teasing for some time that I would be moving to add extra benefits for the great folks who have joined me as paid subscribers. Thanks to so many of you hear and our viewers of the podcast I’ve been able to make producing content on our national moment my main job. Each day I am producing something new for MeidasTouch and On Democracy with an eye on offering you some perspective, new information, and maybe even a little hope along with some stories from my journey that can provide hope as well.

I’m humbled that several thousand of you have joined me on this crazy journey. So, starting this week I’ll be adding some new features to paid subscriptions and moving parts of the community for access for those of you kind enough to invest in this Substack community.

Subscription features

First, I’m excited to announce we will hold monthly Zoom Q&A’s. One of my favorite parts of being part of the Lincoln Project during the 2020 campaign was leading regular question and answer sessions with our passionate community. It will rotate between solo discussions with me and guests ranging from celebrities to political activists. My first monthly Q&A with paid subscribers will be with me next week, Thursday June 8^th at 7:00 PM ET and 4:00 PM PT. I will send an invite and RSVP form out to paid subscribers next week with topics and log in instructions.

Second, we will host a weekly Chat every Friday for paid subscribers to discuss a topic of the week, the latest podcast, and whatever is going on in the world. Last week’s chat was really active with great comments, and I loved the chance to get your takes on things. Expect that to post at 4:00 PM ET and 1:00 PM PT each Friday.

Third, each week paid subscribers will have early access to the ‘On Democracy with FPWellman’ podcast a full 24-hours before it posts publicly on the MeidasTouch Network. Each podcast post includes a link to the show, guest’s bio, our key discussion, and links to any news articles or work we discuss in the broadcast. It is an insider’s only seat for our fast-growing show.

Finally, most but not all my political takes will move to being exclusive for paid subscribers but my weekly Sunday Read will always be free to all subscribers. I want to share these important stories and lessons I’ve learned through my long professional and personal journey with everyone.

So, if you’ve been holding off on whether or not to invest the $7 a month in a subscription, I hope you’ll decide to pull the trigger now and join this great community. I truly appreciate your faith and support. I’m thrilled to have the privilege to share my thoughts, network, and experience with all of you.

ICYMI: Great chat with Charlotte Clymer

With the holiday weekend many of you may have missed my discussion with Charlotte Clymer on this week’s podcast. It really is a fascinating window into the battles we have faced in the past and today both as veterans and advocates. You may know her from her public persona and activism, but you will learn more about her journey in this candid conversation.

Thank you so much for being part of this community.

Scouts Out!

Fred