Photo by Tom Jenz
Mayor Cavalier Johnson - 2023
Mayor Cavalier Johnson (2023)
After a second Trump victory and a loss of some votes from traditional Democratic constituencies, there is much debate among Democratic Party leadership as to what changes the party might need to make. For his take on this subject, I recently met with Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and we talked.
“There’s not a lot of positive leadership out there right now,” he told me. “Too many of the messages are just tearing down the other side instead of offering something people can believe in. He wants Democrats to get back to basics, to remember the people who have always been at the heart of the movement. That means blue-collar workers, struggling families, seniors and young people trying to find their footing. The so-called “little guy.”
That’s what brought Johnson into politics in the first place, and it’s what he believes still matters most.
In this piece, I take a closer look at what Mayor Johnson sees as the soul of the Democratic Party and why he believes now is the time to bring that message back to the forefront.
You joined the Democratic Party as a young man. What drew you to the Democrats?
I got interested in politics when I was 14. I watched George W Bush at ground zero after the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster when he showed compassion to bring Americans together. That influenced me into a calling to serve in government. As I got more interested in politics, I found it was Democrats who were fighting for the little guy. Democrats understood that government is not a business, but rather the profits government gets is a well-functioning society through investing in people. That is what pulled me into the Democratic Party.
What principles and agenda does the Democrat Party currently stand for in 2025?
In the last November national elections, Democrats lost the Presidency and both Houses of Congress. We got beat. But I think Democrats still stand for building community, helping the working class, and supporting the little guy. But the problem is in the messaging. We are a big tent party with many factions, but we need a message that caters to everybody. I don’t want us to be a party that just reacts to whatever is happening out of the White House. The Democratic Party needs to get back to fixing things, be a party that builds and delivers for the workers. That is what we are doing in Milwaukee.
|
|
As Mayor of Milwaukee, you’ve had success through infrastructure development, new housing, support of the business community, and the city’s private economy. You’ve encouraged entrepreneurs and small businesses. You’ve been tough on crime, supporting the police. These are often conservative issues, but why should they be?
Yes, I support business because private business supports my residents who then have good paying jobs to invest in families with members who are not transient. Think about it. Workers live in good homes and neighborhoods, raise proud families, and that results in public safety.
What about your support of Milwaukee city police?
Absolutely, I support law enforcement, which is good for our community. People want to have police presence in their neighborhoods, but police cannot do it alone. That is why we make investments in our Office of Wellness and Safety and in our Violence Disruptors. Then, there is my Hello Summer, a clearinghouse for youth organizations to make sure children are engaged in positive activities. And there is the popular Camp Rise program engaging kids from ages of 10 to 13. I’ve also invested in roadway safety with street improvements to curb reckless driving and protect pedestrians and bicyclists. Safety over speed.
Democrats are big advocates for civil rights of minorities, and they support a safety net for individuals. They back various social welfare programs, including healthcare, Social Security, Medicaid, lower energy costs, and emergency food programs. To fund these programs, Democrats often endorse more fair and progressive taxation.
I don’t think you can run government like a business, and I believe President Trump is trying to do that. Instead of taking a scalpel to government, he is taking a chainsaw to government without regard for the little people. I worry about what will happen to the average American who depends on Medicaid and Medicare. I don’t think our food programs should be reduced. Democrats understand that making these kind of investments help to fix communities and neighborhoods. However, as Democrats, we should also be working to help people gain independence to take care of themselves. But Democrats should not only talk that way but actually deliver, and that is what we are doing in Milwaukee. For example, we are building affordable housing on vacant city lots, which helps people gain independence of not only this generation but the next.
Democrats champion labor unions, consumer protection, and workplace safety regulation. But a growing number of labor union members have voted Republican voted Republican over the past few years. Should the Democrats make a renewed effort to win back those blue-collar workers?
Absolutely. The labor movement has traditionally been part of the big tent of the Democratic Party. We have some work to do in order to show that the Democrats are on the side of Labor. We need to be a party that fixes problems and then delivers. For example, there was some controversy about building the Moxy Hotel in the Deer District, but I championed that development, and it will be built by Union laborers, who will invest in housing, family and neighborhoods. To support the Labor Union, I recently traveled to Madison to support the SEIU Union nurses from Madison Meriter Hospital. If you are going to be pro-labor, you should be pro-labor all of the time.
Democrats support abortion rights, the LGBT community, and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but do they support the deportation of those immigrants who have committed crimes? Most Americans do support that position.
Yes. Democrats have to talk about law and order. Earlier, you mentioned that I am tough on crime. I’ve often said that any person who causes death, harm or destruction in Milwaukee should face the fullest extent of the law, and that includes anyone who is undocumented. We need to get immigration rules right, but as a country, we have not fixed the immigration process, and I think the present administration is making it worse.
Let’s get into Democratic leadership and politics, the current state of affairs. Wes Moore, the young popular Black governor of Maryland, recently said, “Gone are the days when we are the party of bureaucracy, multi-year studies, panels and college debate club rules. We must be the party of action.” Mayor Johnson, you have been a leader of action, pushing practical economic programs that have improved housing and businesses in Milwaukee. How can the Democrats get that message out nationally?
I think it might be good for Democrats to look to Mayors. I mean, look at what we are doing in Milwaukee. We have to be a party that delivers. If Democrats want to get back to winning ways, they need to take a lesson from successful big city Mayors. We don’t just talk about things. We fix things.
Polls have shown a backlash against identity politics. Democrat Party leader, Rahm Emanuel, said recently, “The Democratic Party is rooted in the identity politics of the left. It should focus on the center. If you want the country to give you the keys to the car, somebody’s got to give you an agenda that is fighting for America, not just fighting Trump.” Can you comment on this?
Yeah, I totally agree with Rahm Emanuel. We can’t be a party that just battles and argues, but a party that builds and gets things done for the people we serve. The vast majority of American citizens are somewhere in the middle politically. That is why the independent vote is so important in Presidential and Governor elections. You need to get those folks in the middle to vote for you. You stand on your values and promote those values. I think that the United States is at its best when we are center-left, creating progress and pushing the ball forward. Barack Obama once said, “If you want to shift the car forward, you shift into D, drive, meaning Democrats. If you want to back up, you shift to R, reverse, meaning Republicans.”
Why do Democrats let controversies over trans-athletes and the border play an outsized role on the political discussions?
I think this happened because the Democratic Party encompasses so many viewpoints, but the party sometimes lets the small number of folks fester into a giant viewpoint. We cannot allow this to happen. Several months ago, I was watching C-Span and the guest was the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the NCAA. He was asked how many athletes are in the NCAA. He said, “Probably about 510,000.” He next was asked how many were trans-athletes. He said, “Probably about 10.” I am thinking why allow this issue to be a dominant force in a political campaign when it drags down the Democratic Party. Same with the border issue. Any person who commits a crime including an undocumented immigrant should face consequences including possible deportation. Republicans like to say Democrats are soft on crime. We need to message that we are not soft on crime.
Since the late 1960s and the Vietnam War, the Republicans have claimed to be the party of patriotism and the American Flag at the same time they supported the pardoning of the rioters who were convicted by juries for storming the US Capitol? Why are the Democrats letting that happen?
I am so glad you asked that question, Tom. I have four American flags in my office. Democrats seem to have laid down and ceded the American flag and patriotism to the Republicans. They do not own the flag. The 4th of July is not a Republican holiday. It’s an American holiday that includes Democrats. I am so proud of that flag. Democrats are patriotic, and we need to act like it and be proud of those stars and stripes. This subject angers me, lights a fire under me.
A number of the top Democratic leaders are up there in years, like Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, do you see that as an issue?
A politician can be old but still be productive. I think of California Senator Diane Feinstein who died in office at 91 after a remarkable career. But yet Joe Biden had his aging issues. I don’t think we should push people out because of age, but Democrats do need to have a conversation about our greatest policies and issues and use our energy to mobilize folks. As I said earlier, most Americans are in the middle politically, and we don’t want to alienate those folks.
