Democrats have a monopoly on hard work and priorities for governing. Republicans not so much.

Lauren Underwood v Jim Jordan... not even a close call when it comes to getting stuff done.

On the radio last week, my guest Lavora Barnes, the Chair of the Michigan Dems made the differences between the two parties crystal clear.  She talked about the different ways the parties use power, the effectiveness of Democrats when they are in charge, and the parties’ starkly different visions.

We could have talked about this for another hour and barely scratched the surface, because the differences are so profound.

A week and half ago in Michigan, Governor Whitmer’s State of the State highlighted some major accomplishments - each gained against determined obstructionist across the aisle. Then last week, Illinois’ governor, J.B. Pritzker gave his State of the State. But among the highlights are these- Illinois has a surplus, it is making pension payments in excess of the ramp, and it is providing some needed tax relief. Democratic governors seem to have the hard-work gene.

But they aren’t alone: This week we had another jobs report from the Federal Government. Once again, the numbers tell the story of an economy on the move. All of us benefiting from the American Recovery Act and Democratic leadership. The Bureau of Labor Statistics report 467,000 new jobs in January. That’s getting the job done.

Hard work matters in government.  Lauren Underwood is Congresswoman here in Illinois and she’s just in her second term. Yet, she has sponsored her own legislation and worked with her colleagues as a co-sponsor to help gain passage. In just a few years, she has seen her work become the law of the land, most recently a bill to protect mothers who serve in our armed forces.

I’ve said it a thousand times. Governing is hard work. And when Democrats govern, they work hard. But it is not only hard work. It is also priorities. Democratic priorities well known- infrastructure, economic growth, fairness, fighting climate change. We know this because Democrats tell us what they want to get done.

With priorities that everyone understands, and with hard work, we move the country forward.

Let’s peek behind the curtain and see what the other side thinks is so important. 

Take Jim Jordan -a 17-year incumbent Congressman from Ohio. He is a Trump supporting, Benghazi howling, rabble rouser who sometimes goes a full year without introducing any legislation at all. According to the independent Center for Effective Lawmaking, a collaborative effort by the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, Mr. Jordan ranks second to last among all lawmakers in legislative effectiveness.

Of course, both parties have a few lawmakers who cannot do anything constructive. But Democrats celebrate folks like Lauren Underwood whereas the GOP lionizes the ones who do nothing but make noise. Jim Jordan is widely seen as the likely Speaker of the House if the GOP gains control of that chamber. Republican donors have showered him with their cash – his campaign fund has more than $8.5 million- more than any other Republican in the House. And, he has explained that if he gains control, he will use the power of the House to investigate, to impeach, and to impede.  When Mitch McConnel, the GOP’s leading man in the Senate, was asked what he would do if he regained control of the Senate, he said he would let us all know when that happens.  No need to offer ideas to the portion of the country that no longer thinks for itself.

Yesterday the GOP, the party that could not find its way to passing a platform at its last convention, that party, yesterday did manage to pass a resolution calling the January 6th insurrection “legitimate political discourse.” So, their priorities are clear. Overturn the will the people, fund folks like Jim Jordan who will help lead that effort, and stay away from the other kind of work, the kind that builds bridges, creates jobs, educates Americans, keeps us safe.

Pugnacious identity politics on the right, the kind that forces each new aspirant for leadership to be more outrageous than the next, is a danger to our government and to our society.