General Discussion

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

I think this is where we still diverge a bit. I agree that it’s a mistake to treat aspirational goals as if they can be delivered by individual officials under current conditions. That would be unfair.

But there’s a difference between a litmus test and a directional demand. “Abolish ICE” doesn’t have to mean “deliver this tomorrow or you’re a traitor.” It can mean: don’t expand it, don’t normalize it, don’t fund it without conditions, and be honest about the harms and alternatives.

If elected officials are insulated not only from impossible demands, but from any sustained pressure or critique until conditions are magically perfect, then nothing ever moves. Aspirations are how conditions change in the first place.