Democrats can take the lead on one of the nation’s top issues – data centers

Elected officials see angry voters cram into local meeting rooms and line streets to oppose data centers and feel an irresistible urge to cater to the populist anger.

The next thing they do is hit the pause button.

However, leadership requires thinking through consequences.

Moratoria on new data center construction will arrest innovation, cede the future of artificial intelligence to Beijing, and threaten our national security.

Blanket opposition deprives hardworking Americans of hundreds of millions of dollars in future wages per year.

It shackles the most vibrant sector in commercial construction and eliminates a tax revenue lifeline that is currently funding local police departments, roads, and teacher salaries in counties across the nation.

If Democrats want to regain the trust of the American people, we must have a defined vision for the future that brings prosperity to all – not just the ultra-rich – and we have to be for something not just saying, "No." We need to offer a constructive solution that doesn't succumb to fearmongering, and prove that the party of the New Deal, the Great Society and the Apollo program is the party of solutions and sound policy, not demagoguery.

FROM NEW YORK TO TEXAS, STATES SHOULD RESPECT LOCAL CONTROL ON DATA CENTERS Today, our party’s message is controlled by a vocal minority who don’t understand – or perhaps care – about the facts.

In New York State in July, for instance, Democratic Gov.

Kathy Hochul imposed a statewide moratorium on new data center construction.

A growing number of local jurisdictions are taking similar action.

In Congress, Independent Vermont Sen.

Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are proposing a national moratorium.