The thing about we democrats is that republicans have made us skittish when it comes to elections. We try to be peacemakers within all quarters of life but republicans are not of the same ilk. So when the republicans manipulated their stranglehold on our congressional districts through outlandish gerrymandering and were buttressed by a sympathetic majority conservative Supreme Court, we democrats were and are nervous when it comes to upcoming elections. We know we have the majority opinion on our side but there are obstacles that republicans have managed to put into place to thwart that majority. Voter suppression tactics being foremost and media manipulation being another.
So when the election season comes into being we tend to get defensive and let our guard slip as to protecting our democratic principles. We often want to get down into the mud with republicans and fight there with them instead of staying up on the high road and leading by example. I know I am guilty of lashing out at republicans as a means to satisfy my own anger at them. But I cannot lose the vision of what the democratic party stands for. We are the true big tent party where we accept all who have liberal/progressive ideals. If you are an unaffiliated party person we accept you if you follow liberal ideology. If you are a registered Independent we accept you if you follow liberal ideology. We do not turn away anyone who believes that helping the working/middle/poor class is critical to improving our economic and social structures.
In a more perfect world we would settle on our candidates based upon their policy positions. That is the true test of democracy and the ultimate intent of uniting our base. However we do not have a more perfect world today and in the mix for choosing our candidates are overcoming inherent prejudices and biases that have sustained themselves for far too long. Also is our nervousness over any republican claiming a victory to the presidency. As we make these calculations to guide our voting choices, we must remember that despite our choices all we democrats want is a better future for the working/middle/poor class and none of us is an enemy to each other. We are here to help each other win public offices and defeat republicans where they hold power.
So when the election season comes into being we tend to get defensive and let our guard slip as to protecting our democratic principles. We often want to get down into the mud with republicans and fight there with them instead of staying up on the high road and leading by example. I know I am guilty of lashing out at republicans as a means to satisfy my own anger at them. But I cannot lose the vision of what the democratic party stands for. We are the true big tent party where we accept all who have liberal/progressive ideals. If you are an unaffiliated party person we accept you if you follow liberal ideology. If you are a registered Independent we accept you if you follow liberal ideology. We do not turn away anyone who believes that helping the working/middle/poor class is critical to improving our economic and social structures.
In a more perfect world we would settle on our candidates based upon their policy positions. That is the true test of democracy and the ultimate intent of uniting our base. However we do not have a more perfect world today and in the mix for choosing our candidates are overcoming inherent prejudices and biases that have sustained themselves for far too long. Also is our nervousness over any republican claiming a victory to the presidency. As we make these calculations to guide our voting choices, we must remember that despite our choices all we democrats want is a better future for the working/middle/poor class and none of us is an enemy to each other. We are here to help each other win public offices and defeat republicans where they hold power.
1 comment:
Good thoughts, except I don't believe the Democratic Party or the Democratic Progressive Party have held to their chest any platform of positions in a very long time. No one really knows what any 2016 Party really stands for. Schools ended Civics classes long ago. Politics became something we learned in school, only as it pertained to how the branches of government function or how it relied to American History. I bet if we asked a Millennial what the two main party platforms stand for, they would answer "Platform?"
Seems we each have our own idea of what the word 'Progressive Democrat' means.
However, the dumbing down process has just now been burst wide open it appears!! Now, it's more or less, every man for himself!
I know some Republicans who now sound more like the Eisenhower liberal Republicans and some Democrats that sound just like the FDR Democrats. I like it like this.
I struggled for years divided between appreciating elements of both parties.
All my life I've voted whatever my heart tells me. I wish we all voted this way now.
I mean, who on this earth would vote for a man like Donald Trump???
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