We all agree we can’t win by just being the anti-Trump party. So why can’t we build a futuristic, big tent, progressive coalition that all our candidates can run and win on that is respectful to each regions’ local political needs and realities — i.e. more liberal on the coasts and in the rust belt, more moderate in the south ? Just because we differ in opinion sometime doesn’t mean we disagree in principle anytime. After all, wasn’t it the Gipper who said if you agreed with him 8o % of the time you were still a Republican ? I know none of us belong to any organized political party as Will Rogers said — but c’mon — we can do better than these morally and intellectually bankrupt plutocrats!
How about starting with a historical review of all the most successful progressive policy achievements — both foreign and domestic — of the last century ? I call it the American Marshall Plan and it includes an amalgam of the best ideas from :
TR — Square Deal
FDR — New Deal
Harry Truman — Fair Deal
JFK — New Frontier
LBJ — Great Society
Barack Obama — Affordable Care Act
It has been said that man is mortal because he fears ; man is immortal because he dreams.
Let us all resolve to shoot for the stars and save the land we love.
From reading your list, starting at Teddy (my favorite Republican) to LBJ, probably our party’s most politically skilled president, that’s quite a list…….and then on to President Obama….with one legislative achievement that is now getting torn to shreds. Plotted on a graph, we’re headed in the wrong direction, eh?
But again, I stress that we need to be emphasizing values, not issues. Issues are too divisive. Even Pope Francis acknowledged this when he told Catholics to stop focusing on abortion and gay marriage and instead, focus on justice for the poor.
I would give similar advise to the Democratic Party.
Your position on issues IS an expression of your values. I don’t see the two as being mutually exclusive of each other. JFK said : ” To lead is to choose.” If a party doesn’t stand for something, it will fall for anything.
Democrats are pro-choice and for equal marriage. Republicans are not. That’s social justice.
Okay, Democrats are pro-choice and for marriage equality….if you are canvassing in a Boston suburb and come up to a guy raking the leaves on a October afternoon, a few weeks before election day and you notice a 1060AM Radio bumper sticker on his car…..if your leading statement is ” Democrats are pro-choice and for marriage equality”…how far do you think you’re going to get versus “Democrats are for social justice”?
I have lived in a Boston suburb for 67 years as a proud liberal Democratic organizer / activist.
Most of my neighbors are not as liberal as I am but they can’t wait to see who I am endorsing with my lawn sign or letter to the editor because they respect my judgment and credibility.
In politics, as in life, I believe honesty is the best policy.
Well, you did not answer the question I asked, so I guess I’ll just drop it.
Let me try again.
As a practical matter, I canvass voters strategically to win support for my cause / candidate. If I see that a voter is conservative — i.e.with a 1060 radio bumper sticker on his car — the last thing I’m going to do is to start the conversation by blurting out :” Hi, I’m pro-choice and gay. How are you, today ! :0 lol
I mean, c’mon John. Use your common sense.
I am trying to use common sense which is precisely why I keep urging Democrats to have ONE unifying VALUE as our calling card, if you will.
In the example I gave, you had clues. Having canvassed a few times, I can tell you that most times, clues are not there.
In any case, it would make more sense, more common sense, to not assume anyone to be straight, or gay, or have deep feelings about abortion, or any other divisive topic.
It makes more sense to have ONE unifying VALUE.,,,,,,and until someone comes up with a better one, I say “Justice for All!”
Yes, I agree “Justice for All” is a unifying value that defines Democrats.
I’m on board with Justice for All.
I’ll push back on that since that voter would likely be skeptical of social justice too. Tip O”Neil said it best, Democrats were so successful at spreading prosperity that they created more Republicans. I think we are seeing some of the sons and daughters of the Reagan Democrat become Trump Republicans over time, and they do this because it’s easier to say I am a good father, good neighbor and good citizen because my family is taken care of. The circle is so small now to include immediate kin and nothing beyond that.
It’s a real moral crisis, not just a political one, and one we cannot solve exclusively through better outreach to these voters. We need to change the conversation as well as the culture. And Francis is doing that in his own way, he is definitely anti-individualism which is an ideology strongly supported by both American parties in their own way. I give you and Fred a ton of credit for making your purple pockets a little more blue, and you both have a lot to teach those of us who grew up in solidly blue enclaves. There are more Wakefields and Franklins than Arlington/Cambridges out there and the sooner we know that, the better we will do.