My Republican friends have often asked, with incredulous snarls: “Why are you a Democrat?
”
I finally decided that I owed them, and myself, an honest reflection upon my choice of Party:
I am a Democrat because shared sacrifice is, in my view, a greater act of patriotism than wearing a flag lapel pin.
I am a Democrat because my faith is a private matter and not a litmus test of my quality as a citizen.
I am a Democrat because I would rather see a poor child fed or a
devastated neighborhood rebuilt before reducing taxes on those making so
much money that they can live where such things are never seen.
I
am a Democrat because I cannot support politicians that would take away
a woman’s right to control her own body while otherwise ranting that
government should get out of our lives.
I am a Democrat because I
see several things wrong with eliminating the necessary tax revenue to
wage a trillion dollar war of choice.
I am a Democrat because I
don’t believe that the oil, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries
deserve obscene windfall profits and tax breaks while so many Americans
can’t afford gas to get them them to work or health care and
prescription drugs to keep them alive.
I am a Democrat because if
only government can protect the national security and provide for the
least fortunate among us, then it should be run by those who don’t
fundamentally hate the concept of government.
I am a Democrat
because laws discriminating against gay relationships share something in
common with a constitutional amendment banning flag-burning: Neither is
necessary to preserve the Republic, but both serve as loud distractions
from the important issues that affect us all.
I am a Democrat
because human rights, the freedom of man, and the rule of law are the
foundations of our country’s greatness, and any fear-based compromise of
such principles is both shortsighted and dangerous.
I am a
Democrat because no leader should impede any life-saving science or be
dismissive of life-threatening environmental problems.
I am a
Democrat because I know that there are more people harmed by defective
products, medical mistakes, and bad-faith acts by insurance companies
than there are frivolous lawsuits filed; and that no liability insurance
company has yet proportionately lowered premiums in exchange for laws
passed by Republicans that unfairly limit a deserving victim’s damages.
I am a Democrat because I don’t blame the poor for their plight, nor
will I ignore company owners who acquire vast wealth by abusing their
workers.
I am a Democrat because the just and Biblical
aspirations to “feed the hungry, cure the sick, and comfort the
comfortless” each require direct action which does not result from
“trickle down” schemes invented to reward the “haves” and leave the
“have nots” at their mercy.
I am a Democrat because I realize
that America is made safer by closer cooperation with our allies and
greater diplomatic engagement with our enemies.
I am a Democrat
because I believe that the rich can take care of themselves pretty well,
but that the poor and disadvantaged need and deserve the help of a
compassionate government.
I am a Democrat because history teaches
that organized labor was created to counter corporate greed and abuse,
not the other way around.
I am a Democrat because it is hard not
to see a causal relationship between lead-tainted toys flooding our
markets and a gutting of the Consumer Products Safety Commission budget
and staff.
I am a Democrat because my Party proudly has a long
tradition of African-American, Latino, and other minority members
serving as active meaningful participants and not merely acting as props
at national conventions and televised events.
I am a Democrat
because dictating foreign policy to others at gunpoint while creating
greater animosity with, and isolation from, the rest of the world are
things that should be avoided, not praised.
I am a Democrat
because I know that my life will not change dramatically if I don’t
receive another upper income bracket tax cut, yet I am certain that a
child somewhere would benefit from a hot lunch and a better education
purchased with those dollars.
I am a Democrat because our current
candidates and our next nominee serve as an example that neither race
nor gender is a bar to leadership.
I am a Democrat because it is
undeniably clear that equal justice, protection of consumers, and
correction of corporate misdeeds can only be enforced by strong and fair
government regulation and by unfettered access to our courts.
I am a Democrat because most that would disagree with that last statement have only a profit motive for doing so.
I am a Democrat because I am ashamed of the nexus between record oil
prices and historically high profits for Exxon/Mobil on the one hand;
and on the other, a Republican President and VP who were each in the
“oil bidness” and who openly support an increased fossil-fuel energy
policy and special tax incentives for oil companies.
I am a
Democrat because I know that human suffering and lost opportunity are
greater problems than either the size of my government or the amount of
my stock dividends.
I am a Democrat because I am proud that we
are a nation of immigrants, whose strengths and talents have resulted in
the strongest and most diverse society on earth; and because I know
that we will not be stronger tomorrow by building fences and jails for
those who seek a better life in our country.
I am a Democrat
because I also understand that compassionate aid, rather than constant
artillery, does more to enhance America’s global standing.
I am a
Democrat because it is a fundamental rule of henhouse guarding that you
don’t put the fox in charge, which Republicans happily enjoy doing; as
in routinely placing industry cronies as heads of environmental
protection, security regulation, mine safety and other agencies that
were created to protect us and not their livelihoods.
I am a
Democrat because I believe that both dissent and diversity are signs of
strength, and that policies that discourage either are signs of a
nation’s weakness.
I am a Democrat because the above political
and social beliefs are not embraced to protect my own personal wealth or
position, yet none of them preclude me or anyone else from creating and
enjoying great economic success as a result of innovative or hard
effort.
I am a Democrat because at my fundamental core, I like
people more than things. Because I think that my having money does not
mean that others don’t deserve a decent life. Because I feel that there
is more power in hope than in fear.
If you don’t agree with me
on any or all of my reasons for being a Democrat, that’s not only
perfectly fine, but it is also why we have a two-party system and a
First Amendment.
But if you do feel empathy with the beliefs
above, the next time some condescending elephant-in-the-room asks you
disdainfully: “Why are you a Democrat?” I can only hope that you answer
them with an equal amount of conviction and pride.