Democrat Defined

Thursday, August 28 marks the day that the definition of a democrat was wrested from the jaws of Rush Limbaugh and people of his ilk, cleaned up to remove the dirt and grime with which it had been plastered by those whose purpose is to malign and dis-align truth and once again brought into focus by those who proudly bear the title.

There are many, many reasons why the acceptance speech by Barack Obama as the Democratic Nominee for the Presidency of the United States of America will be recorded and remembered as a historical and transcendent moment in the American story. The faces of the many who gathered in the Mile High Stadium showed that for each and every beaming face that moment was a distinctly personal moment...a moment that for one reason or another marked a milestone in a personal journey.

So it was for me.

My journey is one of an American citizen born in the United States, raised in many different places in and out of our nation and long term resident of the island of Puerto Rico; a territory of the USA without the right to vote for President. In my now 60 years I have never been afforded the privilege of casting my vote for President. While my excitement about finally being able to cast my vote is genuine and overpoweringly emotional my rational self has been in turmoil. How to commit to a candidate who faithfully reflects my views and positions? Each candidate seemed to have elements with which I agree AND disagree; both parties seem to have squandered and abused the power with which the people entrust them.

I can now say that my turmoil is over. Barack Obama has defined a party mission and vision that answers my longing for a clear definition. It is both truthful and too easy to say that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats live up to the ideals the parties' vaguely represent, primarily because the ideals of both have become fuzzy, vacuous, floating images that waft between one pole or the other depending on the breezes produced by one poll or the other.

Democrats, the body of people called democrats not the party, have allowed themselves to be defined by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and ultra conservative media. We have heard that Democrats are liberals, are leftists, are commies, are socialists, are doomsayers, are invested in defeat, are lazy, are whiners, are irreligious, are immoral, are amoral, are uneducated and uncultured, just to name a few!

Well Barack Obama looked at that same body of people and told us differently. He identified both the promise of the people and the promise of the party. In his words:

What is that promise?
It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs,
look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. Ours is a
promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should
do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide
every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest
in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should
ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for
every American who's willing to work.
That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's
keeper.
That's the promise we need to keep.

(From Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, August 28, 2008)

That's a promise that's meaningful and one I can feel proud to support.

Conservative or Liberal?

So, here I am in Texas...living close to Austin which is touted as being a liberal oasis in the vast conservative spaces of this gigantic state. I thought it would be important to be in a liberal community since I have always thought of myself as liberal. Why? Well, because I believe in the individual's right to the pursuit of happiness and too many of the things which bring happiness are rejected by the conservatives. It's that simple. My view of conservatives is one of a group of unhappy people bent on making others as unhappy as they are, assuaged only by the pursuit of capital gains. They believe themselves to be the anointed ones, in sole possession of the truth religious or otherwise. They are either sincerely convinced that any deviation from their interpretation of the truth is a sure and just road to Hell or they are equally convinced that strict adherence to the appearance of sincere passion for limiting the choices of others is a sure path to success.

Being Liberal has always meant to me that one was willing to live and let live...to embrace that one person's pursuit of happiness is not equal to another person's but that each individual is guaranteed the right to pursue whatever flavor of happiness they see fit. In the recognition of the individual's right to an opinion or belief that may be dramatically different from one's own lives the sweetness of loving your neighbor as you love yourself, of being willing to help others when they are in need of help because rather than passing judgement on others' choices one need simply acknowledge a real and present need.

All pretty much theoretical because quite frankly the application of the labels had never been applied in real life U.S. political nowness until the present election year because I lived outside of the continental US and my understanding of these labels had never been put to any test.

Never having been much of a fan of labels to begin with, the dizzying aspect of trying to label an individual's conscience based on an ever moving target defining political parties seems insane to me. Theoretically. But come November I will be entering a voting booth to participate in the election of our next President so like it or not I had better get a grip on some of these labels.

I have been exposed to many different views of what Liberal and Conservative means since returning to the States. Sadly, the most verbose and voluminous array of definitions come from the ultra conservative media. How is it that the liberals have allowed the conservatives to define them? It offends my ideals that liberal is equated with leftist, socialist or communist. It is offensive to hear that to be religious you MUST be the Religious Right, or that if you are liberal you are invested in losing the war in Iraq. It is nefarious, to me, to have the "spin-sters" tell the world that my choice in political direction makes me un-American and a danger to the future of the nation. I am awed by the conclusion that anyone who fears that the collective effects of man's presence on Earth may endanger the safety of the planet is by definition a "Whacko". For the first time in humanity's existence we have had the knowledge to understand that climate change is happening, whether it is of our making or not, but trying to do something about it is apparently a communist plot of the new world order. This is very unreal to me.

So help me out. Here are some of the things I believe in...where would you put them?

1. I believe that matters of conscience cannot be dictated by laws. Taking a life is not a matter of conscience, but determining when life starts...at conception or latter IS. Approving the RIGHT to an abortion does not mean that I approve OF abortion. It means that I approve of one's right to make a mistake. Either a mistake by getting pregnant or a mistake by eliminating the pregnancy. Apparently that makes me a liberal.
   
2. I believe that parents should actually relate to their children rather than simply being related to them; they should be involved in their lives, shape their choices by helping them understand the consequences of their actions and allowing them suffer the consequences when the need arises. Apparently this makes me a conservative.


3. I believe that the best case scenario for #2 is one loving mother and one loving father. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Life happens. But the consistent factor is LOVE. One loving mother or father is better than none, and two loving mothers or two loving fathers is better than a dysfunctional mother and an incompetent father. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


4. I believe in being personally responsible for one's decisions and one's choices in life. A drinker or a smoker must be accountable for the sum of their choices. A thief, whether it is money, credit or identity that is being stolen should suffer the consequences of the crime committed. Equally, a hardworking, dedicated individual should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Apparently, this makes me a conservative.


5. I believe that the state of an individual is not always attributable to the sum of their choices. Children are born into dysfunctional families and become dysfunctional students out of no fault of their own. Families are split apart by financial difficulties borne of illness, overall economic downturns and other situations that are not of their making. These people, who for all I know could be me someday, deserve access to tools that will allow them to survive, flourish and renew. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


6. I believe that mistaking lack of motivation and neediness for true need creates a weaker individual who in turn creates more weak individuals. Many people in need are only victims of their own choices and decisions and should be held accountable for those choices. Apparently that makes me a conservative.


7. I believe that those who are enriched by the labor of others should share their good fortune proportionally based on the effort, capital invested, creativity, etc. that created the wealth. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


8. I believe that entrepreneurs take risks that employees do not and that Capitalism provides greater reward for greater risk. Income derived from employment requires little more risk than the continued success of the employer. And while no employee should be taken advantage of, neither should any employer be unfairly exploited just because they may have more capital than their employees. Apparently, this makes me a conservative.
   
9. I believe that Capitalism and Greed are not synonyms but that too often they have become fused and confused , aided by the jargon of talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh who manipulate the concepts to equate Capitalism with an American right to waste and excess; as if this is somehow a trait to be applauded and lauded as patriotic. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


10. I believe the forefathers were bent on creating a community of faithful who could worship God as they saw fit. As such, belief in God was an important element that guided the hands, hearts and minds of the creation of our nation. Re-writing history to pretend that separation of Church and State somehow was meant to provide freedom FROM religion or to deny the reality of its import in our communal beginnings is foolish and wrong. Apparently this makes me a conservative.


11. I believe that the world we live in today is a very different place than it was at the time of the framing of the Constitution and that the spirit of the meaning of freedom of religion has only changed enough to allow embracing ALL of humanity's various ways of worship. Inclusion vs. exclusion. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


12. I believe that the concept of the "majority rules" is the backbone of democracy. If the decision of the majority somehow offends the sensibilities of the minority it is up to the minority to use the tools of reason and education to affect the decision but not to impose the will of the minority on the majority. Apparently this makes me a conservative.


13. I believe that government should provide its citizens with national safety and security including protection from any collective means of spreading harm from forces of power; internal or external. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


14. I believe that citizenship is not to be taken lightly; it requires sacrifice and understanding of our government's structure underscored by the history that created it. I believe that it is the responsibility of each citizen to feel passion for their country, for the process that gives it continual life; to discern between politics and public service. I believe that Patriotism is not a collection of words but a series of actions and I believe that the further we drift from the origins of our nation, the more the world grieves for us because the world has benefited from our success. What does that make me?

Confused. That much I know.