General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI am sick of the labels.
Progressive. Liberal. Moderate. Conservative Democrats.
We are all one American. This party is the party of many colors, ideas and dreams. No voice should be drowned out by another. We are a huge party and should be accepting all voices that represent our America and our party. No one portion has the right to speak for us all or condemn those that they have disagreements with.
The only label I seek, Democrat. I am a Democrat. Why anyone wishes us to be purely a progressive Dem in all states that are blue and red, turning purple, whatever that truly means is divisive and leaves the rest of us on our own.
Someone I admire said it best:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/barack-obamas-keynote-address-at-the-2004-democratic-national-convention
If you wish to slap a label over your heart, fine. I don't need one and I sure as hell don't need one to tell you who I am. I vote for Democrats every time, not third party or sat it out...I have heard some 'said' progressives have. Purity won't get us anywhere and is purely a cop out. Huge Fail!
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NanceGreggs
(27,835 posts)
DownriverDem
(7,014 posts)be careful. I've expressed the "label" thing and have got into trouble.
hlthe2b
(113,972 posts)
walkingman
(10,865 posts)I'm a liberal, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines:
1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. PERIOD.
2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.
3. I believe education should be affordable. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt.
4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist.
5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, well, it's because I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.
6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live.
7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is - and should be - illegal). All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I'm not "offended by Christianity" -- I'm offended that you're trying to force me to live by your religion's rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia law on you? That's how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don't force it on me or mine.
8. I don't believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe they should have the *same* rights as you.
9. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job it's because your employer is hiring illegally). I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).
10. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything -- I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc. are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.
11. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.
12. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege -- white, straight, male, economic, etc. -- need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized.
13. I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone serving in government. What I am interested in is the enforcement of present laws and enacting new, common sense gun regulations.
14. I believe in so-called political correctness. I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck and you say you prefer to be called Charles I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person?
15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.
16. I believe that women should not be treated as a separate class of human. They should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be?
I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I'm a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.
Happy Holidays!
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Well said! 
Karadeniz
(24,746 posts)
wnylib
(26,016 posts)Lady Freedom Returns
(14,198 posts)From one Liberal to another.
grumpyduck
(6,672 posts)
Cha
(319,079 posts)no meaning.. only used as an insulting divisive tool because someone doesn't think like they do.
So what good are they?
dalton99a
(94,128 posts)"You don't like what we're doing? You're a REACTIONARY. Off to the gulag you go"
Cha
(319,079 posts)of that... but, of course!
I hate them.. they are disingenuously thrown around too freely.
luv2fly
(2,673 posts)You seem to be calling for unity yet clearly something got you ranting. Might be counterproductive.
sheshe2
(97,631 posts)
sheshe2
(97,631 posts)Do I know you? Do you know me? You assume a lot.
Sewa
(1,608 posts)Attack progressives, then blame them for dividing the party.
Roisin Ni Fiachra
(2,574 posts)Remaining united against fascism requires compromise, and inclusion, and, as MLK said, and proved, constructive change requires tension.
The immediate threat and clear and present danger of four hellish years of Trump, which drove record numbers of voters, even a few Republicans of conscience, to the polls to vote for President Elect Biden, will not be present in in 2024.
Democrats arrogantly blowing off the ideas and wishes of a significant percentage of the Democratic base will not end well in 2022 or 2024. It is of the utmost importance that we listen to each other, and work together with each other, and respect each other, or the fascists will win in 2024.
We are not the enemy. The fascists who came close to ending our democracy are the enemy. We must never lose sight of this.
Purity is a weapon many use as a cudgel to imply that their vote is more important than other Democrats.
It's divisive at minimum.
AmericanCanuck
(1,102 posts)15% (at best) Democrats anoint themselves as "progressive" and demand that the other 85% adopt their unicorn policies which will never pass either chamber.
Then they can criticize the other 85% on twitter to rile up the fan club for fame without achieving anything legislatively.
If we all worked together, surely some of the policies of the 15% will get through perhaps with some modifications and the country will make progress. It doesn't fit the demands for purity though.
sheshe2
(97,631 posts)/prəˈɡresiv/
adjective
1.
happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step.
Gradual. Slowly step by step.
They want to go from zero to one hundred in seconds. Nothing progressive about that.You also build a coalition, followers to help you lift. No one small segment of the Democratic party can do it all. You don't do it by alienating others. One by one you collect each brick before you can build anything. Progress is made over time. You build one brick at a time. Step by step.
luv2fly
(2,673 posts)Again, you seem to have a problem with progressives. Enjoy your day.
sheshe2
(97,631 posts)They announce themselves in the first line of their posts. Not hard to figure.
Here's one.
JoeOtterbein (5,326 posts)
Super Proud to Be a Progressive Now!
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100214723454
luv2fly
(2,673 posts)But you believe what you need to believe. Happy Thursday.
betsuni
(29,078 posts)
stillcool
(34,407 posts)I became an Independent. Don't know what pissed me off, but something got my Irish up and I just had to go right down to the Town Hall and change my registration. I'm sure the Democratic Party missed me terribly. I switched back in 2008 when I volunteered at the local Democratic Campaign Office. The only label I choose is human, and there are times when that too is debatable.
jcgoldie
(12,046 posts)Is our personal ideology... the ideas we believe are right and the issues we feel are important. Obviously those intersect for most of us a little and for some of us a lot. Insofar as they are unique from another 40% of Americans, we are Democrats and that is how we identify. Some of us see the pragmatic aspect of unity as a more important concept than others. I've never voted any way but Democrat for any office since my first election in 1992... that doesn't mean I do not appreciate the more progressive elements in our party whose voices some may call "divisive" but I see taking the conversation in the right direction.
That conversation should go both ways. Not everyone in our party calls themselves a progressive. Few call themselves socialists or social democrats, but I see taking the conversation in the right direction.
JoeOtterbein
(7,869 posts)...PROUD Progressive Democrat!
Please!
sheshe2
(97,631 posts)JoeOtterbein
(7,869 posts)I'll accept the label of myself! That is why I have since the invention of the internet, always posted everything under my own name. I'm proud I had opinions, some wrong but mostly right.
For your reading pleasure, here is a link to my first DU post:
[link:htthttps://web.archive.org/web/20010219071407/http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/010216_faking.htmlp://|
AmericanCanuck
(1,102 posts)and use it as a vehicle for socialist leaning people who would rather attack the Democrats
sheshe2
(97,631 posts)Last edited Thu Dec 17, 2020, 12:16 PM - Edit history (1)
Initech
(108,783 posts)The states - even as die-hard red as Mississippi and die-hard blue as California, we're a melting pot. It's the Electoral College that divides and continues to divide us. And yes, the 1,000s of conservative pundits also do a lot of that for us. It's way past time for it to go. Let the popular vote decide the presidency.
Tommymac
(7,334 posts)Just sayin'.
Plus it's quite fun to partake of said 420 with said Dem's and then have a Big Tent Dem philosophical discussion.
Tried that once with a group of young 'thuglicans and it just was not quite the same buzz. Kinda sad, actually.
jcgoldie
(12,046 posts)Best reason Ive heard today for being a democrat! 
Sympthsical
(10,969 posts)That was interesting.
AmericanCanuck
(1,102 posts)the "progressive" label just doesn't belong only to socialism leaning people whose only goal is to destroy the Democratic party or do a hostile takeover.
Sympthsical
(10,969 posts)Just, LOL.
That is all.
AmericanCanuck
(1,102 posts)
plimsoll
(1,690 posts)We need to understand that it's no longer Liberal and Conservative. It's democratic and undemocratic. For reasons that elude me conservatives were able to tolerate the undemocratic elements of the GOP for a very long time, and that worked by dividing us along Liberal vs. Conservative lines. Progressives will have to tolerate a less progressive position, conservatives will have to tolerate a less conservative position. The real dividing line is do you want to live in a democratic republic, or do you want to live in an authoritarian ethno/religious state.
AlexSFCA
(6,319 posts)
Hekate
(100,133 posts)
We need to be reminded. We need to carry that in our hearts. 
betsuni
(29,078 posts)Last edited Thu Dec 17, 2020, 01:04 AM - Edit history (1)
moral purity! Creating in-groups and out-groups out of nothing.
Hermit-The-Prog
(36,631 posts)I contributed to Heidi Heitkamp, I cheer when AOC smacks GOPers, and I'm ecstatic about Joe Biden being the President. Reckon I'm just a confused hillbilly.
Can't stand McConnell and the Russiapublicans, though. They ain't American.