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this is a good discussion. The republicans have latched on to several "causes" that appeal to their base. Pro-life...but has a single anti-abortion measure really been effective in the face of Roe v. Wade? Anti-gay...but gays can live together, will property to each other and practice a private homosexual lifestyle with impunity in every state in the union (not counting the military). Lower taxes... but spending has only increased, are the American people so dumb as to believe it will not eventually have to be paid for?
In other words, the Republicans can hitch their rhetorical wagon onto any number of causes they have absolutely no intention of honoring, and this wins them votes.
What do we stand for? I like to think the dems stand for 'the little guy', the wage earner, the small business owner. I like to think we stand for gay rights, affirmative action, gender equality.
I like to think that we are the party closest to personal freedom, whether its drug legalization, gun ownership, freedom from war, freedom from the tyranny of the state. I am a libertarian-democrat, however, so many may not share this view.
I like to think of my party as the party of fiscal responsibility, opposed to reckless and unfunded spending, opposed to robbing the poor to support the rich, opposed to congressional pork, opposed to a mounting deficit, opposed to reckless tax cuts that do not benefit anyone who is not rich.
I like to think that my party supports science and empiricism over dogma and superstition. That we support the rights of religious minorities like we support all minorities. That we support the public schools as places where a common American identity can be added to supplement each individual student's identity, but not supplant it. That we support public schools as places where academic excellence can be obtained, and where the exceptional should be the norm.
I like to think that Democrats reach out to the disadvantaged and attempt to enable them to climb from poverty...in short we are the party of equal opportunity.
We do not need to heap rewards on the rich and successful; their wealth and success is reward enough. Instead they should assist in the betterment of society because they have achieved greater rewards from that society.
The legitimacy of the election, ie- elimination of fraud, is important. The problem is that if we make this a central issue it just looks like sour grapes because we lost an election. This needs bipartisan support to be effective.
This is the ground upon which we have stood. It is firm and solid ground, earthy democratic ground, and it belongs to our party. We should remember this and make sure that everyone remembers this. We are not Republican-Lites.
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