While OrangeClouds115
proudly claimed her fringe standing yesterday, this morning I raise my virtual fist here in defiance of the label that the right wing noise machine would put on me.
I stand shoulder to shoulder in support of the policies and values that OrangeClouds and most of you would support, but watch out, O'Reilly & Rush & Company, I am far, far from someone you can dismiss as the dangly bits of fringe on the left.
In fact, by so many categories, if you were to look up "mainstream America" I wouldn't be surprised to see a picture of me and my family waving back at you.
I am the mainstream. I'm a demographic and a stereotype. But I'm here at Dkos, and have been for awhile. And I'm fighting hard for Democratic polices, not because I'm a fringe-y nut case, but because I believe with all my American heart and soul that the liberals have the best intentions and policies for my family and my country.
So here's the view from this mini-van driving, suburban cul-de-sac dwelling soccer mom--and watch your back, Bill/Rush, because there's more-- many many more--just.like.me. And you can't keep dismissing--or dividing-- us all.
I am the mainstream: I went to college. Like the 63% of high school graduates who go to college immediately after graduation, I went to a four year college, earning my B.A. at a public state university. Later on I got my Master's degree from a well-respected but not Ivy-league school. My college classes were almost entirely either basic required courses or items directly related to my future career. Yet I still learned to think critically and to tell the difference between a fact-based argument and unsupported spin. My education contributed to making me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I`ve never been abroad. Oh, I've taken some road trips and honeymooned up to Canada, which from my upstate NY hometown seemed hardly distant or exotic. And I spent one memorable vacation in Bermuda, but I've never been anywhere that my driver's license wouldn't suffice to get me in & out of the airport. Yet I still believe there's more to the world than the good ol' U. S. of A. I know that what happens in China or in Korea ultimately affects my own local world, too. My understanding of the global impact of the United State's actions makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I am a not a liberal elitist. I've never had a latte and I think sushi is kinda gross. I like art museums, but I'll also happily visit the local mall if I'm out of town. I read books, and yep, some of them are fluff. I'm addicted to American Idol, and I'll even confess that I have seen at least a partial episode of Elimdate while surfing my flat-screen TV in a potato-like state, plopped happily on my family room sofa. I watch sports and soap operas and drink domestic beer. And I've never owned a Volvo. Yet I still believe that Arts Education is important. Music and painting and theatre are part of our human heritage and enrich us all. My enjoyment and support of the arts makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I am an irregular follower of the liberal media. I skim through my local newspaper (most days) if the kids haven't spilled milk-drenched Cheerios all over it while they read the comics with breakfast. I check into CNN.com and will even absent-mindedly glance at Fox news when I see it on at the YMCA, the car repair shop, or other public places where I get stuck. The mainstream nightly news shows take a back seat to shepherding the children through their evening routines of homework and cello lessons and sports practices. Sometimes I turn on Good Morning America while I clean up the breakfast dishes, though. Yet I still believe that a well-informed electorate is the key to a functioning Democracy. My support of a free press and my disgust when the press doesn't do its job as our Fourth Estate makes me a liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I am a stay-at-home soccer mom. Actually, like most women in America, I've been through different roles at different points in my life. I've worked for a living and made tough family choices when I was a working mom and made different tough choices when I decided to stay home with the children for awhile, too. And Bill/Rush, don't you dare try to label me a Femi-nazi for holding down a job outside of the home-- according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1950 one-third of American women of working age had a paid job, but today two-thirds of them do. 70% makes for some pretty big fringe, don't you think? Yet I support women's rights to make not only choices about their career and lifestyle but to get equal opportunities and to be paid equally with their male counterparts when they do the same job. My embracing of motherhood and support of women's choices and opportunities makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I am not for free government handouts. I believe that the richest nation in the world has a moral obligation to provide healthcare to all citizens, but this is not a handout--it's a concept of shared responsibility and shared advantages. If you are a citizen of this country--or aspire to be-- I believe that, practically speaking, you are a resource that should be protected and developed. In return, I expect you to treat others with the same care and to share your talents and gifts in the home, community, or workforce. The benefits of sharing in our society are not handouts--nor are they special perqs reserved only for those who are in good with the boss. My support of fairness in how we treat our citizens makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I don't know how I feel about tort reform. Like most Americans, I have an anecdotal knowledge of silly lawsuits and fat-cat corporate lawyers and ambulance chaser types. But I also know that if anything happened to my family, no "cap" would be a high enough number to ever make it up to me. Yet I support all people being considered innocent until proven guilty and keeping corporate and private interests separate from the judiciary. I'd like to see all people do their jobs with honesty. My wanting to see a justice system that is not corrupt makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I want my taxes to be as low as possible. But like the rest of Main Street, I also understand that you get what you pay for. I like roads. And schools. And police protection. I know that together my taxes combined with your taxes can provide goods and services that I could never manage on my own. And I have no problem with paying fair rates for quality service. But you don't have to sit on the left hand side of the stage, Bill/Rush, to see that our money--my money--and your money--is not being well spent these days by my government, at all, at all. My support of balancing the budget and lowering the deficit makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I am a parent. My two kids take up much of my time and my life. The demands of the daily schedule often keep me from being as involved or informed or active as I'd like to be in the causes I support. Yet worries about their future are what most drives my politics. My worries about quality childcare and my empathetic bond with mothers everywhere is what first led me to take an active role in local and global politics. My support of strong schools, safe neighborhoods, supportive communities and clean air makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I can get embarrassed when I talk to my kids about sex. I don't like that Bill Clinton's actions made my 7 year old ask about blow jobs and "what is that stain on that dress they keep talking about?" Or that watching the previews for Brokeback Mountain makes my eleven year old ask about how exactly two men "cheat" together on their wives. But you know what, Bill/Rush? I know some gay people! And they're just like, you know, you & me! So don't tell me I'm under the influence of the "Gay Agenda" for teaching my kids that sex is great, but private, and there's lots of ways that people enjoy it. My belief that my sex life--and yours-- is none of my government's business makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I am a Christian. I belong to a mainline Protestant denomination. I'm in church about 10 hours or more each week. I sing in the choir, lead youth groups, and go to Bible studies and Women's Circle meetings. I attend pot lucks and hymn sings and all kinds of churchy- events. And guess what? No one stops me! No one from the government can tell me how much time I can, or can't spend in church, or what church to go to, or to go to church at all. No one's waging a war on me. My child can pray in school and I can say "Merry Christmas" anytime I want, although folks may back away slowly if I say it too much this time of year. I am Christian, yet I like my church separate from my schools and my business and my public square. I don't want my minister teaching my child about fractions and I don't want his teacher worried about saving his soul. I understand that just because I'm in the majority it doesn't give me the right to take away someone else's freedom to practice- or not practice--whatever belief system floats their collective boats. My support of the separation of church and state makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I like to drive. I like to drive alone in my car, so I can sing along with the radio without embarrassing myself in front of strangers. I'd rather not deal with other people's children, coffee cups, or perfume while I get me and my family around. And while I don't have access to a public transportation system that's remotely convenient, I'd still probably prefer to drive, just for the convenience of coming and going when I want. Yet I support environmental protections and an energy policy that develops alternate fuels. My concern over the impact our lifestyle is having on our planet makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: I support our troops. I come from a military family. I'm patriotic. On 9/11, I totally understood the feelings of the man interviewed on the streets of New York City, who, when asked about what the US response should be, said, "There better be a hole somewhere else in the world as big as the one here." Yet what do my mainstream military beliefs tell me? The exact same conclusions that OrangeClouds came to:
I don't think we should have sent them to Iraq and I think we should bring them home immediately. I think when it is necessary, and we send our soldiers overseas, we need to give them the right equipment - like body armor and armored humvees. Once they are home, I think we should give them sufficient healthcare. By the way, I did think we should have sent them to Afghanistan - but we shouldn't have let bin Ladin slip away.
I support all those kids and folks who signed up to serve. My disgust with what the current administration has done with the trust placed in them makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream: Abortion makes me uneasy. Having had two kids, and having had some difficulty conceiving the first time, I have a deep gut reaction that there is something different about an egg that was fertilized and one that was not. Yet also having had two children, I understand that there is nothing that changes the direction of your life and puts as much strain on you physically, emotionally and financially as parenthood. My support of women getting to decide for themselves when, if ever, they take on that role leads me to full support of full sexual and contraceptive education and of safe, legal, and accessible abortion. My feeling that the government shouldn't be in the business of forcing women into motherhood makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
I am the mainstream. I distrust politics and politicians in general. The corruption and scandals that seem to pervade the Republicans today could also be the Democrats of an earlier--or future--generation. My support of campaign finance reform and minimizing the financial influence of outside lobbyists on our government makes me liberal, but hardly fringe.
Yes, I am the mainstream. And I stand side by side with OrangeClouds and others who would get tagged with labels meant to divide and insult. We'll both be out here working to change the world--I'll be the one on the inside, at PTA meetings, and the soccer sidelines, and in Sunday school classes, working for the exact same goals and dreams that we share together.
Cross-posted at My Left Wing and
Street Prophets