So we blew another one, did we? Let the other guys frame the entire debate, terms and all? This is an excellent opportunity for us to stop acting like the "party of maybe" and get our act together once and for all. Interested? Join me after the jump...
First and foremost, a generation has passed since George H. W. Bush demonized the term "liberal" and sent us cowering under our beds, insisting from that time to this that we are "progressives" (not all of us, I admit). So how are we supposed to have any credibility in the eyes of the American public if we've spent more than two decades afraid to even speak our own label?
I have attended enough candidate forums over the years to know that conservatives love to self-describe themselves with that term, as if it were the equivalent of saying "I am a connoisseur of fine brandies". I firmly believe that the public perception of our collective squishyness begins with terminology. Forget the lightly mumbled "I'm kinda moderate to progressive..." and OWN what you are.
"I am a proud liberal", you should say. "Liberals built this country side-by-side with all other good patriotic Americans, and when the deck got stacked against the little guys, we fought for justice and equality."
And when the obvious questions get asked... "hell yes, I believe in income re-distribution. Every so often when the people on top are making all the money and the guys on the bottom are running dry, we SHOULD re-prime the pump. It's just the right thing to do."
And: "You bet I believe in more government, when it's needed to make us safer, clean the air and water, straighten out the rules and kick the bad guys in the ass. Government is how we get things done together, when nobody else is stepping forward."
Simplistic, maybe, but how could we have forgotten all of this? This year our candidates shied away from their responsibilities in Congress, ran from their principles in many races, and created a vacuum into which self-assured candidates rushed. And how well did that work?
Let's stop running from ourselves. You know how potential romantic partners like people with confidence? It's the same with voters. If we're afraid to put on our true faces and ask them to dance, they'll give us a sneer every time. So screw you, George Bush. I'm a LIBERAL, and damned proud of it. Got a problem with that?
PS That goes for either George Bush. And yeah, I'm aware of some people making distinctions between Liberal and Progressive, but go with me here, okay?