In discussions about what are Democratic values or the politics of principles differentiation, there is often a lack of a simple sound bite to the arguments. I believe the core value shared by all Americans can be reflect in one phrase: "We are the Party of Hope, they are the party of fear"
In every situation that you can image, this has never been more true today than at any other time in the last few decades. Progressivism, liberarian Democrat, liberal, whatever you call yourself, you believe automatically that the world can better. To use the words of one of party of fear, you believe that there can yet be morning in America. Not a dark cloudy morning that makes you want to stay in under the covers cowering from your fellow Americans, but, instead, one full of sunlight where by we are all part of the American dream- from the rich man to the poor man. From the straight to the gay one. From men to women. From black to white. From atheist to Chrisitan.
We are the party of hope because we believe that each person has an inalienable right to not only survive, but to also thrive. They are the party of fear because they would have most of us to merely survive.
In life situation, after life situation, this is true:
a. Where I am, someone paying for the direct cost of health insurance will pay a minimum of 300 dollars. We are the party of hope because we believe that we can make this situation better for Americans. Not simply through govt action, but trying to find ways to respect people's dignity. So perhaps govt, perhaps some combination of govt and private, perhaps govt at the state level through block grants. The point is we understand that if people are worried about dying, they can't be concerned with living. There can be no respect if one can not afford health insurance. Can be no time to believe or not believe in God if one is unable to figure out how to pay for it. There can be only what the party of fear wants- for us to be afraid, for us to need them. The party of hope wants people to have the freedom to be able to pursue something more than mere survival. If there is more than survival- then they can go to a point where there is hope to do more under the American dream.
b) We are the party of hope because we believe all men and women are created equal whether under God or by nature. We believe that there is hope in the idea that all men and women, straight or gay, black or white, rich or poor, are equal in their rights. That majority or minority, they will not have to spend one day fearing the power of another group to end their existence as is the case in countries like Iran. Denying equal protection to one, denies it eventually to us all because the arguments used against one by the party of fear, can be used against all.
c) We are the party of hope because we believe that the geneva convention protects us as much as it protects them. That islamofascism must be stopped isn't the issue. The issue is whether we will surrender our humanity in the pursuit of life, or whether we obtain life by keeping our humanity? The party of fear thinks we will do it through Abu or Guantanomo. There are no guarantees that in pursuing human rights we will save lives, but unlike their approach, the approach of fear, there is a chance.
d) we are the party of hope, they are the party of fear, because they see the economy despite their rhectoric as a zero sum game where there is a finite pie which only the most wealthy should enjoy. This hope does't deny people like Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey the fruits of their busiiness acumen, it instead, says that in a society where there are winners and losers- we will not let the harshest parts of this device destroy us. We will make certain that there are no real losers. It is a false dichotomy to say that in order to have a Bill Gates one must have the homeless. It's false believe to think that in order to have a Warren Buffet one must have the working poor. We are the party of hope because we believe that both can thrive rather than one thrive, and the other barely survive.
e) We are the party of hope because we are the party of true freedom. Not freedom based on the rhectoric of fear whereby freedom comes at the end of a gun, or for nostalgia for a 1950s reality that never existed. We believe that faith in God can only come from the individual- not from the state. If it comes from the state- it can not be real faith. Each man or woman must decide for him or her self whether they believe or don't believe. What they believe or don't believe. To do otherwise, is to sully the nature of God- which is about the divine - above the pettiness of man. In this way, hope is about secularism b/c this says that the evangelical traditional values person can live next to the atheist in a community and still find common ground. The party of fear would divide us by telling us we have nothing in common. But this isn't true.
f) They are the party of death, we are the party of life. Reproductive choice isn't about dying- its about what kind of lives we are living. I know there are those who will argue the semantics, but the core truth is that we want freedom and responsbility. One without the other is meaningless. Hope is about both freedom and responsibility. We believe that with rights- for the most part both should be left up to the individual. The party of fear- is afraid our us making choices. That our choosing when to end our lives as Terri Shiavo choose means that we don't cherish life. but, they are wrong. We cherrish life more intensely because freedom and responsibility are about a constant yearning and questioning about what life really is? Being unafraid of risking that we might get it wrong. Being unafraid to admit when we did get it wrong. Bush is big on his freedoms. But as Katrina showed his party's idealogy is not big on figuring out how to take responsibility for those things that go wrong. Hope in Katrina comes from saying never again in our society will we let them happen. Not from denial. Not from freedom to pretend nothing ever happened. Hope comes from responsibility for our mistakes so that it can give us resolve for our future successes. To help us cherish them even more.
There are many other ways in which we are the party of hope, and they are the party of fear- from Iraq to freedom of speech to voting to faith that with facts and wisdom we can each make our own decisions for ourselves. That we can know about evolution and believe there is a God. That we can understand Global warming and still see there are many possible solutions. that we can only have true security by not fearing the 'other' around us, but by figuring out what ways we can truly be secure in our bodies, our skin, our faith, our communities, our society, our country and our world. There way is anti-hope. THe fear of what can destroy rather than what can create. We don't want the nanny state- but we also don't want the nanny private sector either. We are the party of hope, because are the party of many voices.