The biggest threat to the Liberal ideals of Democracy, Liberty, and Equality is not Donald Trump, the Republicans or the New Wave of Populism.
Let that sink in for a second.
The biggest threat to our nation, and by extension the world, is not Donald Trump.
The biggest threat to the future of mankind is the lack of a unified response to Donald Trump.
We lack a unified response because for thirty years, we have let the Conservatives define who we are.
We offered no defense when Reagan famously ridiculed the government worker who is “here to help.” We offered no defense when Bush the First called us the “L-Word.” Rush Limbaugh and Fox News did more to define the Democrats than the economic miracles and social progress made under the Clinton and Obama Presidencies .
And now, we see what we are left with. In Donald Trump, we are simply witnessing the logical conclusion of a political philosophy based on dividing the American People in order to dismantle government on all levels so that the more affluent among us can do any harm possible in order to make a buck.
It is time to put a stop to this. It is time for the Democrats to, using the verbage of the Republicans, to Take Our Country Back.
I’m not telling you guys anything you don’t already know. What I am not seeing, however, is a clear strategy on how we oppose the most dangerous manifestation of Conservatism to ever rule our Great Land.
I wish to propose a Four-Part Strategy to remind our fellow Americans that it is Liberal Philosophy that has made our country great. We are the ones who, generation after generation, forced our nation to live up to its ideals of Constitutionalism, Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood.
Here are the four parts:
- We must fight fire with fire. We, the Liberal, must not be afraid to adopt the language of Moral Absolutes to describe the very real evil implicit in almost every Republican policy. This is not a religious statement, because “evil”, in this case, is simply defined as “that which is harmful to society.” But, the language of Moral Absolutes is persuasive for certain people. We must lower ourselves to impugning the other side’s motives when they espouse such harmful ideas and policies.
- We must be the party that fights for Institutional Reform of our Media, Education System, and Government Bureaucracy. Democracy dies in darkness and when the citizens are not educated and informed. We are living with the effects of the gradual degradation of the three main institutions responsible to creating an informed citizenry. Please note that whenever I speak of Reform of the Media that I realize that the pressure must come from the news consumer. Unlike our President, I know what the First Amendment means. But, if we do not stand up for an Informative Press, then The Right will continue to dismantle the Free Press.
- We have to do all this, well, nicely. We need to set ourselves apart from the Republicans by not being the Party of Hate. Therefore, we must be the Party of Love. When we point out the evils of Republican Philosophy in part one, we must do it out of love. We don’t want to ridicule and tear down, for instance, those who oppose Gay Marriage. We want to lift them up and correct them of their desire to tear families, and by extension society, apart.
- Finally, we have to proclaim ourselves as the Party of Family Values. When we call for Criminal Justice Reform, we do so because we do not want to see families torn apart and children abandoned because Dad is put in jail for a year for possessing a joint. Our policies lift families up, their policies tear families apart. We must own this fact. It was through Family Values that the GOP began to divide and tear down our great land. It is through True Family Values that we can bring our country back together.
With the exception of part one (I have already written my thoughts here and here) I will explain my thoughts on the four parts in greater detail over the coming days (as quickly as “real-life” will allow.)
I also want you to know that this is only a starting point. I need input from people far smarter than me. Bringing our country back together, creating a lasting legacy, has to be a collaborative effort.
I hope I can begin to be helpful. Thank you for reading.