The word “liberal” is so often used to propagate a message that is completely opposed to the progressive ideals that are held by the many millions of Americans who identify as members of the Democratic Party. In a world of instant punditry and twenty-four hour idolatry, talking points become more important than message or intent. The respective political ideologies of the two major political parties of this nation should not be understood through stereotypes, but rather through productive discourse and the reality of governance. Today, many right-leaning news sources identify everything wrong about this nation as “liberal.” I do not believe that their intent is malicious nor do I believe that they prescribe to the darker side of the American news industry. However, I do believe that they embrace the stereotypes that endow our process of governance with everything that is wrong our political process.
To clarify what being a “liberal” really means I would like to cite President John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
“But if by a ‘Liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a ‘Liberal,’ then I’m proud to say I’m a ‘Liberal.'”
This explanation is articulate, understandable and true in terms of what really is at the center of Democratic ideology. We are not for big government, socialism or the restriction of individual liberties, but rather we are simply pro-human. Progressive policies seek to underwrite the value of every citizen in this country not spend us into bankruptcy or regulate our markets into oblivion. The complaints that so many on the other side of the ideological spectrum have are based in the implementation of policies within the realm of governance, and should be separated from our truest values. Our national debt has been incurred through many Republican and Democratic administrations. The current economic crisis occurred because of bipartisan idiocy. We can overcome these challenges if we simply look past stereotypes and look toward a dualistic sense of responsibility that must be part of our American experience. Do not demonize a word simply based on talking points, and I beg everyone to research history rather than misrepresent the present.
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