And, of course, John F. Kennedy from his 1961 inaugural address:
The significance of Tim Kaine's victory last Tuesday will continue to be discussed and debated for much time to come. If Democrats recapture the Congress next November, if Mark Warner wins the Democratic nomination for President, if the country gets off the horribly wrong road on which so-called "conservatives" have placed it, people may very well trace the turning point to November 8, 2005, right here in Virginia. We'll see. In the meantime, Tim Kaine was on Capitol Hill yesterday, taking a "victory lap," in the words of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Specifically, Kaine met with the House Democratic Caucus, where he reportedly "received a standing ovation." In addition, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi praised Kaine for the "civility of his campaign" and for "how he organized the people of Virginia with a message of sincerity [and] of economic growth." In addition, "Democrats touched on Kaine's effective discussion of faith and values in his campaign and his running as part of an administration that showed management competence."
So there you have it: Democrats as the party of civility, sincerity, economic growth, competence in management, faith, and REAL family values -- as opposed to the phony Republican "family values" of poverty, ignorance and fear. That's what this is all about, a battle between reactionary Conservatives and a true, positive Progressive vision of America. As Robert F. Kennedy said in 1965 (bolding added for emphasis):
In this entire century the Democratic Party has never been invested with power on the basis of a program which promised to keep things as they were. We have won when we pledged to meet the new challenges of each succeeding year. We have triumphed not in spite of controversy, but because of it; not because we avoided problems, but because we faced them. We have won, not because we bent and diluted our principles, but because we stood fast to the ideals which represent the most noble and generous portion of the American spirit. Parties are instruments of government....The business of parties is not just win elections. It is to govern. .
Now here's Teddy Roosevelt, another one of my political heroes (and a Republican, by the way):
Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense.... We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less. The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us.
And, of course, John F. Kennedy from his 1961 inaugural address:
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you?ask what you can do for your country.
These are Democratic ideals to which we all can strive: thriving Democracy, striving for the common good, building a prosperous and free nation, promoting an economy that works for everyone, looking to the future with optimism and energy, investing in our people, protecting our environment, nurturing our children, ensuring equality of opportunity for all, and leading the world by our own shining example -- not by brute force and secret detention centers.
If Democrats believe all that and do all that, we will not just win elections, we will win a deserved place in history. And we will win that place in history after 8 horrible years under the rule of those who believe the exact opposite: authoritarianism and corporate power unchecked, opportunity and prosperity only for the wealthiest and most powerful among us, divisiveness and pessimism that appeals to the worst angels of our nature, investing excessively in the tools of war and not sufficiently in our own people, trashing our environment for profit, failing to provide adequate education and health care to our children, and tarnishing the good name of the United States of America through its ill-advised, ill-conceived, and ill-intentioned actions.
The challenge for Democrats, starting right now (Tim Kaine's victory is a great starting point!), is to win back our country from the radical right wing, the "neocons," and the "cons" for that matter. The way to fight them is not by being "Republican lite," but by promoting our own proud, Progressive vision for America. Just as Teddy Roosevelt (a Republican, but a Progressive first and foremost) did. Just as Robert F. Kennedy did. Just as his brother John Kennedy did. I could add Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson here as well. All great leaders with an expansive vision of what America could be about, the ability to unite people, and the vision to see a better world. That's why I'm a Progressive, and that's why I'm a Democrat.