Credo
What do you believe?Some of you may have seen this before. It seems appropriate that we reflect on what makes us Deomcrats. We will all need to come together before the fall. Let’s craft a message that even wingers will envy. Here is my credo post from last fall:
Some of us have lost our minds lately. We are putting conditions and litmus tests on our candidates. We are getting lost in the trees while failing to see the forest. We have lost the common goals that will help us stick together in the coming year and make us an effective force in setting this country back on the proper course- forward. So, I came up with my credo, my personal belief. This is what makes me a Democrat and is why I’m here. It is what makes me a proud American. Help me make it better. I am a Democrat and I believe in the common good. I believe Americans can accomplish great things when we watch each other’s backs and help each other take risks without fear of the lifetime consequences of failure.
I believe in social justice. That is, we may not all be born with the same advantages but we are born with the right to be treated equally before the law. I believe in quality public education, the right to vote without obstructions, that individuals have the right to be treated equally regardless of sex, age, religion, marital status, national origin, disability or sexuality. I believe it is important that individuals excrcise personal responsibility but I’m not going to ask them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and then deny them the boots. I believe in the right of employees to unionize and negotiate for better working conditions and benefits. I believe that immigrants should be offered a path to citizenship and not treated as a permanent underclass. I believe that no child in America should go to bed hungry, should forgo college because they can’t afford it or suffer from illnesss their parents can’t afford to treat.
I believe in fiscal responsibility. I believe in using tax payer’s money responsibly. I believe in paying my taxes for the common good. I believe in a progressive tax structure. I believe that deficit spending is justified to pay for infrastructure but not for unnecessary wars. I believe in Social Security and the entrepreneurship that blossoms when citizens know they have a safety net. I believe in universal healthcare because when we are all insured, the cost of healthcare will go down for all of us.
I believe in preserving a healthy planet. ‘Cos where else are you going to go? I believe in reducing greenhouse gases, in moving away from an oil based economy. I believe in research into alternative fuels. I believe in investment in mass transit. I believe in reducing pesticides and antibiotics in our environment. I believe in being a good global citizen and joining in committments to protect our environment.
I believe in privacy for citizens and the right to be left alone. I believe in a citizens right to worship or not worship without penalty or reward from the state. I believe that government should stay out of our bedrooms and the sex lives of consenting adults. I believe that the government has no state interest in interfering with a woman’s right to choose to have children or not. I believe that citizens have a right to believe that their private conversations are not wiretapped, that their homes are sacrosanct and shouldn’t be searched without a warrant.
I believe in the wise use of our forces. I believe that national security is best when our military is well-prepared, well-equipped and well rested. I believe that the national guard should be used to defend us at home and not abroad except under the direst circumstances. I believe in treating our soldiers with dignity and respect because we are asking them to put their most precious possession on the line for us. I believe we have an obligation to defend the helpless from genocide. I believe we should not pre-emptively invade a country that has not threatened us. I believe we should participate in peaceful negotiations in regions of the world where there is conflict. I believe we should not throw our weight around just because we are a superpower. I believe we should go to war only as a last resort, do the job efficiently and thoroughly and have an exit strategy.
I believe that all of the Democratic candidates match my beliefs but that they have different ways to achieve their goals. I am going to vote for the best prepared, strongest candidate who I feel is the most capable of putting America on the path forward with solid policy and vision.
What do YOU believe?
Riverdaughter, I am so glad I found you. I have to say, after I read your “He is risen indeed”, the reference to Princeton, and your Credo with the first item being Social Justice, it suddenly came to me that you may be a Presbyterian! It is so hard being a political lefty and hearing anger and rage against the Christian church, when all my life I have been overtly urged by my church(es) to actively seek social justice, to feed the poor, and all the other radical social actions which you have noted.
I love the voice of reason, the voice of compassion, the voice of true freedom. And not coincidentally, the voice of Jesus, the noted rabble-rouser.
Thank you so much…this is my first comment anywhere after lurking for several years, and I felt moved especially on this day of new hope and resurrection to write to encourage you and keep up the very good work.
[...] long string of posts) and mostly thinking hard about the way forward at this point. Riverdaughter has asked us what we believe (we being Democrats, but this will explain my support for Hillary as [...]
Unless I have simply been overtaken by exhaustion, it seems my comment has been removed (I do believe it was posted for a while.), leaving not so much as a footprint. Everything I say is sincere and transparent. I am on your side and find great comments (and impressive good people) at this site. I certainly have no intention of being disruptive. I am disappointed greatly. To me, the removal of my comment seems inconsistent with your “Credo” (”What do you believe?)
I invite you (comment removers) to contact me by e-mail. I don’t want to argue or upset you. I’m sincerely disappointed and would like to hear your thoughts.
I can’t find an e-mail address to write this, so am posting it here. My apologies for that. I just don’t know how else to contact you.
Sincerely,
Gary McGowan
(The comment was removed from the “Peace Symbol” thread, where I had intended this stuff to be. Long day.)
G.
The credo is exactly where I am and comment #1 I think can apply to most churches. Given all that, is that where the Democratic Party is today? I think not– we’re in the throes of the tyranny of the proletariat with a wannabe Stalin surrounded by a committee of elders at the DNC and balky superdelegates. I’ve been through a couple of cycles of “taking the Party” back and I’m not sure it’s worth the effort since we still end up being jerked around by the Media and the Money.
Dear churl,
I think I understand what you are saying and I sympathize.
What we have to rise up to is not “taking the Party back,” but taking the country back. To use your words, from “the media and the money.”
We take the country back and the other stuff will take care of itself. Neither Lincoln nor FDR focused on “taking the Party back,” though each well could have in their times.
[To anyone other than churl reading this comment, I have to mention--for fear of it being deleted--that Senator Clinton is my candidate. Senator Obama is most emphatically not. But I am certainly willing to discuss matters with supporters of any candidate. As someone who functions outside of the constrangle hold of popular opinion, (I just accidentally made that word up and I like it!), I feel sometimes it’s necessary to try to head off attacks before they are made.] Excuse me, churl.
As I am studying and working here, it occurs to me that the following is perfectly relevant to both the topic of my credo AND the topic (which, admittedly, was introduced by me in this thread) of taking our country back.
http://east_west_dialogue.tripod.com/american_system/index.html