I didn't give women the right to vote. Incidentally, neither did you.
I didn't give African Americans the right to vote.
Nor did I create Social Security.
I didn't pass the Civil Rights Act, or the Voting Rights Act. I didn't create Medicare or pass the Clean Air Act or the Clean Water Act.
All these great Liberal accomplishments. What fantastic accomplishments. But I didn't do them.
I have no CLAIM to them. They're not MY accomplishments. I can wear the Liberal brand all day long, shine it, buff it with some jewelers rouge, make sure not to touch it wrong or associate it with the wrong people.
Let's set it up here on this shelf, in this glass humadore, air and temperature controlled where we can gaze at it in it's perfection and ponder how its accomplishments are ours. Us. We...well..not actually me...but...us. The qualities of it...it's beautiful. It shines like justice.
GAH! You clumsy jackass! WHAT are you DOING?!? Put it DOWN! For the love of LBJ...what if it had been damaged?! What if it had been associated with the WRONG PEOPLE...What if somebody mistakenly thought YOUR liberal was the actual, REAL liberal, cuz.......seriously...........yick.......
Just....there. Yes. Set it back there.
It's amazing, isn't it? How it gleams. If we preserve it. Just like this...the kids will be able to see it too, exactly how we see it. And it'll be perfect.
Some people can use it. A few. Sometimes. For a while. Sanders. Warren...maybe. We'll see.
Some day we'll use it all the time. Some day. Some day.
All it's accomplishments ours...we...us....well...not me..but us...
I didn't DO any of those things. Not me.
It's not so much MY label. I'd damage it, myself.
What I could use is a label that I can really swing around, ya know? Something I can get dirty. Take some risks with. Take it our for a spin, ding it up, drive it like I own it.
Something I can make my own.
Heck...maybe some day, it'll have some accomplishments of its own associated with it. Maybe it'll be beautiful itself some day. Gleaming, and perfect.