I'm proud to have voted for Barack Obama to be our president, twice in primaries and twice in general elections. It's a privilege to vote for candidates who believe in science, and in correcting human errors where the environment is concerned, as this beautiful planet is the only one we have.
I'm proud of our leaders who shaped and promoted the Violence Against Women Act, who seek to end sexual abuse and rape in the military, while also supporting in very practical ways the health and healing of families in their homes and communities. The champions of women's rights in our party have moved the cause forward with an enthusiasm that grows with every new success.
I'm proud of our legislators and governors who vocally support raising the minimum wage, who press vigorously to create new well paying jobs for their states and districts. And who also stand to expand rather than diminish voting rights and the ease of voting.
I'm proud that we stand for responsible energy production by promoting alternative resources over fossil fuels, and making the argument that this is good for employment while also helping clean up our air and water.
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I'm proud that it's democrats who developed Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and that it's still democrats who want to expand these programs, while being honest and fair about improving their efficiencies.
I'm proud that we've stood by unions and public schools and food stamps (SNAP) and are now making real efforts to take better care of our veterans, whose VA system has been in decay for much too long.
We have problems, it's true. But we do work on them, i.e. the Voting Rights Act, Immigration reform, trade - still work to do, but in a difficult political climate.
I like to think we have a directional compass guiding our party - "towards a more perfect union". The directional compass holds human rights in very high esteem, and I'm proud of that. This compass holds basic fairness like pay equity and marriage equality, the ending of bigotry and bullying as almost instinctive.
And greater, healthy prosperity for all, this is the organizing force, with the healthy aspect being vital in a world where conscience is no longer a luxury, but essential. Our health and prosperity always requires attention to the health and well being of others. And it is in this shared concern, this sense that life in our communities and in this country - on this planet - is a shared enterprise, where we all have a stake - this is key to understanding the heart of progressive thinking.
I'm proud and privileged to support the many, many democrats and progressives who are shaping our future.
My hope and prayer is that they can stand up now and especially when challenged by public circumstance, to answer with the strongest, most articulate and apt point of pride they have to share at that moment. And that this becomes second nature, as if every democrat has their own new bully pulpit. (pardon the metaphor)
Let pride in our accomplishments and in our principles be our attack dog - and let us be thoroughly relentless with the most heartfelt, factual, passionate and positive response we can.
The GOP won by collectively being a bully, an attack dog, and we fell into their game by attacking back, but it wasn't so sharp and coherent. Theirs was so sharp and coherent we abandoned our president and retreated into a defensive crouch, where we remained until the donneybrook was done the morning after. Nothing could be coherent in those last days because of the money that was poured in, so voters were overwhelmed by ads and calls and mail, (we were complicit) and millions remained alienated and just plain stayed home and may never vote again - part of the GOP plan, you suppose?
But if the voters had it thoroughly reinforced that every democratic candidate was truly and decisively proud of at least the half dozen most salient progressive issues to their district or state - and those issues were reinforced in coherent positive ways by the national party and campaigns - then we might see different outcomes.
just sayin'...