When Daily Kos says its mission is to elect “more and better Democrats,” the better part I think means leaders who will stand up for social, economic, and environmental justice; who will fight to make the 1% pay their fair share; who will strive to make public programs work more effectively.
The current pandemic is a terribly unwanted lesson showing why we need more Democratic leaders joining the cause to improve and expand tax-funded federal health insurance so it covers everyone in our country, not just seniors and veterans. President Truman proposed a universal federal health insurance program 75 years ago.
As the pandemic illustrates, we can’t wait for national crises to occur before we act; programs need to be in place ahead of crises to head off crises.
But of course we already knew that. For example, we would not currently have a massive college debt crisis if public colleges had been tuition-free.
Initiatives like Medicare for All, tuition-free public colleges, medical debt and college debt forgiveness, and a Green New Deal should be Democratic priorities not because Bernie Sanders says so, but because our nation needs these initiatives. Starting yesterday.
The announcement of task forces on crafting policy staffed by prominent politicians, academics, and activists chosen by both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders is encouraging.
Bold vision was once, and must once again be, the party’s hallmark. President Roosevelt did not intend his “Second Bill of Rights” to be regarded as a relic by future Democrats — he intended it to be our lodestar.
And President Kennedy is not remembered for saying “We choose not to go to the Moon in this decade.”
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders were a generation below JFK — they were college students when he was president. Amazingly, due to their personal and professional longevity, more than half a century later the torch is being passed to their generation.
And when — knock on wood — our nominee takes the oath of office next January, today’s generation won’t expect the new president to shoot for the moon.
They’ll demand it.
So should we all.