Democratic Philosophy, Out Loud and Proud

How good it is, to see and hear American political leaders, candidates and pundits speak out forcefully on behalf of democratic political philosophy, in opposition to the authoritarian creed which has divided and diminished our nation.

Most recently, our Nobel Laureate economist and columnist Paul Krugman expressed it in a post he titled, "The Social Contract."

In that post he pointed to a video of Senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren, one in which she briefly and beautifully presented democratic political philosophy and its application to the current ideological debate in our country.

President Obama, too, has been using democratic political philosophy to explain to the public the basis for his positions on the issues facing us:

• "But there’s always been another thread running through our history -– a belief that we’re all connected, and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation. We believe, in the words of our first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, that through government, we should do together what we cannot do as well for ourselves.

• "And so we’ve built a strong military to keep us secure, and public schools and universities to educate our citizens. We’ve laid down railroads and highways to facilitate travel and commerce. We’ve supported the work of scientists and researchers whose discoveries have saved lives, unleashed repeated technological revolutions, and led to countless new jobs and entire new industries. Each of us has benefitted from these investments, and we’re a more prosperous country as a result.

• "Part of this American belief that we’re all connected also expresses itself in a conviction that each one of us deserves some basic measure of security and dignity. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, hard times or bad luck, a crippling illness or a layoff may strike any one of us. “There but for the grace of God go I,” we say to ourselves. And so we contribute to programs like Medicare and Social Security, which guarantee us health care and a measure of basic income after a lifetime of hard work; unemployment insurance, which protects us against unexpected job loss; and Medicaid, which provides care for millions of seniors in nursing homes, poor children, those with disabilities. We’re a better country because of these commitments. I’ll go further. We would not be a great country without those commitments."
  

Most Americans prefer not to think of themselves as having an "ideology." But they do, in fact, have worldviews based upon systems of ideas and beliefs. Those systems of ideas and beliefs then inform their political positions. I think it best that we honestly present the philosophical underpinnings for democratic political positions, and let the people judge which is better for them. I believe democratic political philosophy will prevail eventually over all authoritarian creeds.

America Held Hostage: Day 9

For nine days now, jobless Americans have been held hostage by wealthy Republican Pirates in Congress. The unemployment benefits for the jobless Americans have run out. And the wealthy Republican Pirates will let them starve -- unless they are given a ransom: tax cuts to make them even richer, and estate tax cuts to make their children richer still.

The President tells us that we must give the wealthy Republican pirates what they want, because they just might be willing to let jobless Americans starve.

Somehow this does not seem to me to be an effective way of dealing with pirates and extortionists.

Thank You, Barack Obama

What would you do if the boat you were on started sinking?

I would find out why it was sinking, and try to keep it afloat. And that is what Barack Obama has done. When he became President, scarcely more than a year ago, the country was sinking. The causes were obvious: bank failures; home foreclosures; unemployment; two wars; and a lack of confidence that drove down our stock market.

Over the past year, step by step, he has taken corrective action and kept us afloat. The economy is showing signs of improvement, stock values are rising, and unemployment appears at least to have stabilized. Our involvement in Iraq is diminishing, and the war against the Taliban at least appears to be under better management. [Note to the Taliban: it would be smarter to become a political party, like our Republicans.] The outcome of that war, of course, is in the hands of the Afghanis.

I don't expect that Barack will always make the best decision. He is just as human as I am, and we are both fallible [just ask our wives!]. But credit should be given where credit is due. And, Mr. President, this rum-and-coke is for you!

Thank You Nancy Pelosi

Thank you President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and members of the House of Representatives who helped to pass the healthcare reform bill. With your action our country has taken a giant step toward keeping alive a promise that was made to all American citizens in our nation's founding documents: that this country and its government would promote the general welfare of its citizens, not just the welfare of some among them.

Alex Budarin

Republicans Behaving Badly

President Obama and his policies seem to bring out the worst in those people who constitute the current Republican base. Even when the topic is something as boring as government-insured healthcare!

I think I know the roots of this Mad Tea Party.

The core issue in this dispute is the role of government. Republicans believe that the government should have a role in our defense and little else. They trust corporations more than they trust government. Democrats, on the other hand, believe that government also has an obligation to ensure the general welfare and equal protection of American citizens. When corporations, public and private, fail to ensure the general welfare and equal protection of American citizens, democrats believe the government is obliged to intervene on behalf of American citizens. Because Republicans do not recognize any constitutional obligation for ensuring the well-being and rights of anyone beyond themselves, they are outraged that the arc of American politics since 1901 has inclined more and more in favor of the democratic ideal. This has been true even under Republican Presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt [Pure Food & Drug Act, Employers Liability Act, railroad regulation, and trust-busting] and Richard Nixon [Consumer Product Safety Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration]. But it has been most dramatic under Democratic Presidents, such as Franklin Roosevelt, who was responsible for the National Labor Relations Act and the Social Security Administration, and Lyndon Johnson, who pushed for Medicare and The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Republicans fought loudly and bitterly against Social Security, Medicare, and the Civil Rights Act. Franklin Roosevelt, like Obama today, was accused of engaging in socialism.

So, what happened after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s programs were enacted? American capitalism flourished and spread. And it will do so again with “Obamacare.” Far from destroying capitalism, it will encourage Americans to try setting up businesses, because they will never have to worry about finding and paying for individual health insurance for themselves and their families at the same time that they are trying to get a business going. “Obamacare” will be there.

The reality is that the government programs which were instituted to ensure the general welfare and equal protection of American citizens have helped maintain our society. The “America” that they replaced was an America that was obscene in its cruelty and callousness toward the well-being of Americans. Maybe Republicans love “America”, they just dislike and distrust their fellow Americans. We can not let this country fail just to calm their paranoia.

Republicans must remember that Obama has the power and the authority that a majority of the American voters gave him. He is doing what the majority of Americans voters elected him to do. Republicans will have to live with this like I had to live with the fact that George W. Bush was my President for 8 years.