by Mike Atherton, a regular contributor to Dover Dems’ Blog. His posts focus on the many ways the Democratic party contributes to the lives of Americans.
Why are you a Democrat? Republicans seem to know about being Republicans and will tell you in simple, aggressive one-liners. We Democrats use nuanced, footnoted paragraphs. We seldom say what we mean without qualifications, which often makes us look like indecisive push-overs.
It’s time to push back. To do so we should know our history. For example, listing Democrat accomplishments when canvassing tells people we are an effective, informed, and principled party. We are so confident that we regularly mock ourselves, as when Will Rogers said he didn’t belong to an organized party because he was a Democrat. We Democrats can laugh at our foibles because history shows us we are on the right path. In stark contrast, no Republican dares mock Trump or any Republican. History tell voters that Democrats have verifiably improved the daily lives of all Americans. Note the contrast: baseless Trump-publican bluster versus verifiable Democrat successes. Voters should know the truth.
Then we come to lies. Right-wing lies need correction. To correct them we need authentic information readily found in this Thank a Democrat blog and elsewhere. Realize, you don’t need to major in political science or even read whole books. Just read a few one-page blogs (with pictures) that make our history memorable, useable, and quick. Help your neighbor by knowing the truth.
Then there is us. We should feel good about being Democrats. Our efforts have generated decisive victories. We must unapologetically promote our values. We can stand tall because “…we stand on the shoulders of giants and can see the further…”. In an age of self-doubt we need confidence in our values. In the face of prearranged anger we need calm certainty that we have worthwhile goals. After all, America has grown stronger, safer, and healthier through our work. Democrats helped make America a place where all people and our environment can thrive.
If you learn about Democrat triumphs so you can reply clearly and quickly to aggression, so you can stand tall, and so you can feel good about America’s direction, then Thank a Democrat.
About the author:
Mike retired from 30 years of teaching philosophy after 20 years of teaching a variety of subjects from elementary to graduate school. He served four years in the Peace Corps in Swaziland (now Eswatini), followed by marriage, first child, and PhD all at the University of Chicago. He and his wife Cynthia moved to Southwest Pennsylvania where she taught ecology and he taught philosophy while they raised two daughters. They moved to Dover in 2019 to be near their two grandsons in Maine. He has consistently found the Dems to be a group that publicly and privately follows their stated values: compassion, honesty, integrity, respect the dignity of all people, expanded freedom, responsible citizenship, promoting civil society, and protecting our environment.