Getting introspective on supporting Democrats

I'm sure there are times when you may ask yourself "why do I support this person?" "Why am I a Democrat?" or "Why am I a Republican?"

Well, I think about it pretty often because I tend to throw my support to lots of people and I'd like to know why.

So I ask myself those first two questions and really think about the answers. I know what I believe, I'm a liberal Democrat. I believe in a very progressive set of policies that I believe would make people's lives better through the government. I believe things like the New Deal helped save America during the Depression, I believe that we won the Cold War in part because of bold visions like Kennedy's desire to put an American on the moon. Those were all government-funded programs that made this country the greatest in the world.

So why do I support conservative Democrats like Chet Edwards? Is it just because I'm willing to abandon my beliefs for cheap political gain?

I don't think so.

I think that in addition to being a liberal Democrat, I'm also a partisan Democrat. But I don't think those two things are at odds with each other. I think they supplement my belief that America is great and that it was the Democratic party that got labor unions organized. It was the Democratic party that got us through the Depression and two world wars. It was the Democratic party that finally got civil rights legislation passed and it was the Democrats who were bold enough to ask "Why not?"

And the people who put their names on the ballot with a big D next to it are part of that tradition. Chet Edwards is very conservative because he's from a conservative part of Texas. But he has some of the same beliefs and he's a decent man.

Likewise with Richard Morrison. I'm not just going to support him because he is a Democrat or because I want to get rid of Tom DeLay, although those are factors. Listening to him, I was genuinely impressed with his ideas. I've never really heard anyone talk about the idea of subsidizing energy companies to make wind power more affordable and popular. I've never heard a Texas Democrat talk about how patriotic it is to drive a hybrid car. I don't normally hear someone describe themselves as pro-Life but Libertarian on abortion, which matches my own beliefs so closely.

We're not talking the lesser of two evils here; we're talking about a really good progressive candidate vs. pure evil.

So we need to see what support we can give him to make this a no-brainer for the people of Sugar Land. We need to get Richard Morrison elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Comments

[MajorDad1984]

Chet Edwards a conservative democrat? I think that you might have him confused with him in his previous district.

Chet broughs a lot of money to the Killeen/Fort Hood metroplex with construction projects on Fort Hood, the largest regional airport I've ever seen and many other pork type projects...

However, I also see to recall him standing side by side with liberal democrats when responding to our previous president's indiscretions with a young lady. Hardly a stand that would place in good graces with those of us that identify ourselves as conservatives.

Don't get me wrong, I've met Chet and I have to admit that I liked him. He had charisma oozing out of every pore. He listened to what I had to say and made me feel like the most important person in a room full of people for the time we were talking. I've heard the same thing about our previous president. No matter what you might have thought of him, in his presence you just had to like him.

Thankfully no politicians were in the voting booth with me when I was making my mark.

See you on the high ground.

MajorDad1984

[MajorDad1984]

Oh yeah, left something out of the previous comment.

You speak of government being in place to make things better for people. Do you really feel that "we" aren't capable of creating our own happiness with the federal/state governments just doing what's provided for in the Constitution?

I hope that you'll live up to the old Winston Churchill quotation that goes:

"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains."

See you on the high ground...without the heart. (Not true, compassion is necessary whether you're liberal or conservative. I would just rather subscribe to the old "give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.")

MajorDad1984