Anti-Democrat zealots won’t admit it, but the Democratic Party has merits that make it valuable to American society. One doesn’t have to be a Democrat in order to acknowledge those merits.
Democrats and Republicans are often at odds with each other because one side see things that the other side doesn’t.
For example, Republicans point out that the American way allows people with the incentive to do so to pull themselves up by their boot straps and achieve economic success.
Democrats, on the other hand, point out a simple fact of life: One can’t pull one’s self up by one’s boot straps if one doesn’t have boot straps to begin with.
As another example, Democrats and Republicans agree that a level playing field needs to be maintained. Republicans, in general, believe that a level playing field has already been established in all parts of the free market. Democrats disagree, because they believe that Wall Street executives have the game rigged. Democrats are correct to insist that the federal government prosecute white collar criminals working in the financial sector.
Regarding individual rights, today’s Democrats are nothing like the Democrats of the Civil Rights Era. It is true that the latter left a legacy of racism for the former to combat. However, it would be a mistake to hold modern-day Democrats accountable for that legacy. The Democratic Party has evolved significantly during the past fifty years.
One area of individual rights that modern-day Democrats excel in the defense of is the individual right to not govern one’s life by another person’s religious beliefs.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?
The primary reason why the Republican Party, in general, is vigorously opposed same-sex marriage is because the Party is under the influence of members who want their religious objections to same-sex marriage codified into U.S. law. Granted, there are Democrats who are also opposed to same-sex marriage for religious reasons, but they aren’t trying to force others to conform to their religious beliefs.
It is this writer’s observation that the GOP has way too many members who would like for the USA to become a Protestant fundamentalist theocracy. The Democratic Party stands in the way of that happening, and that’s a good thing.
Granted, the Democratic Party has its share of flaws. For example, the Party has members who let their hatred of the GOP drive them to a level of zealotry that goes beyond the pale. Thankfully, the Democratic Party also has plenty of members who aren’t anti-GOP zealots. Also, not all anti-GOP zealots are Democrats, which is why this writer has never equated the former with the latter.
[The GOP has its own infestation of anti-Democrat zealots whose hatred is often on display, and this writer doesn’t hesitate to criticize them.]
The benefit of being a Moderate Independent – as this writer is – is that one is able to see both the bad and the good in a political party. This writer has pointed out the bad within the Democratic Party and will continue to do so. However, this writer will also defend the Democratic Party when it is under an unfair attack by rabid right-wing pundits whose godless hatred blinds them to the Democratic Party’s merits.
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For the record, this writer is opposed to any of the current Democrat presidential contenders becoming President Obama’s immediate successor. However, this writer isn’t anti-Democrat. He has previously supported Democrat politicians at the city, county and state levels of government.
Contrary to what anti-Democrat zealots would have everyone to believe, plenty of Democrats are good, honest, loving, patriotic people who make good public officials as well as good neighbors.
By the way, this post about the Democratic Party was first published at the openly anti-Democrat blog Wizbang. At that other blog, this writer is frequently accused of being pro-Democrat and anti-GOP. If you want to see how anti-Democrat zealots respond to this post, then click here to read their comments whenever they are posted.
The “Wanted” posters say the following about David: “Wanted: A refugee from planet Melmac masquerading as a human. Loves cats. If seen, contact the Alien Task Force.”