Once Is Not Enough
Saw it on Josh’s blog, had to put it on mine. It is Barack Obama:
If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.
It is that fundamental belief—It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.
This is, at least according to me, the true definition of American Liberalism, not Kennedy and Pelosi demagogy. The fact that this ideology does not exist prominently in American society is why people are confused when American politics is referred to as a “liberal democracy.”
This brand of liberalism is the kind that makes you think, “Hmm, do I favor the conservative or liberal point of view in this argument?” instead of dividing the political landscape into Mickey Mouse factions of paper tigers and talking heads.
Take over, Barack. Please take over your party.