The Hope Still Lives, the Dream Shall Never Die

In light of the news about Senator Kennedy’s failing health, it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to his service to this country as the second longest serving US Senator. He has been called a ‘democratic icon’ and rightly so. His legislative efforts have significantly shaped the policies of our country for many years now. He has been a champion of immigrants, outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, longtime advocate of raising the minimum wage, and has worked on behalf of prisoners, children and the poor on an unspeakable number of bills.

Despite growing up in the shadows of JFK and Bobby, and battling his own personal skeletons, he has been a defining figure in the Democratic Party as well as in American politics and policy making. The legacy of the ideals on which his policies are based, and the determination to make those ideals a political reality, will live on long after his time in the Senate has expired.

His speech at the 1980 Democratic Convention is among the best ever given, and the themes he espouses are timeless. The speech was given after he bowed out of the race against incumbent president, Jimmy Carter. It is also easily applied to the challenges facing the Democratic Party this year as the nomination battle rages on, and as the party looks to unify itself and move into new positions of power next fall.

“Programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. Circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue. It is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them, but it is also correct that we dare not throw out our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. The poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. The middle class may be angry, but they have not lost the dream that all Americans can advance together…

We are the Party — We are the Party of the New Freedom, the New Deal, and the New Frontier. We have always been the Party of hope. So this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an America uncertain about the present, but unsurpassed in its potential for the future…

For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

Judicial Philosophies

A witty editorial in the NYTimes attacked “moderate” John McCain for statements he made yesterday about his determination to support far-right nominees for the Supreme Court, should he become president. “On a day when Mr. Obama won a decisive victory in North Carolina and Mrs. Clinton eked out a win in Indiana, Mr. McCain spoke about his judicial philosophy. He is determined to move a far too conservative and far too activist Supreme Court and federal judiciary even further and more actively to the right.”

It seems absurd that after 8 years of having their civil liberties watered down by the Bush Administration that the American people would stand to listen to, let along endorse, a candidate with the audacity to speak openly about installing judges who would support similar policies. Does he really find the citizenry to be so dumb as to allow him to walk all over us in these policies too? Aligning oneself with the conservative moral stances of the court is one thing, but to endorse individuals who have also been at the forefront of creating public policies that discriminate and marginalize is another matter all together.

Mr. McCain predictably criticized liberal judges, vowed strict adherence to the Founders’ views and promised to appoint more judges in the mold of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. That is just what the country does not need.

Since President Bush chose Justices Roberts and Alito, the Court has ordered Seattle and Louisville to scrap voluntary school integration, protected employers who illegally mistreat their workers, and constrained women’s right to choose and voters’ right to vote.

Mr. McCain did not mention, of course, how the Roberts-led Court blithely overruled Congress by nullifying a key part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. He did wax nostalgic about what “the basic right of property” has meant “since the founding of America.” (He did not mention that in 1789 many women could not own property and African-Americans were property, but he did criticize the idea that values evolve over time.)

The WashPo article was obviously more balanced as they reported on McCain’s remarks. They also quoted Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor and his counter argument: “Barack Obama has always believed that our courts should stand up for social and economic justice, and what’s truly elitist is to appoint judges who will protect the powerful and leave ordinary Americans to fend for themselves.”

It is that judicial philosophy that runs counter to the political culture in DC these days, and counter to all that is Bush, that has gotten so many individuals involved in this political election cycle. The American people are tired of courts being stuffed with politically aligned candidates who are more than willing to roll over for the current President and his cronies. We are tired of being marginalized from the process and want to be included. We are tired of being fed lines (and lies) from the Republican camp without real discussion of the alternatives. We want a leader who will speak honestly and debate the heart of issues, not the political consequences of issues, with his/her advisors behind closed doors. We want a leader who will speak honestly about our country’s challenges and struggles. We want a leader who will work with other parties in power to achieve the best possible outcomes for all.

We Are Not Who We Think We Are

“Who will tell the people? We are not who we think we are. We are living on borrowed time and borrowed dimes. We still have all the potential for greatness, but only if we get back to work on our country. I don’t know if Barack Obama can lead that, but the notion that the idealism he has inspired in so many young people doesn’t matter is dead wrong. “Of course, hope alone is not enough,” says Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics, “but it’s not trivial. It’s not trivial to inspire people to want to get up and do something with someone else.”

Thomas Friedman’s poignant 5/5/08 op-ed has stirred up a number of passionate responses this week. He spoke to common frustrations among all types of Americans, as we watch our country slide from power, influence and success. He argues that Obama is our best hope for this country, because he has spoken truthfully with the American people, and because “…we need a president who is tough enough to tell the truth to the American people. Any one of the candidates can answer the Red Phone at 3 a.m. in the White House bedroom. I’m voting for the one who can talk straight to the American people on national TV — at 8 p.m. — from the White House East Room.“

The NYTimes posted some positive responses from readers who agreed with Friedman. One reader wrote “As Mr. Friedman points out, we don’t know for sure if Barack Obama can lead this country back to greatness. It’s a monumental task. But I do know that he is the only candidate who has spoken the truth about every one of these issues from Day 1.

He is the only one who tells us that we have work to do, that there are no easy fixes. He is the only one who already has inspired millions to get started. He spoke the truth about Iraq when no one wanted to hear it, and he is now speaking the truth, regardless of how it might poll.

The question is, Do we want leaders who speak to issues that will get them elected, or do we want a leader who will tell us the truth?”

Chris Durang (on Huffington Post today) also “… agree(s) passionately with what Friedman said above, and it relates to my belief that Obama can use his gift for reason and inspiration to TALK TRUTH to the American people, to change the Bully Pulpit to a…. Persuasion Pulpit, an Inspiration Pulpit.”

Durang goes on to admit that “Obama is battered… but battered though Obama may be, he is still standing; and he’s standing taller than the other two.”