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Edited on Wed Dec-01-04 05:28 PM by Stand and Fight
On the Innate Morality of Democrats and Republicans
Our personal politics are influenced by a complex amount of experiences in our lives that serve to color our attitudes. In fact, this statement can be made in regards to any amount of social and political issues. To say that Democrats are either this or that because of factor x or y is to ignore historical changes in political ideology. To conjecture that Republicans are either this or that is to wholly ignore significant x and y factors in history. Democrats have not always been on the moral high ground, and likewise neither have Republicans. Both parties have had their share of political scandal, collective incompetence, and malfeasance. An examination of historical and present day facts will yield the conclusion that it is not Democrats or Republicans that differ but people and their experiences in life.
History. History is replete with examples of both great and shameful deeds carried out by both Democrats and Republicans. One glaring example I can point to in relation to this idea is Abraham Lincoln and his political party. It's well known that our present day Republican party is a direct descendent of Lincoln's own Republican Party. Let’s take a short detour into the history of the Republican Party by examining the reason behind its founding.
Political realignment has occurred several times in our country’s history; however, one of the most significant realignments resulted in the birth of the present day Republican Party. While there is dispute as to the actual time and date as to when the party was “born”, one date in particular stands out from the rest. On July 6, 1854, the name Republican was adopted at a convention of nearly extinct old parties. The birthplace of this decision was in Jackson, Michigan, and what likewise consider the birthplace of the Republican Party. Collectively this hodge-podge of dying parties decided to build a new party whose foundation would rest upon “the sole issue of the non-extension of slavery.” However, similar conventions were occurring all over the country, and by the middle of 1854 the Republicans were just beginning to stand up on its own two legs. Actually, you could say it was standing up on many legs since it consisted of Whigs, the Southern conservative belief system, and deep-seated abolitionist. The uniting factor of the fledging Republicans was based upon one single factor – an absolute resolve to block the extension of slavery.
This is hard to believe given their current stance on a variety of social, economic and political issues. Nonetheless, it was the Republicans and NOT the Democrats who favored keeping our nation together despite distinct differences on controversial issues of the day -- I need not emphasize the controversial views on slavery that lead to the Civil War. Lincoln, a Republican, made the revolutionary step to abolish the system of slavery; however, there are times -- especially in light of recent events -- that I am prone to wonder if some present day Republicans wouldn't like to bring back such institutions of human degradation. (To be totally honest, there are also Democrats that have given me occasion to wonder along the same lines.) Nonetheless, I digress. Jumping forward into the years directly after the Civil War, in 1866 the Republicans spearheaded the 14th Amendment and passed it despite the resistance of Lincoln’s successor, Democrat Andrew Johnson. The landmark amendment stated:
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
The year 1870 saw the passage of the Civil Rights act, which was then followed by the 15th Amendment that guaranteed "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color or previous conditions of servitude." (It would be nice if the Republicans had actually observed this amendment in recent and past elections, but unfortunately, as voter testament will tell, they have not.)
Stepping forward into the 20th century we come to the Civil Rights era, and it was during this time that our party heavily redeemed itself for its lack of action during the issue of slavery. Had it not been for such Democratic leaders as Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Baines Johnson, civil rights would not have advanced as far as they have. Harry S. Truman insisted on the desegregation of the armed forces. Let’s not forget the 1957 Civil Rights Act that was put forward by Republican president Dwight Eisenhower, and was voted against by John F. Kennedy because of political reasons. The 1957 bill aimed to ensure that all African Americans could exercise their right to vote, and it is widely believed that Eisenhower only put the bill forward to gain the Black vote. The Senate leader at that time, Lyndon Baines Johnson, opposed the bill for political reasons as well, as he felt that it would tear his party, the Democrats, apart. Eisenhower would introduce a subsequent bill the following year as a reaction to violent bombings of churches and schools in the South. Southern Democrats – today referred to as Dixiecrats – were staunchly opposed to the bill, which they perceived as intruding upon state affairs. Nonetheless, the bill became an act in 1960and upon passage introduced penalties for those who obstructed others attempts at registering to vote or in their actual attempts to vote. It was a weak piece of legislation and actually accomplished almost nothing for Civil Rights – Eisenhower’s bid at civil rights was a miserable failure. The history is lengthy so I won’t go into it, but the 1964 Civil Rights Act was sown during the presidency of John F. Kennedy and passed during that of his successor Lyndon Johnson – a fitting redemption for both of them. It was the actions of these great men – Democrats all – that dramatically altered the political and social equality scenes in our country. It was Republicans that often strongly opposed were lackadaisical at best in their support of civil rights issues during the 1950s and 1960s. Let’s not forget however that it was the Republicans that put forward the first civil right legislation into the Constitution.
There are recent issues, however, that do not paint our party in the prettiest light. Let's look at the issue of gay rights in our country as an example. Recently bans on gay marriage passed in significant majorities in ELEVEN states: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah. Based on your argument that Democrats value critical thinking and logic, ask questions about right and wrong, care more about the world community more, and that we've an ability to look at "the issues" in a more or less unselfish way there arises an obvious contradiction in your argument. This arises from the fact that of the eleven states Michigan and Oregon are “blue” states; that is, they voted Democratic in the presidential election. Like it or not, writing a ban on marriage between two people is just short of banning inter-racial relationship or even inter-religious relationships. This, my friend, is discrimination written into the law, and Democrats and Republicans in all eleven states voted it into law. John Kerry has publicly stated that he is against gay marriage, but that he would not put his beliefs into law. (I only wish that the Democrats in the aforementioned states had followed his lead.) If Democrats are so prone to look at “the issues” in a more or less unselfish way, – and that phrase in itself represents hypocrisy – how is it that Democrats supported putting down minority members in their respective states simply because they are the majority?
Your argument that Democrats are somehow – and although you do not say it, you imply it – morally superior is just as villainous as when some Republicans claim that Democrats, liberals, or progressives are without morals. It’s just as bad as when they say we are somehow unpatriotic, or American, because we do not support what some Republicans perceive as a “just” war in Iraq. While we are on the issue of Iraq, let’s not forget that it was also Democrats that stood by the “Chimperor” took us into war in Iraq. I am perfectly aware that they relied upon the information that the president had provided – and in most cases not provided – them, but also keep in mind that there were both Democrats and Republicans who voted against the war in Iraq because they found Bush’s claims lacking in hard evidence.
I will concede that the current crop of Republicans is a nasty bunch, but in my nearly thirty years of life I have seen plenty of actions by them, both privately and publicly, that lead me to believe that there really are “compassionate conservatives.” Bush, however, is most definitely NOT one of them, as he continues to promote an unjust war in Iraq that has resulted in untold numbers of deaths. The Republicans in the last eight years have presented a most despicable face to the world lately. Their recent attempts to change rules to protect one of their own (the toady Delay), trying to put legislation forward to curb individual privacy (income tax inspection by Senators), and their persecution of one of the best president in my lifetime, William Jefferson Clinton, are surely not points of redemption.
At one time I was a Republican, but because of their behavior over the past eight years, I came to realize that the Democratic Party was more closely aligned with my personal ideals. The Democratic Party may not be perfect, and may appear somewhat schizophrenic because it is “big tent,” but, God help me, I love my fellow Democrats for their goodness. The amount of special interest groups under our tent can be a little annoying, and sometimes our rigidness on issues like school prayer or the display of something like the Ten Commandments can be almost as over-the-top as Ashcroft insisting that Lady Justice’s naked breasts be covered. But you know what? Nobody is perfect, and he that claims to be is probably the furthest from it. We’re a dysfunctional family, but we’re a hell of a lot more together than the Republicans who are not unlike a nest of carnivorous beast willing to eat their own if it means saving their own necks.
I believe it is the war in Iraq, irresponsible fiscal policy, selling out to corporation, rampant corruption, and an overtly zealous religious overtone that really influenced my transformation from Republican to Democrat. Among these the sickening war in Iraq has influenced me most. There is a time for war, but if you’re going to go to war, you have to do it for the right reasons. John Kerry lost respect in my eyes when he said he would still go to war based on what he knew, but he was redeemed when personal research revealed that the president has lied, not only to the American people, but also to the Congress. War is a nasty and terrible thing to comment to because it involves actual human sacrifice, and you can’t do it based upon outright lies to the people whom you serve when you only govern with the consent of the governed. Allowing far-right religious fundamentalism to influence public policy is a decision that has always led to oppressive and failed regimes. Quite honestly, if they continue their present course, they are headed toward an implosion that will not soon be forgotten.
Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I see both good and bad in both parties for the reasons I’ve outlined above. It is entirely possible, though highly improbable, that I would switch back to being a Republican, but this is almost unlikely given the direction they’re taking. I adamantly feel that the Democrats, despite their lack of a spin at times, have the best interest of the “great silent majority” at heart – even when that majority has been blinded by lies and political machinations. The majority fails to see that their president has sold them out for corporations and big interest groups, has fought against raising the minimum wage, seeks to kill social security (not privatize), and is not fighting for improved medical benefits for Americans. It is for these reasons, that Democrats are on the moral high-ground in my mind, and given present trends, will more than likely remain so the rest of the days of my present life (incarnation).
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