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Nov. 19, 2004 I can see how some people may think I “have it out” for the self-proclaimed liberals in the Democratic Party. This is simply not true. I do not think liberals are bad, evil, wrong, stupid or narrow. I do not think there is anything wrong with being a liberal. I simply have a different view on the direction the Democratic Party should be headed in. I have always and will always welcome intelligent conversation with members of any party, no matter what their chosen beliefs. I do not believe for a moment that just because someone wears the badge of “liberal” that their view is any less important than that of a self- proclaimed Moderate. However, there are some men and women who call themselves liberal who I feel do more harm than good. The Democratic Party will never win if it is not united, if moderate and liberal are not together on election day. The Democratic Party can’t afford a radical split like the Republicans suffered in 1912. We must find the middle ground and bring all of the Democratic Party back to it. There are some aspects of social and economic issues in which I am proudly a liberal, just as there are many aspects of this political game where I am a moderate to conservative Democrat. This should not divide us. If my rhetoric, urged on by the poking and prodding of a very small minority of agitators who have perverted and misshapen the word “liberal” to mean something bad, has been offensive to anyone, I offer a heartfelt apology. In using the word “liberal,” I mean it in the strictest sense – a member of the Democratic Party who swings more to the left on issues of social and economic importance than myself. Somewhere along the line, this word, “liberal,” was taken to be an insult, to degrade and deface the character and achievements of those who consider themselves liberal. More than anything, The New Democrat and The New Democratic Plan are two calls for unity within the Democratic Party. Each voter has the God given right to believe however he or she chooses, however far left or right he or she decides to move. When I discuss moderation and “moving to the center,” I speak for the party leadership, for the platform, and for the candidate we nominate. I would never suggest that individual voters sacrifice their political views. We Democrats, all of us, can’t allow a wedge to be driven between us when we must come together once again in unity. If we unite, when we unite, the Democratic Party will finally be able to nominate a moderate candidate that appeals to the masses and gives us the White House – and the representation every American deserves – once again. This is not a time for liberal bashing, as I have been prone to do. It is not a time for name-calling or infighting. Now is the time to shine, to show voters in West Virginia, Ohio, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Florida that the Democratic Party is a diverse organization that can buckle down and nominate a solid, principled moderate. I have and always will be a proud member of the Democratic Party, the party of Jefferson and Jackson, of Truman and Roosevelt, Kennedy and Clinton. We should all be proud to be Democrats. Let us not be divided amongst ourselves, but unite and once again represent the people as best we can. ------------ About the author: Max Burns is a 17-year-old Democrat with moderate, centrist ideals. He blames John Kerry's 2004 loss on John Kerry, and is authoring a pamphlet on how to refine the Democratic Party for Victory in 2008 and beyond. For more information, check out The New Democrat. Read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". Email: DeMBurns@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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