The Liberal Patriot

How Can There Be Unity in the Democratic Party When Liberals are Shunned?

Mary MacElveen - July 26, 2005

I was very angry when Karl Rove stated, "liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." As a liberal, what I demanded from my government was a proportionate response to that devastating attack on our country. Yes, I wanted us to fight back and cared very little to offer therapy for those who attacked us. But, this government has yet to capture the master mind of this attack, Osama bin Laden, liberals like me have been screaming for his very capture. But, I have already addressed that issue in past editorials.

I can see right wing reactionaries such as Karl Rove making such a statement when it comes to liberals, but what I cannot understand for the life of me is where I see Democrats running away from being type cast as liberals.

Why is it that time and time again liberals are asked to come to the center for party unity? I state this question as I read an outrageous headline, “Sen. Clinton works to shed liberal image, calls for party unity” As of now, she is seen as the front runner for a possible presidential run in 2008. Is she listening to folks like Karl Rove who openly is hostile to liberals?

Within this article Senator Clinton calls for a “truce between the liberal and centrist wings of her Democratic Party and a platform that bridges differences as she positions herself for a possible bid for the presidency.” I am sorry but as a liberal and seeing too many of my beliefs not represented in Washington, D.C., I do not feel like partaking in any truce. My beliefs have been steam rolled over time and time again.

After September 11th, a bill was signed into law called the U.S.A. Patriot Act which many liberals icluding me opposed. All of our Democratic senators with the exception of Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin signed the act. It was voted on just one month after that horrific attack. You would think that a bill which would change our jurisprudence in this country would further be debated before being signed into law. As we all know it was not. It was rammed down our throats.

Many of our Democratic leaders signed Bush’s tax reduction bill that drained our reserves, thereby destroying a once healthy surplus and turning it into a massive deficit. It was liberals like me who opposed it because we saw the danger in such a give away program. Basically, this tax deduction should have been called, “The Welfare for the Rich Bill”

What angers me the most as we liberals are called to reach out to the centrists within our party and where we were NOT LISTENED to is when it came to opposing the “Bush War”. We marched in the millions and this government did not hear us. It angers me that senators like Senator Clinton voted for this war. A war based on lies. Here we were trying to save lives and protect an innocent people, yet she voted for it. Liberals like me were trying to protect our men and women in the armed services. The death toll of US soldiers is now almost 1,800. But, our voices were summarily dismissed. I have seen the horrific images coming out of Iraq and for the life of me cannot understand Democrats who sided with Pres. Bush. I have even faxed those very images to her (Sen. Clinton’s) office. So far, no reply back. As it turns out, it was liberals like me and not the centrists of this party who were right when it came to opposing this “Bush War”.

As I read the above cited article this passage jumped out at me “Elizabeth Kennedy Lawlor, a Democrat from Alabama who waited eagerly after the speech for Clinton to autograph her latest book, "Living History." "She's a fighter. She's a survivor." She may be living history since she is the first ever elected former First Lady. As we all know she is a survivor, but what I question is her ability to fight for my ‘liberal’ beliefs. Yes, she is trying to find common ground when it comes to abortion, but do you think one moment that conservatives would like to find common ground with liberals?

On May 11, 2005, I fired off an angry fax to both Senator Clinton as well as Senator Schumer when all 100 senators voted on Pres. Bush’s $82 billion dollar war operations package. Contained within my fax to both senators I brought up these points, “I read where a $600 million dollar American embassy will be built in Iraq while seniors are left to suffer here in America under Pres. Bush’s Medicare bill which would have them choosing between taking their medications or eating. Where their food stamps would be cut in order to continue getting the benefits they now presently receive. I am angry where many states are looking to scale back on their Medicaid roles and are even heinous enough to drop the poorest of the poor from these roles.” Again, liberals like me were not listened to and where no feed back has been received by me from both senators. Liberals like me want our nation’s most vulnerable citizen’s needs met before building such an elaborate embassy over in Iraq.

Also contained within my fax to both senators I stated , “Halliburton will be rewarded by the military a $72 million dollar bonus while many in America go without health care and go hungry and I am fed up with not only the Democratic leadership within the federal government but the Republican leadership as well. According to Rep. John Murtha (D) who is on the Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee stated this package will pay for war costs through September and where the Army already is discussing needing another spending bill as early as August.” Will all of you approve of such a measure? My gut feeling says yes.”

Right now as it stands, I am tired of ceding anything to the centrists and offering my throat to the conservatives. I do not want a truce, what I want is for the Democratic leadership in our party to start representing our views and more importantly fighting for them. Leadership in my opinion is making a case to the American people why one’s position is correct and I think it is about time we had a new liberal leadership within our party who are willing to make the case to the American people. I am also tired of being branded a traitor because of my liberal beliefs.

As it stands now, I am not excited about Senator Clinton’s possible run for the presidency of the United States. I know that will bring me harsh words from her ardent supporters out there, but as an American first and liberal second, I must hold to my beliefs.

I am a liberal and a patriotic one at that. To those who say liberals hate this country, I will categorically go on record and say, “You are wrong!” My end message to the Democratic Party is that I am tired of being shunned within the party. As we have seen the splintering of the AFL-CIO where it is now worrying many Democrats: Do you really wish to splinter the Democratic Party by angering the liberal base of the party? The call is yours.

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