A Friendly Request of Everyone Please

Some of us here on DU are normally more passionate than analytic. Others are more analytic than passionate. Some are more idealists, others insist on practicality over idealism. This can and often does affect our choice of candidates. That doesn’t make one side or the other inherently “evil”, much as we might be tempted to paint them as such. We simply find ourselves on at slightly different places on the liberal/conservative continuum which runs from pure socialism on one end to totalitarian on the other. Basically, we all advocate for many of the same liberal causes. Some of us are more moderate than others; that’s all, and some are more progressive. However, in the big scheme of things we are not that far apart ideologically; we often make the gaps between our positions seem much larger than they are.

For instance, we may differ on how much to regulate businesses. But none of us here wants to see big corporations be run roughshod over its workers, destroy the environment, destroy their competition and charge monopoly prices for their goods and services. No one on UD wants to experience the results of such a system where a few people are rich and everyone else is poor. On the other hand I haven’t read one post on UD where someone has advocated that the people of this country, through our government. take over all means of production. That would be true socialism, not Bernie’s “Democratic Socialism”.

I’m sure that your can think of many other examples using both the fiscal and social issues, but the truth of the matter is that we and our candidates are all to the left of center to one extent or another on the political continuum. However, few if any of us are as moderate or as far to the left as perhaps we would like to believe. And that goes for our candidates as well. We are far more alike in our political views than different.

I think it is important that we remember that we are all quite different in our political beliefs than most of those who belong to the Republican Party. It is a widely recognized fact that the base of the GOP has pulled their party much further to the right than the Democratic Party has moved to the left. Even their most centralist candidates espouse views which are diametrically opposite of our own. They are not evil either, but we must do what we can within our political system to ensure that their views are not those which will govern our country.

No! I am not demanding, insisting, or even asking that you support the ultimate Democratic nominee, as much as I would like to see you do so. As many have correctly pointed out, your vote is yours to cast as you see fit. Each of us has to live with whatever decision we make. What I am asking each of us is recognize and remember we are all on the same side and to remember who our opposition really is. Then it goes without saying that we should treat one another accordingly. And yes, I need to remember to live up to those standards as well and I will try to do so.