Truman

Democrats are not pefect...and no Democrat would ever say they were. But Democrats are the political force that, more than any other, has moved this nation forward since the 1930's. Economic fairness, education, civil rights, the dignity of the working many, populism, progressivism, these have all been DEMOCRATIC values since the 1930's. And largely remain Democratic values despite intraparty infighting, political ups and downs, and despite all the attempts of Greens and Republicans to paint our party differently.

I am often embarassed by the Democratic Party, my Party. But I am far more often proud of my Party, the Democratic Party, not only for what it stands for, but for what it accomplishes and the great leaders it produces. Many Democratic leaders have been flawed, LBJ and Truman in particular. But even the most flawed of Democratic leaders, LBJ, gave America great civil rights legislation, the Great Society, Medicare, Medicaid, and the War on Poverty.

Where Democrats too often fail is not, as the Greens and Republicans would have it, in lacking ideas. The Democratic Party has been, for 70 years now, the primary source of new ideas for American politics even while Republicans simply try to restore pre-1930's ideas over and over again no matter how often they fail. Where Democrats too often fail is in having a lack of good leadership from within. But when that leadership emerges, great ideas and great policies often result.