The message of We Still Hold These Truths is even more urgent now than when it was written in 2004. Twenty years ago, I wrote this book because I felt that America and the Democratic Party had lost their way and that it was critical for the future of our democracy and republic to focus on what made America, America, what made it exceptional.
Goaded by Republican demagoguery and caught in economic problems, a fierce anger had arisen among much of the public against the Democrat’s liberal agenda, encouraging Republicans in Congress and state legislatures to destroy much of the progressive framework enacted by government during the past 100 years and attack the process of democracy that has been America's hallmark.
What right-wing pundits started, Donald Trump has honed to perfection: the use of demagoguery and the big lie. With these tools, Trump and the pundits have roused people who were angry and fearful to a fever pitch. And they will believe as fact anything that Trump and his allies tell them.
The issue is no longer the traditional conservative/liberal divide, big versus small government, high versus low taxes. Trump and his allies seek to fundamentally alter the balance that our nation has historically struck between private rights, the public good, and government. At risk are America’s middle class workers, the poor, women's right to control their body, and the environment.
But it gets worse. I did not foresee, even when I wrote the Foreward to the 2018 edition, the depth to which Trump and his allies would set American against American and that they would threaten the very process of democracy – free elections.
Why are so many open to Trump's demagoguery? Democrats must understand that the world as the middle class worker knew it since WWII has slowly been turned upside down over the past 50 years. And Democrats have not focused on their plight. Small wonder they are scared, angry, and alienated.
Democrats must counter this climate of fear and anger by having policies that focus on that plight together with policies that address the common good and the needs of other groups, and communicating their policies more effectively, in a way the average voter gets. And they must label the Republicans for what they are … hypocrites masquerading as the party of the people.
The Party's policies need to clearly establish that Democrats are not just for government of the people and by the people, but for the people. Democrats need to confront the labels of anti-family and anti-American-values that the Republicans have successfully applied to them by showing that their policies, be it the right to an abortion or support for the LBGTQ community, flow from a respect for all Americans, including the traditional white middle class. While we want to shift norms, it must be clear that the white middle class is respected and will not be left behind.
Using the Declaration of Independence as a touchstone, We Still Hold These Truths examines nine key areas of government policy to define “an American manifesto,” a cohesive context for Democratic policies that will resonate with mainstream America. Starting from the premise that all men are created equal and that all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it shows why it is the Democratic Party who is the party of the people, the party of America’s historic values.
And it shows why it is the proper role of government to enact such policies. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men." That is the purpose of government. The mantra started by Ronald Reagan and taken up by the Tea Party Republicans and Trump that, “government is not the solution; government is the problem,” is at odds with not just our founding documents but our history.
For a capsule statement of the book's arguments, click on the following YouTube video:
Goaded by Republican demagoguery and caught in economic problems, a fierce anger had arisen among much of the public against the Democrat’s liberal agenda, encouraging Republicans in Congress and state legislatures to destroy much of the progressive framework enacted by government during the past 100 years and attack the process of democracy that has been America's hallmark.
What right-wing pundits started, Donald Trump has honed to perfection: the use of demagoguery and the big lie. With these tools, Trump and the pundits have roused people who were angry and fearful to a fever pitch. And they will believe as fact anything that Trump and his allies tell them.
The issue is no longer the traditional conservative/liberal divide, big versus small government, high versus low taxes. Trump and his allies seek to fundamentally alter the balance that our nation has historically struck between private rights, the public good, and government. At risk are America’s middle class workers, the poor, women's right to control their body, and the environment.
But it gets worse. I did not foresee, even when I wrote the Foreward to the 2018 edition, the depth to which Trump and his allies would set American against American and that they would threaten the very process of democracy – free elections.
Why are so many open to Trump's demagoguery? Democrats must understand that the world as the middle class worker knew it since WWII has slowly been turned upside down over the past 50 years. And Democrats have not focused on their plight. Small wonder they are scared, angry, and alienated.
Democrats must counter this climate of fear and anger by having policies that focus on that plight together with policies that address the common good and the needs of other groups, and communicating their policies more effectively, in a way the average voter gets. And they must label the Republicans for what they are … hypocrites masquerading as the party of the people.
The Party's policies need to clearly establish that Democrats are not just for government of the people and by the people, but for the people. Democrats need to confront the labels of anti-family and anti-American-values that the Republicans have successfully applied to them by showing that their policies, be it the right to an abortion or support for the LBGTQ community, flow from a respect for all Americans, including the traditional white middle class. While we want to shift norms, it must be clear that the white middle class is respected and will not be left behind.
Using the Declaration of Independence as a touchstone, We Still Hold These Truths examines nine key areas of government policy to define “an American manifesto,” a cohesive context for Democratic policies that will resonate with mainstream America. Starting from the premise that all men are created equal and that all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it shows why it is the Democratic Party who is the party of the people, the party of America’s historic values.
And it shows why it is the proper role of government to enact such policies. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men." That is the purpose of government. The mantra started by Ronald Reagan and taken up by the Tea Party Republicans and Trump that, “government is not the solution; government is the problem,” is at odds with not just our founding documents but our history.
For a capsule statement of the book's arguments, click on the following YouTube video:
