Dems must remain true to their....mission of fighting...for "little guy. "

[madfloridian]

A friend shared this editorial with me, and I was very impressed.

http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0412/31/A10-44367.htm

Democrats must remain true to their historic mission of fighting for the 'little guy'

SNIP...."Unfortunately, in response to November 2nd some of our Democratic Party leaders have been tripping over each other in a full panic run to "the middle". On Feb. 12 the members of the Democratic National Committee will vote for a new party chair. The new party chair should never even entertain the idea that Democrats only win when they espouse the mediocre center.

There is something inherently troubling with the theory that as Democrats we can only win by becoming more like Republicans. Frankly, I don't want to move towards more tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans at the expense of health care for the majority. I don't want to find middle ground with a pharmaceutical industry that is grossly overcharging the American public. And, I won't budge an inch toward the center on the issue of encouraging American jobs to leave our country and be outsourced to the lowest bidding third world country....."

SNIP..." Not too long ago in our political history, voters had a clear idea what the Democrats stood for: We were the party that fought for the "little guy".

The new chair of the Democratic National Committee will have the daunting task of helping Democrats redefine those core values to a cynical public. He or she must remind Americans we fight for average American families, protecting Social Security from Wall Street give-aways; maintaining Medicare benefits for the dignity of older Americans; demanding health care as a right for all, not the privileged few and fighting for a higher living wage and overtime paid when overtime is worked. If the lessons of past elections are heeded, a return to a progressive economic agenda and the courage to communicate that agenda in clear unequivocal terms will put Democrats in the winning column once again....."END SNIP

Mark T. Gaffney is president of the Michigan state AFL-CIO.

[Name removed]

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