Are these principles acceptable as common ground?

[txaslftist]

I like to think the dems stand for 'the little guy', the wage earner, the small business owner. I like to think we stand for gay rights, affirmative action, gender equality.

I like to think that we are the party closest to personal freedom, whether its drug legalization, gun ownership, freedom from war, freedom from the tyranny of the state. I am a libertarian-democrat, however, so many may not share this view.

I like to think of my party as the party of fiscal responsibility, opposed to reckless and unfunded spending, opposed to robbing the poor to support the rich, opposed to congressional pork, opposed to a mounting deficit, opposed to reckless tax cuts that do not benefit anyone who is not rich.

I like to think my party is opposed to war and foreign adventurism, but that when the cause is truly our nation's protection, we will act firmly and forthrightly. I like to think my party cares about the reputation of the United States throughout the world, and will not slap our old allies in the face just because we can.

I like to think that my party supports science and empiricism over dogma and superstition. That we support the rights of religious minorities like we support all minorities. That we support the public schools as places where a common American identity can be added to supplement each individual student's identity, but not supplant it. That we support public schools as places where academic excellence can be obtained, and where the exceptional should be the norm.

I like to think that Democrats reach out to the disadvantaged and attempt to enable them to climb from poverty...in short we are the party of equal opportunity.

We do not need to heap rewards on the rich and successful; their wealth and success is reward enough. Instead they should assist in the betterment of society because they have achieved greater rewards from that society.

The legitimacy of the election, ie- elimination of fraud, is important. The problem is that if we make this a central issue it just looks like sour grapes because we lost an election. This needs bipartisan support to be effective.

This is the ground upon which we have stood. It is firm and solid ground, earthy democratic ground, and it belongs to our party. We should remember this and make sure that everyone remembers this. We are not Republican-Lites.

[mattclearing]

1. I can agree with all of that.

eom

[eallen]

2. Hear! Hear!

[housewolf]

3. We're also the party of the creatives...

The artists and innovators, those not bound to the past who break from tradition and bring in the new, progressing individauls and society forward to expanded self-expression and freedoms.

We are the party of "the new."

We are the party that treasures the natural world and we recognize the natural world and the environment that it provides us and honor our dependence upon it. We recognize our connection with the earth and are pledged to care for it.

We are the party that nurtures. We are the party that recognizesthe true brotherhood of humanity and that "no man is an island." We care for others, whether we know them or not, whether they look like us or not, whether they live in the same place as we do or not, whether they worship the same as we do or not, because we know that all of us are interdependent and what harms one harms all.

We are the party that looks to the future. We look to the long-term. We know that our time here is transitory and that it is our responsibility to maintain and improve the world we pass on to our children's children and their children.

[txaslftist]

4. A good amendment.

Good points all, pass them on!

We need to remember who we are first, then get into the details!

[Raiden]

5. Couldn't agree more!

BIG KICK :kick:

[DaedelusNemo]

6. Also agreed

Minor quibble - i think that electoral reform should be a major issue, with or without reference to the 2004 election. A transparent, verifiable process with nonpartisan oversight is a bare minimum requirement for a representative democracy.