The Italian Democratic Party: let’s build bridges!

[demoleft]

A Democratic Party is next-to-come in my country: it will be progressive, a merge of italian social-democratic and social Catholic tradition and cultures.

A party that looks at your American Democratic Party as a big partner for the global challenges, as expressed in the much appreciated discourse by Mr. Dean at the Congress of the Democrats of the Left in Italy last 21 April.

Madfloridian reported the event in her journal, here at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3228271

In the Manifesto the Italian Democratic Party declares that
“We, the democrats, love Italy. We love the rich humanity of its people; its unique patrimony of history, arts and culture; the weaving of gorgeous cities and landscape that have, for centuries, attracted travellers from everywhere. We love the deep attitude of hospitality and solidarity of the Italians, their attention to quality life, their extraordinary ability to produce things the world loves.”

“We democrats trust Italy. Because it’s a vital, creative, active country, with an enterprising spirit. A country that contributed to the welfare of many other nations thanks to the creativeness and tenacity of so many of our country fellows.”
(My translation, nothing official)

Democracy beat the Nazi-fascist and communist systems, states the manifesto using the word “totalitarismo”.
But the challenges we have to face today are also first rate ones.

Democracy is often prisoner of solid privileges, instead of supporting the hopes of the weakest. It has improved life and cultural exchange but is mostly limited within the national limits. It appears feeble when facing global phenomena like those regarding environment and climate change, terrorism, conflicting areas, demographic unbalance, migratory dynamics, inequality among planet areas, economical interests threatening the sovereignty of weak countries and depressing their economic and civil development.

A change in the development model is needed, according to the manifesto, to grant the future generations a good chance to live and prosper.

Basically, the Italian DP overcomes the cold-war divisions between catholics and socialists. But in so doing, it suggests a new point of view for europeans too: progressives parties movements on one side, conservative right-wing parties and movements on the other.

The battleground is everywhere: on Welfare, Job quality, Poverty, Women, Middle East, relationships with growing economies like China, India and Russia, Education, Environment, Communication. The conservative are always there with the worst agenda to realize.

That's why our Secretary of the Democratic of the Left (one of the co-founder parties) said: to be democratic today means to be a socialist, a progressist. And the reverse. As the challenge, today, is on the basics of democracy. Worldwide.

Progressive movements and parties must be inclusive and so a change is needed in the Socialist International and in the European Socialist Party, who last month visited a delegation of Democratic representatives in the USA and that invited Dean in Autumn 2006, as you see in Madfloridian Journal, here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3228271#3228440

The election of Sarkozy and the third chance in a row lost by socialists for the Presidency in France shows once more that socialism alone doesn't win. And it's old fashioned, too.

14 October 2007 the first and founding convention for the Italian Democratic Party will take place. Let’s hope it all goes for the best!

Ciao!

[madfloridian]

1. Nice post and nice journal, demoleft.

:hi:

I just noticed something. I had not noticed the blogroll option in the journals. I need to check that out.

When I read your posts I try to be more openminded about being pulled to the right. The thing is the ones pulling us to the right here got us into Iraq and the bankruptcy bill.

So I try to see both sides. It is hard.

[demoleft]

2. Thank you so much, Madfloridian

I know what you mean. It's so delicate a balance and sometimes it's so hard to be overcome by centrists or by those in your same party who you feel betrayed the real will of the voters.
But the alternative is worse: defeat, a right-wing government, again, for years. Impossible!

I don't know if this is what Dean means when he states Democrats won the Congress because they were united, all the souls of the party. Is that the right meaning of his words?

A centrist now is threatening the balance of my government. He doesn't accept the new electoral system that they're trying to make and that should give the simple majority in polls a full majority in the Parliament.
This means for the future: no room for dozens of parties. DP versus Party of the Freedoms (or how the hell it will be called, the right-wing coalition), and any little party must aggregate or vanish. The centrist is leader of one of the latter: and power makes these people often say with John Milton: it's better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven...

[madfloridian]

3. A little more...

I had written more about this earlier in April, about the New Old Friends. I don't think you saw that post.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1295

I did not realize there was an audio at the article of Our New Old Friends. Interesting.

Also I don't know if I mentioned that Dean was in Europe in September last year as well. I kept the brief clip, but don't have the link.

Howard Dean, Segolene Royal to attend Spanish Socialist congress
Mon Sep 4, 6:14 PM ET

US Democratic Party chief Howard Dean and possible French Socialist
presidential candidate Segolene Royal will attend a conference organised by
Spain's ruling Socialists in mid-September.

It will be the first time that the head of the Democrats will attend such a
conference, Jose Blanco of the Socialist (PSOE) party said.

Royal is expected in Madrid on September 15 and 16 and will take part in a
debate together with Spanish Vice-President Maria Teresa Fernandez de la
Vega, according to a programme published on Monday.

Royal said in a television interview on Monday that she was also due to meet
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero during the visit, who
will close the conference on September 17.

Dean, a vocal opponent of the US invasion of Iraq, serves as chairman of the
Democratic National Committee and ran to be the party's presidential nominee
in 2004, losing the candidacy to John Kerry.

When you asked if what he was trying to say was that we Democrats united to win....yes, that is partly it. I guess you realize Dean himself is/was pretty much centrist....but not in the same way as some others who are trying to control the party and leave us out.

He is trying to keep a lot of people from leaving the party as a result of the war and such things as the bankruptcy bill. Trying for change as well.

This paragraph from New Old Friends pretty well describes what he is about.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200701080020

Howard Dean, leader of the US Democratic Party, was the first-ever mainstream Democrat politician to address the congress of the Party of European Socialists, held last month in Portugal. Ségolène Royal from France, Romano Prodi from Italy, and a gathering of other centre-left prime ministers and party leaders sat as Dean made a classic social-democratic pitch for better wages, stronger labour rights, an end to wars and a united front to tackle global warming.

And may I add, standing up for what we believe in. He has his work cut out for him. The change he wants to bring, to include the people in the party again...is not very welcome by some.

[madfloridian]

4. Something you might like to see or share.

I was going to send you a link by Private Message, but you can't get them yet. This is a comedy satire show, one of the best. Here's the video.

http://www.politicstv.com/blog/?p=2681

[demoleft]

5. The smart guy!

...funny! really funny.
I could not guess Dean was so brilliant, I don't know him well. He's quick and cuts deep if he wants but he does it with lightness, which is a perfect quality in these times as Italo Calvino would say.

Yes, I've been reading parts of your journal. My job on line keeps me away from DU for long hours as I have to read and write things. But I marked the things I have to read and thanks for the links: they're useful to me as a guide to better understand the situation in the American Democratic Party - the differences between the candidates.

So far I'd say I like Dean. Very much. He would make a good President.

Ciao!