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Friday, February 7, 2014

The Atlantic: Molly Ball: 'No, Leftists Don't Control The Democratic Party'

Source:The Atlantic Magazine- President Bill Clinton, speaking at Mayor Bill DeBlasio's NYC inauguration in 2014 
Source:The Atlantic

To comment on the column in The Atlantic from Molly Ball. Actually Liberals do control the Democratic Party and this goes to the fact of why labels are not only important, but more importantly that people who especially do not follow politics closely understand what these labels mean. And who is a Liberal or a Progressive or a Conservative or a Socialist to use as examples. And not call people Liberals who are not liberal or people who are not conservative, Conservatives. And perhaps most importantly of all because Socialist tends to be used as an insult, do not call people Socialists who are not Socialists.

And because of the lack of political education in America especially as it relates to our political factions or tribes, the best way to judge where America is ideologically is where Americans are on the issues. Instead of how Americans self-describe their own politics. And based on that no matter whatever percentage of Americans are self-described as Liberals, Liberals do very well in this country especially in the Democratic Party, because of where we are as a party and a country on the issues.

1. As a country we want to see more infrastructure investment in the country

2. Tax reform so everyone pays their share of taxes.

3. Equal rights for Gays including marriage and adoption

4. Marijuana legalization and a new approach to the War on Drugs in general

5. Comprehensive immigration reform

6. A national energy policy that moves America to energy independence with Americans natural resources including renewable sources.

7. Civil liberties, privacy and personal freedom in general

8. More education and job training for low-income Americans so they can move up the economic ladder.

All of these issues are liberal democratic issues that bring the Democratic Party together and unites us. What divides us as a party is that not all Democrats are Liberals and I’ll explain that and it goes to my point about labels. That if you are going to label someone, first you better know what the label you give that person means which is very important. But also you better know what the person’s politics are that you are labeling. So you are not falsely labeling someone.

The Democratic Party has three strong political factions. Liberals and Progressives who are two different groups. The JFK Liberal New Democrats that Bill Clinton and his coalition brought to power in the mid and late 1980s as well as 1990s. And the FDR Progressive New Deal Democrats who are much more mainstream and not anti-business, anti-capitalist, anti-private enterprise and anti-military. Unlike today’s so-called Progressives who only call themselves progressive. And the third faction is a more socialist faction, the Far-Left of the party who look more Greens or Democratic Socialists. Than they do Liberals and Progressives.

To know that Liberals run the Democratic Party, just look at the leadership of the Democratic Party. And where they are on those issues that I mentioned and that these are all liberal issues and have liberal positions on those issues. And that it is the Far-Left of the party the big government anti-business and anti-private enterprise in general in some cases who see most Americans except for the poor as under-taxed, who are anti-military and in a lot of cases pro-prohibition and would like to outlaw anything that could be unhealthy for us, as the wing of the Democratic Party without a lot of power.
Andy Wong: John F. Kennedy- 1960 Democratic National Convention Speech

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John F. Kennedy Liberal Democrat

John F. Kennedy Liberal Democrat
Source: U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960