Wednesday, August 04, 2004
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Excerpts from A LEAP INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE
Anna Quindlen - The Last Word, Newsweek, Aug 9, 2004
My friend, Jaren, says I have to post this, and if any of my readers are from Illinois, get out there and campaign for Obama:
At the end of Barack Obama's keynote speech to the Democratic convention, I stood up and cheered at the TV. I was alone in the den with two dogs, a piece of needlepoint and a cup of Sleepytime tea. I must have looked like a solitary lunatic, but I'm certain I wasn't alone in my reaction.
As much of the country knows by now, the Senate candidate from Illinois is a born orator, passionate yet reasonable in a venue that seems to bring out the inner screamer in even the most seasoned politician. He galvanized a gathering long on orchestration and short on surprises. And one more thing: he revived the power and the glory of American liberalism just by showing up.
We liberals have fallen on hard times in recent elections. At the very least, like feminists, we are not supposed to say our name. Certainly none of the sanctioned speakers were supposed to describe either John Kerry or John Edwards using the L word. That will be left to the Republicans, who will use the description as a pejorative to suggest that the Democratic candidates are out of touch with the moderate values of the American people.
But it's worth remembering that today's moderate values were the liberal notions of yesteryear. Social Security. Integrated schools. A war on poverty. In just one generation we have gone from the dark threat of something labeled socialized medicine to the promise of the same thing, called univeral health care. We liberals have been shamed into thinking our vision failed, when in fact it has simply been absorbed into the national self-portrait. From the idea that a woman ought to have the same legal rights as her male counterparts to the belief that workers should count on being safe from hazardous conditions, formerly liberal principles have become bedrock democracy.
In his speech, Obama reclaimed patriotism and traditional values for liberal activists, who have allowed their detractors to confuse dissent with disloyalty and tolerance with amorality. "There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it," he said. And he added, referring to the great fractured map of Blue Democratic states and Red Republican states that is the legacy of the 2000 election, "We worship an awesome God in the Blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red states. We coach Little League in the Blue states and have gay friends in the Red states."
The American Heritage Dictionary, fourth edition, defines "liberal" this way: "Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behaviors of others; broad-minded." I've always seen it as an ethos in which possibility gets way out in front of reality and takes a flying leap.
Sometimes I fear that politics will never have the will to act audaciously and courageously again. Certainly the divisive and derisive voices of talk radio and TV have managed to suggest that the so-called liberal agenda has outlived any usefulness it might once have had. But remember this: it is not moderation that redresses the great injustices, demands the vote for women or the right of black soldiers to fight alongside white ones.
What she said. Thanks, Ms. Quindlen.
Anna Quindlen - The Last Word, Newsweek, Aug 9, 2004
My friend, Jaren, says I have to post this, and if any of my readers are from Illinois, get out there and campaign for Obama:
At the end of Barack Obama's keynote speech to the Democratic convention, I stood up and cheered at the TV. I was alone in the den with two dogs, a piece of needlepoint and a cup of Sleepytime tea. I must have looked like a solitary lunatic, but I'm certain I wasn't alone in my reaction.
As much of the country knows by now, the Senate candidate from Illinois is a born orator, passionate yet reasonable in a venue that seems to bring out the inner screamer in even the most seasoned politician. He galvanized a gathering long on orchestration and short on surprises. And one more thing: he revived the power and the glory of American liberalism just by showing up.
We liberals have fallen on hard times in recent elections. At the very least, like feminists, we are not supposed to say our name. Certainly none of the sanctioned speakers were supposed to describe either John Kerry or John Edwards using the L word. That will be left to the Republicans, who will use the description as a pejorative to suggest that the Democratic candidates are out of touch with the moderate values of the American people.
But it's worth remembering that today's moderate values were the liberal notions of yesteryear. Social Security. Integrated schools. A war on poverty. In just one generation we have gone from the dark threat of something labeled socialized medicine to the promise of the same thing, called univeral health care. We liberals have been shamed into thinking our vision failed, when in fact it has simply been absorbed into the national self-portrait. From the idea that a woman ought to have the same legal rights as her male counterparts to the belief that workers should count on being safe from hazardous conditions, formerly liberal principles have become bedrock democracy.
In his speech, Obama reclaimed patriotism and traditional values for liberal activists, who have allowed their detractors to confuse dissent with disloyalty and tolerance with amorality. "There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it," he said. And he added, referring to the great fractured map of Blue Democratic states and Red Republican states that is the legacy of the 2000 election, "We worship an awesome God in the Blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red states. We coach Little League in the Blue states and have gay friends in the Red states."
The American Heritage Dictionary, fourth edition, defines "liberal" this way: "Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behaviors of others; broad-minded." I've always seen it as an ethos in which possibility gets way out in front of reality and takes a flying leap.
Sometimes I fear that politics will never have the will to act audaciously and courageously again. Certainly the divisive and derisive voices of talk radio and TV have managed to suggest that the so-called liberal agenda has outlived any usefulness it might once have had. But remember this: it is not moderation that redresses the great injustices, demands the vote for women or the right of black soldiers to fight alongside white ones.
What she said. Thanks, Ms. Quindlen.
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