"Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke. They stand four-square for the American home — but not for housing. They are strong for labor — but they are stronger for restricting labor’s rights. They favor minimum wage — the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all — but they won’t spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine — for people who can afford them. They consider electrical power a great blessing — but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They think American standard of living is a fine thing — so long as it doesn’t spread to all the people. And they admire of Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it. Now, my friends, that is the Wall Street Republican way of life. But there is another way — there is another way — the Democratic way, the way of the Democratic Party."
(Source.)
According to Snopes this is from a speech that President Truman gave back in 1948, but it could just as easily be given by a Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, or even Bernie Sanders today, and be just as timely.
The Democrats have had a powerful message for decades, and yet often we seem to be the worst people imaginable to actually deliver it to the American voters.
It is not so much our policies that need to change, but rather our ability to brag about how awesome they are for everyday people in this country.
God bless Harry Truman! His words should introduce every Democratic National Convention. Nothing has changed with the GOP except that it has gotten even meaner since the 21st century billionaires and millionaires have such utter contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
I see it time and again on any right wing site. Waving the constitution with no idea of what it says nor means.
DeleteI believe the message has been getting out to everyday people, but those people are scared and insecure and easily led by those fears. Those same people only want to see things in terms of black and white, bad vs. good, us against them! You are either with us, or against us. That way of thinking requires little thought, almost no compassion. The rich think that way and they have now gotten many poor people to think the same way. You actually have poor people defending the rich! While the rich try to pretend they are poor to get more tax breaks. You know this society is doomed when you have dual epidemics of poverty/starvation, while another group is dying of hoarding and obesity. Teaching compassion and helping others is still the best way forward. And you should do kind acts with no expectation of a big thank you, or being 'owed' anything in return, do those kind acts because it is the decent, human thing to do. That is the message that needs to taught and will resonate far better than any political messages.
ReplyDeleteThe sad reality is that too many Americans, those everyday, scared and insecure people you talk about, get all of their information from Fox News. They do not read newspapers and they would never even think of getting news from any source other than Fox. So they never get the facts about the political party that they continually entrust their lives, and ours, to.
DeleteFor example, during the 2004, when, for some unknowable reason, a big issue (other than abortion and guns) was the federal estate tax (known by Fox News as the "death tax." Really poor farmers in our area had huge Bush/Cheney signs on their properties along with signs promoting right-to-life, guns and repeal of the "death tax," as if any of them would ever be wealthy enough to have to pay the federal estate tax. They also had no idea that no Democrat would require their wives/daughters to have abortions or, more importantly for them, no Democrat would take their guns away.
When the Democrats actually won the White House, in 2008 and 2012, these same everyday, scared and insecure people were shocked and easily convinced by Fox and the GOP that the Democratic victories had to have been crooked. After all, the man elected was of mixes race and had a father born in an African country.
Being kind to these everyday, scared and insecure people is what Democrats have always done and it is a historical fact that the national economy always does better when Democrats are in power but, as long as these folks refuse to see that they've been used/abused by the GOP for over a century now, they will continue as before - scared, insecure and willfully ignorant and totally dependent on GOP propaganda via Fox News.
Beaglemom
"That way of thinking requires little thought, almost no compassion."
DeleteHow often do we read about a Republican who supported GOP policies right up until those same policies hurt them personally?
'Get the government out of health care...but don't touch my Medicare.'
'LGBT people are disgusting and shouldn't get equal rights. Oh wait a minute, my son just told me he's gay so don't discriminate against him.'
'People who get welfare and food stamps are just lazy and don't deserve them, but I worked hard so I should get them when my company lays me off.'
'There are too many rules about the environment and the free market will make companies do the right thing. Who do I complain to because the factory in my town dumped pollution in my stream and it's making me sick?'
'Defund Planned Parenthood and make abortion illegal, but only after you take care of that little problem my teenage daughter has from being seduced by her no-good boyfriend.'
Another good quote this one by Truman's predecessor FDR-Let me warn you, and let me warn the nation, against the smooth evasion that says: "Of course we believe these things. We believe in social security. We believe in work for the unemployed. We believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts and hope to die! We believe in all these things. But we do not like the way that the present administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We will do all of them, we will do more of them, we will do them better and, most important of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything!"
ReplyDeleteJarhead never read that. He said he read everythong.
ReplyDeleteInteresting isn't it how the long-ago words of President Truman match so closely to our goings on today! We never seem to learn and that is so sad!
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't it rather strange that Goldwater lost the election as a republican when he made his speech about the religious right taking over the republican party?
ReplyDeleteI mean, even as a republican he nailed them exactly.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/777519-mark-my-word-if-and-when-these-preachers-get-control
Once in a while there are republicans who actually WANT to do the right thing. Not often, mind you, just once in a while.
Like Eisenhower tried with his warning about the military industrial complex.
So nothing has really changed at all. If anything, all sides have become even more extreme and entrenched.
DeleteModern Republicans (21st century type) will never put the good of the whole of society above the needs of the very wealthiest. Goldwater was conservative, very conservative for his day, but he was intelligent and cared about the country. Eisenhower was pretty apolitical until he ran for president in 1952 so his interests had been shaped by his previous experiences, especially by having led the troops to victory in Europe. Both of these men had served their country during WWII and understood the sacrifices made by their fellow ordinary Americans during that period and they were a product of the Great Depression. Modern, 21st century Republicans could not care less about ordinary people. It's not so much that "all sides have become more extreme," It's that the 21st century GOP has no interest in or memory of the past.
DeleteBeaglemom
70 years and nothing has changed.
ReplyDeleteThis speech could be given over and over by every Democratic candidate running and broadcast over every media imaginable and nothing would change.
The Republicans and their Deplorables are entrenched and nothing is going to change their minds or their votes.
In many ways, that 1944 Truman speech has been given again and again by Democratic candidates and totally ignored by both the media and those voters who would never think of voting in their own best economic or social or historical interests. They've been schooled by the GOP for over a century now to believe that what helps people is actually good for them so they vote to make the rich richer, the poor poorer and those in the middle less able to make advances in society.
DeleteBeaglemom
So good - thank you!
ReplyDeleteI dug up the entire speech. It's pretty awesome.Here's the link: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=13046
ReplyDeleteIf Harry was giving the speech today he might have added a few things, perhaps:
ReplyDelete-- Republicans are all for Women's Rights, as long as it isn't the right to control their own bodies or the right of equal pay for equal work.
-- Republicans support Civil Rights, as long at those rights aren't actually implemented in a way that might be construed as fair.
-- Republicans approve of Gay Marriage, after all, marriage between a man and a woman should be happy!
-- Republicans believe the climate is changing, but not that human activity could be a significant contributing factor -- because that would limit the amount of funding received from those patriotic energy companies.
-- Republicans support Freedom of Religion, as long as they are free to support whichever religion means the most votes for them.
Maybe it should have been "Republicans reluctantly believe the climate is changing . . .
Delete