"I'm proud to be a liberal." That was John F. Kennedy back in 1960. You haven't heard too many people in public life saying that in recent years, but I think you'll be hearing a lot more of it.
It's true that right-wing strategists have worked for years to turn 'liberal' into a bad word, even before the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity equated liberalism with America-hating and God-hating.
But Kennedy was right that liberals have a lot to be proud of. Liberal ideals animated our nation's founders and motivated millions of Americans to work for an end to slavery and child labor, for laws protecting civil rights and voting rights, and to challenge deeply rooted discrimination.
The ideals in the Declaration of Independence have inspired generations of Americans and influenced the establishment of liberal democracies around the globe. A free and open society and economy and individual rights such as freedom of religion and protection against unreasonable search and seizure are essential to prevent abuses of power. These liberal ideals were built into our constitutional framework and are central to the American Way.
We urgently need to resurrect them - unchecked executive power has led us down an extraordinarily dangerous path. Justice is in the hands of President Bush and his political cronies, and they have betrayed our ideals by condoning torture and warrantless spying and by undermining constitutional checks and balances.
But our problem is not just an imperial president. Congress has not stepped up to the task of checking the Bush administration's abuse of power. Meanwhile the Supreme Court, which is supposed to guard our liberties, is busy doing the opposite.
With the addition of Bush's nominees - Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito - the Supreme Court is fast erasing a long and proud tradition of protecting the individual from abuses by government and big business. Fortunately voters will have a huge opportunity this November to halt this effort to close the courthouse doors to everyday Americans who are wronged by powerful interests.
This fall, Americans will elect a new president and a number of new senators. They will determine whether or not the court preserves meaningful access to justice over the coming decades. The stakes could not be any higher.
Americans have seen, felt, and paid dearly for the immense damage done to our freedoms, our nation's economy, and our standing in the world by those who revile liberalism. But now the tide is turning and a wave of energy and activism is washing across the country.
Polling confirms that most Americans share "liberal" values and views on crucial issues like healthcare, the environment, the economy, and equal rights for minorities and gays and lesbians. That's even more true for younger Americans of every political and religious stripe. Relevant, a magazine for young evangelicals, recently surveyed its readers: when asked to characterize their "political views on social issues (healthcare, poverty)," the most frequent answer, at 44 percent, was "liberal."
Some of my friends are more comfortable describing themselves as progressive. I understand the power of progressivism, and I, too, embrace it. But I proudly call myself a liberal and am grateful for the opportunity to advance the ideals and constitutional principles at the heart of this country.
Here's Kennedy again: "if by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind," "welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions," "cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties...then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'"
Count me in.
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Posted April 17, 2008 | 11:42 AM (EST)