Count the Ways ...

The crew over at Under the Golden Dome have a great post up that caught my eye as I was scanning the blog-wire pre-gym. And in the best tradition of lazy fridays, I decided to put off the gym for a bit and tackle a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately - Why am I a Democrat and What's right with the Democratic party.

I'll admit, I've been thinking about the topic on and off since college, but refocused after watching former Governor Mark Warner give his patented "Why I am a Democrat" speech the other week in Manchester, NH. Read it, listen to it, and if you don't get chills, or at least get inspired to think about why you're a Democrat, you should probably double check your pulse.

So why am I a Democrat? I'm a Democrat because the Democratic party is the only party that can play to society's highest ideals instead of its lowest common denominator and push our nation forward, together.

I'm a Democrat because thanks to a polio stricken President, a determined First Lady, and a batch of Southern populists who I'd more often fight against than agree with, millions of senior citizens were lifted out of abject, isolated poverty, and have stayed out of it since.

I'm a Democrat because it was a Democratic president that said "we shall overcome" and made sure we did - - signing the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act, all while waging a War on Poverty.

I'm a Democrat because "the cause endures, the hope lives on and the dream shall never die."

I'm a Democrat because The Peace Corps reaffirmed our commitment to service worldwide, Americorps reaffirmed our commitment to those less fortunate within our borders, and the good work of the thousands who have volunteered in these programs started as a ripple, but became a mighty current.

I'm a Democrat because government isn't always the answer, but it is part of the equation if we want to move toward the more perfect Union that we all hold as our common goal.

I'm a Democrat because in a world of imperfections, no one can expect a party to be perfect, but we can demand that a party constantly work for to improve the lot of those who have been left behind, never forget those who came before, and always think of those who will come later. That is the mission that drives our party and we must never forget it.

Finally, I'm a Democrat because no matter how many statistics, figures, or proofs you show me for why one path is better than the other, none of those matter half as much as the look on the face of grateful student, the smile on the face of a newly employed father, or the relief of a mother who's child has returned home from protecting their nation in these dangerous times. So long as those faces are among us, in their sundry forms, it is our solemn duty to serve them, and I think we'd all agree that the Democratic party is the best vehicle to do just that.