After watching the recent Democratic convention, I’m feeling good about being a Democrat. Seeing the diversity of the delegates makes me proud that we are a party of inclusion and not exclusion. The multi-ethnicity in the hall was a snapshot of how America will look in the future. I’m glad to be part of the party that embraces diversity and doesn’t fear it. I am happy to support our current President, an intelligent man who learns from his mistakes and believes that the welfare of all is what matters. That government can be a guiding force in people’s lives. The Democrats are the socialistic and environmental conscience of our country. Enacting policies that are charitable to the less fortunate and conscious of how they affect the environment does not always bring immediate results. It takes a certain amount of faith, faith that if one makes the right decisions in the long run good will follow. This is a long range ideology based on optimism and inclusion and not fear and exclusion. Many speakers at the convention made the point that government needs to act for the good of the whole, not just the few. I liked the convention’s theme of “growing America from the middle out and the ground up instead of the top down”. If big companies shared the wealth more among all strata of their employees, the Republicans would have a better argument. Today there is great disparity in large corporations between the upper management and the rest of the employees. Because of this disparity, to say that “companies are people”, as Mitt Romney did, does not ring true. The 99% movement wasn’t mentioned at the convention, but the spirit of the movement was there. Democrats aren’t out to destroy big companies, but to shrink the widening gap between the top few and the rest. Democrats are for government that is smart and works on the people’s behalf. Who, if not our elected officials, will stand up for people’s rights in the face of capitalistic power and money? I like it that the Democrats believe in equal opportunity. That they talked about realizing the dream to enter the middle class and not the dream to become wealthy. It is imperative to our country’s future that we realize when enough is enough. Amassing wealth and material possessions do not translate into happiness, but having one’s share contributes to a better quality of life. I also like that democrats are on the side compassionate side concerning illegal immigrants. I was impressed by Bill Clinton’s speech. If Obama is taking his cues on the economy from him, I believe we’ll be alright. I also thought Michelle gave a great speech. The Obama family feels to me like the 21st century’s version of Camelot. I discovered on the internet that James Taylor entertained the audience, but it wasn’t shown on television. That’s a shame because his appearance would have made a good comparison with Clint Eastwood’s fiasco. Like Clint, JT brought a chair out with him, but as he told the audience, he was just going to sit in it and play music, which he did. I am purposely disregarding the many one-sided polarizing bullshit speeches I heard the other night at the convention, because today I want to feel good about being a Democrat.
