The Legacy of Liberalism
Friday, September 4th, 2009THE LEGACY OF LIBERALISM
I waited to write anything about Senator Ted Kennedy because nothing I could say would belong in the company of those painful but majestic five days last week.
But ten days after his death, I want to contribute one thought about what his life and achievements teach us: we are right, and Americans are grateful for it.
Think about the accomplishments that were celebrated last week. Civil rights. Special education. Health care. Minimum wage. On and on. These are liberal ideas, created and enacted by liberals.
Most important, they are the things that all of America celebrates. It has been that way for 75 years. From the heroic (Social Security, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Medicare) to the fantastic (the GI Bill, Head Start, desegregation of the armed forces) to the vital if taken for granted (the EITC, unemployment insurance, Title IX).
These are truly the things that both chart and define America’s progress. They are celebrated with national pride, not just ideological satisfaction.
Think about it this way: What conservative politician would today propose eliminating any of the programs identified above? Except for a few truly special wingnuts, probably none. Yet their predecessors fought each and every one, and today’s leaders fight against their logical offspring: national health insurance, comprehensive immigration reform, clean energy policy, and on and on.
The obvious lesson here is don’t back down and don’t give in, but there is a deeper meaning in the celebration of Senator Kennedy’s life. It is that America has a liberal soul. Easily scared, sometimes hard to find, and susceptible to sweet conservative nothings, but it is there. Finding it is our job.