In our opinion: We're Democrats and proud of it

It’s not always easy being blue. People sometimes shout hateful things at Democrats. Others believe we’re the anti-Christ. 

Nationally, the Democratic Party isn’t enjoying a moment. Many Americans are unhappy with the party’s performance as leaders of the opposition. We’re not listening, they say. We’re weak, not up to the task.

And yet…

The U.S. would be a very different place were it not for the historic accomplishments of the Democratic Party. In the decades since the Great Depression, Democrats have led the way in adopting approval of progressive, responsive and ground-breaking legislation.

Democrats in Congress – often without a single Republican ally – passed laws creating the Social Security system, Medicare, Medicaid , Obamacare, and civil rights legislation guaranteeing equal opportunities in voting. Democrats ended segregation in public schools and approved federal grant programs for education. They passed legislation mandating a minimum wage, promoted equal opportunity in employment, provided protection against discrimination while on the job, and made it unlawful for employers to discriminate against workers and students with disabilities.

The Democratic Party’s ingenuity, responsiveness, and accountability is alive and well. The party’s commitment to the well-being of all Americans hasn’t diminished. It’s been overshadowed – temporarily, we believe – by the Republican Party’s obsession with dominance and power, its worship at the feet of one man, and its refusal to be responsive, accountable and within the law.

Is it fair to wonder, then, whether the GOP’s hubris can endure beyond the mid-term elections? Is the GOP’s perceived grip on power in Washington, Raleigh and Brunswick County as firm as it would have its diminishing band of followers believe? National polls indicate the great majority of Americans are critical of the president’s policies, which are supported by bootlicking members of Congress, including our own Rep. David Rouzer.

Meanwhile, North Carolinians are wondering why the GOP-led General Assembly continues to aggrandize its power at the expense of a popular governor and approve state laws robbing public schools of resources they desperately need. They’re also wondering why state legislators are imposing restrictions on citizens’ rights to vote while ignoring the perils of forever chemicals and other pollutants in the water we drink.

Brunswick County residents are wondering what it will take to free local government from the iron grip of developers. And when will the all-GOP School Board demand the General Assembly restore the funds it has stolen from public schools?

They may not be perfect, but the fact remains Democrats comprise the only political party in the U.S. that represents the will of the people. It’s fair to ask whether today’s GOP is a party at all, or a co-conspirator in a massive criminal enterprise that’s stealing our money and our freedom.

It’s time for new voices to be heard. It’s time to elect Democrats to the U.S. Congress, the General Assembly, and our county government. It’s time to change our government from red to blue and restore power to the people.