To be clear about my vantage point, I’m a white grandmother, living in suburban America, a faithful Christian and a devout believer in my Creator and our founding fathers’ belief “… that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
My family of origin arrived in America 100 years ago to escape the violence of war and live FREE, only to send their 3 sons into World War II to fight yet again for that FREEDOM. I was born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania to parents whose
second language was English. We were most definitely
Democrats! AND we only knew Democrats! Everyone we knew worked in factories, went to church on Sunday to give thanks, fixed their own cars, ate out of their own gardens and met in each other’s backyard for potluck supper and a game of cards. No one had money to eat out. Dad read the newspaper every day and cursed the Republicans for policies favoring the establishment to the detriment of the “little guy”. Everyone we knew flew the flag on Memorial Day and 4th of July, pledged their allegiance to the flag (hand on heart) and said the Lord’s Prayer before dinner. As Democrats we understood “… ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” – JFK. Our family values were in line with the values of a FREE nation: Faith, Family and Hard Work. We lived the challenge to do what is best for the public good… for a family or nation divided would surely fall.
So, when Dad was laid off from his blue-collar job, mom worked in a factory to provide health insurance for our family and Dad started a Flea Market business instead of collecting unemployment. Taking money from the government was a last resort and unacceptable to many in this generation of proud Americans.
Today my Dad would be a Republican! Today the old Blue Dog Democrats would all be Republicans! Today’s Democrats who look closely at the government policies of the last 20 years, as well as this current administration’s policies, can’t deny that their Democrat policies do not benefit the lower and middle- class Americans. What’s left of the old Democrats who worked to preserve our freedoms and secure “one nation under God” are a few in the old “Blue Dog Coalition which advocates for fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense and a bipartisan consensus rather than conflict with the Republicans”. They look for the compromise from both parties as a group of multi-regional, multi-cultural, men and women. They vote the policies and not the party, they vote for the good of America. These “Blue Dogs” are alive and well but now we should re-name them Blue Dog Republicans!
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