Freedom and Fairness (Slogans for Democrats)

I live in La-La land, literally and figuratively, but even here we have heard that the Democrats need something to stand for, or a quick way of saying what they stand for. Or something. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I’m in the class of people that Molly Ivins ^[1] (whom I love and respect) recently called “morons.” One of those people who believes a (fair) tax code could fit on a postcard, and that what The System needs is a complete, not-in-the-sphere-of-practical-politics overhaul.

However, I’m a moron who’s a friend of the cause, and as Karl Rove has shown, morons can be useful. I’m not remotely in his league (the bush-leagues as they were called by a “well-placed source” ^[2]), but even microscopic contributions add up.

So here they are.

Freedom and Fairness.

These two words summarize the lion’s share of issues these days.
Some issues of freedom with landslide levels of support:

• Freedom in your bedroom (but not in anybody else’s).
• Freedom from spam.
• Freedom from all use of personal data, except for specific, uncoerced requests.
• And, while we’re at it, freedom to have free wifi, whether Verizon likes it or not.

Some issues of fairness with landslide levels of support:

• Universal health care. (There’s something sick about lives depending on the ability to pay.)
• HIV prevention and research. (See previous.)
• National and international birth control programs. (See previous.)
• Stem cell research. (See previous.)
• A military with fair recruitment policies, fair veterans’ policies, and deployed in response to fair foreign policies. (Now that would be a huge change!)

I bet James Carville could turn something like this into a real campaign.

Update, Oct 25. I hear the Democratic powers-that-be are bandying around “Together we can do better.” Yeah. True. Not terribly exciting, though. Who wants to just do “better”? Shoot for the stars. Any damn fool can hit the ground.