Organizing for America | Alex MacCallum's Blog: Why Stephen Gave

Why Stephen Gave

By Alexandra MacCallum - Jun 29th, 2007 at 4:09 pm EDT

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Stephen, from Holyoke, Massachusetts joined the movement early. He grew up in an interracial family that stressed values of tolerance and acceptance – qualities he views as the core of liberalism. Stephen is proud to have compassion for others, and sees that compassion in Barack. He talked to me about how how he's proud to be a liberal, and how he thinks what Barack says speaks to the core of liberal values.

As a party, we really have not articulated what liberal values are, and why they're important. We allowed sound bites like the "death tax" or "Fem-Nazi" to take over. I used to tell people that I'm a liberal, not a Democrat, because no Democratic voice was standing up against that.

Barack was the first guy. I don't agree with everything he says but he's opening his mouth. He speaks about liberal values with an "of course they're important" mentality that I think should always be there. We should have compassion for other. He goes in with that as an assumption.

I see that leadership in him -- things like his early opposition to war in Iraq. He makes the decision based on what the situation is, not the latest poll.

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Change | Report to Admin

By Strong Heart Jun 29th 2007 at 5:49 pm EDT

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller

Re: Change | Report to Admin

By TOBBY Jun 29th 2007 at 8:20 pm EDT

Are you inspired? Check this out:

Link

Good point | Report to Admin

By J.C. Jun 30th 2007 at 12:04 am EDT

This is a very good point--Barack the unapologetic liberal--that I don't think I have heard or read before. Having the courage to normalize compassion, even for his political enemies, is a mark of leadership but also has hidden benefits for us all. I remember thinking the country was a better place when Clinton was President because his rhetoric was predominately one of hope--hate his policies or his indiscretions, but I don't think anyone can call Clinton the doom and gloom President. But Bush, granted he got dealt a tough hand, has been all about doom and gloom fear and terror and secrecy and cynicism. That might be what the political landscape requires but weeds grow in its shade and I feel like I live in a country less inclined to help the downtrodden than it was 8 years ago. I am not talking about what is, just what my perception of it is and the language has gotten so negative so extreme that it is harder to see those positive gestures. Katrina will be remembered for what it exposed about our failure to be compassionate, even though many compassionate people did some extraordinary things in its aftermath, mostly because the government failed to step in and said we can fix this we have to fix this. By languishing, the government let the country languish. That Obama would make compassion an essential part of who we are is a good first step to restoring the impulse to help the downtrodden (rather than to deride hem) to the national political discourse. Thanks for this post.

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