By Moonlit Penn
You know, in the big scheme of life, it always comes down to two sides. Good and evil. Right and wrong. Heroes and villains.
Politics is no different.
One side is putting people above profit. The other is prioritizing the wealth of the few at the expense of the majority’s wellbeing.
At the same time, one party is flouting a demagogue who is a walking incarnation of the seven deadly sins and pretending he is the second coming. They are passing judgments and following false prophets. And some are doing so in the name of changing the foundational principles of our government. This is an outright sham.
It is also sort of the tale of all times. The working class versus the wealthy, who shackle the working, while dangling scraps and acting like saviors. They use rhetoric that plays to primal fears in order to divide and confuse the masses. The resistors versus the oppressors.
The Democratic Party is the progressive party. It is moving us into the future and only looking behind to right the wrongs of the past in a way that brings us all together. It has been the party that for decades brought together and uplifted underrepresented and disenfranchised portions of our society. It fights for the working class and all who make our society unique and special – rural, urban, regardless of race, gender, creed, or who you love.
It is not perfect, but It is not evil or being controlled by nefarious powers. We do have more in common than what separates us. And these days, the party that is too commonly pointed to as evil (or called “Demoncrats”) is the one that is in action most aligned with the core principles espoused in The Book.
Jesus said to love your neighbor (Mark 12:31) and your enemies (Matthew 5:43–44), that “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20), and “you cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Judgments are not for us to make.
But only one of the parties is truly serving the poor, working class, underserved and underrepresented – all of God’s people – by advancing policy that actually reflects the words of God.
In politics, as in life, no one can be a purist.
The two major political parties represent polar opposing views on the role of government and how it allocates resources to serve its people. There are lots of perspectives between those polar opposites.
Independents often align more often with one side or another, but they do not want to have to defend the actions or platforms of the party. It also helps give them a sense of plausible deniability and a buffer.
In reality, they are being left out of full conversation. And some states, like Pennsylvania, have closed primaries. This means their input is not helping to move the dial for the major party they most closely align with.
Libertarians, the Tea Party and MAGA are examples of how what-could-have-been separatist, right-wing movements were able to successfully work from within a mainstream party, ultimately changing the party to reflect their values.
Liberal independents could do the same. They just have to be willing to register with the Democratic Party to do so.
Ask yourself, is a party that is … making people distrust the journalists, who report on government actions and inform voters; turning people against education, a tool proven to help people rise out of the economic class in which they were born; and making people afraid of vaccines and common sense measures, which have saved countless lives throughout history … really looking out for you, for your community, for the less fortunate?
We are at a crossroads. One side is pushing for a government run by the few, yet powered by the labor of many, and they want to roll back protections and systems that benefit the working class.
The other side is fighting for the little guy, for a government that provides equal rights and protections under the law and that puts its people first. It’s not perfect, but it is democratic. And your voice can make a difference.
Silence — or not taking a side — is complicity.
Who are you fighting for?
If it’s the people, join us.
Rural Progressive Voices 