“…The first rule in my book is that we have to stick by the liberal principles of the Democratic Party. We are not going to get anywhere by trimming or appeasing. And we don’t need to try it.
The record the Democratic Party has made in the last 20 years is the greatest political asset any party ever had in the history of the world. We would be foolish to throw it away. There is nothing our enemies would like better and nothing that would do more to help them win an election.
I’ve seen it happen time after time. When the Democratic candidate allows himself to be put on the defensive and starts apologizing for the New Deal and the fair Deal, and says he really doesn’t believe in them, he is sure to lose. The people don’t want a phony Democrat. If it’s a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don’t want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign.
But when a Democratic candidate goes out and explains what the New Deal and fair Deal really are–when he stands up like a man and puts the issues before the people–then Democrats can win, even in places where they have never won before. It has been proven time and again.
We are getting a lot of suggestions to the effect that we ought to water down our platform and abandon parts of our program. These, my friends, are Trojan horse suggestions. I have been in politics for over 30 years, and I know what I am talking about, and I believe I know something about the business. One thing I am sure of: never, never throw away a winning program. This is so elementary that I suspect the people handing out this advice are not really well-wishers of the Democratic Party…” – Harry S Truman – May 17, 1952
In the U.S. Senate on Wednesday:
[….]
Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation Jeff Sessions, of Alabama, to be Attorney General )
Vote Number: 59
Vote Date: February 8, 2017, 06:58 PM
[….]
West Virginia:
Manchin (D-WV), Yea
[emphasis added]
This morning, via Twitter, from Senator Claire McCaskill (D):
Claire McCaskill @clairecmc
List of Things Progressives Should Do Before Primarying Joe Manchin – Medium
[….]
7:54 AM – 13 Feb 2017
My reply:
Michael Bersin @MBersin
@clairecmc A lot of people are quite capable at multi-tasking. We can do both.
8:52 AM – 13 Feb 2017
“…If it’s a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time…”
