Proud to be a Democrat
I confess I am a Jackie-come-lately when it comes to being a Democrat. An avid voter since I was 18, I spent most of those decades unenrolled. Yesterday was the Democratic Rally at JFK Plaza, which I attended, along with more than 100 other folks who braved the unseasonably hot weather to stand outside and listen to speeches. The purpose: to come together in a united effort to elect Niki Tsongas to Congress. It was nice to be part of a powerful group joined around a candidate and common issues, but it wasn’t always that way for me. I grew up in a family which took voting seriously, and so each election, my parents would head to City Hall, do their civic duty, and cancel each other out: My father always voted Democrat (a staunch union guy), and my mother always voted Republican. Perhaps that is why, early on, I became so disillusioned with partisan politics. I was determined that for me, voting would never be about party affiliation; it would be the candidates and where they stood on the issues that concerned me. The thing is, a few years ago, I realized that I had always voted Democrat. There had never been a Republican candidate I could support on key issues, and there had never been an Independent candidate I thought could win. So I joined the party. When Deval Patrick entered the race for governor, I wanted to support him in the primary, but first I had to learn what a delegate was and how to become one. Today, I am still learning about the hierarchy and process of being a Democrat. One thing that has remained consistent, however, is when candidates talk about the issues, it is the Democrats who align with my vision for our nation—one that is centered around fair educational and economic opportunities, quality healthcare for all, environmental responsibility, and respect for individual freedom. Although Democrats do not always agree on how to deal with these issues, I have yet to meet a Republican candidate who matched my values. And so I remain, perhaps late to the game, but a Democrat and proud of it.