Having lived my entire life in Massachusetts, one might suggest that my political leanings are a product of my environment — full disclosure: I’m a Democrat — considering the Commonwealth’s long-standing reputation as a liberal stronghold. Every two to four years, however, my hometown of Whitman (home of the chocolate chip cookie, for which you can thank me later) joins neighboring Hanson to turn the center of an otherwise blue Plymouth County red. Further complicating such a suggestion is my own family, largely conservative, devoutly Roman Catholic, and majority military. As it turns out, my environment’s a comfortable shade of purple, so what gives? I swear I’m not quoting him because he’s a Democrat, but in my opinion, President Barack Obama said it best. Speaking on the Middle East, the president urged the world to “be on the right side of history.” Applied to the very essence of American liberalism, truer words were never spoken.
Conservatives cast the choice as a simple, mutually exclusive dichotomy in which the only sane world is theirs. The alternative, after all, is something out of “1984,” where — now wait just a minute. Northeastern’s located right here in Boston, the blue-blooded heart of Massachusetts. If you’ve paid any attention during your time here, you’ll know perfectly well how ludicrous an assumption that is. Plenty of people own firearms, gay marriage hasn’t led to polygamy, and Beacon Hill does not mandate that anyone eat broccoli. Liberalism isn’t the ideology of “government knows best,” it’s the idea that we are strongest when we look out for one another. Each and every one of us has incredible potential and worth, even he who has nothing but the clothes on his back. And when life conspires to smother that potential, liberals argue we have a duty to fight back. Consider a world without minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, Medicare, or basic environmental standards. Better yet, head to Snell Library and read up on the old United States, where children were literally worked to death in New England mills, those without wealth died of easily preventable disease, and toxic chemicals clogged the air above New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Not a pretty picture, is it?
Liberals saw all this and dared to dream of something better. Tycoons were brought to heel and held accountable for their corporations, assistance was provided for those who had fallen on hard times, and regulations were enacted to protect the health and safety of the public. Be they Democrats or Republicans, liberals of all stripes fought the good fight for all. Conservatives of their time have warned against the savagery of African-Americans, decried the irresponsible nature of women and bemoaned the moral degradation of a Christian America. And, in time, we have seen a black man in the White House, women voting in a greater proportion than men, and homosexuals and Muslims alike serving openly in our government. There’s a long way to go—for example, I freely admit the welfare system and entitlement programs are badly in need of reform—but the progression is truly staggering. It’s not just Obama that has the right of it, but great men and women going back centuries. Ultimately, liberals have proven that they were on the right side of history at almost every turn. From the Founding Fathers on, the liberal vision is the one that became reality while the conservative alternative faded into memory.
None of this is to say that conservatives haven’t had their triumphs or that they are somehow less capable than liberals. I would suggest, however, that somewhere along the line they lost their way. A philosophy that enshrines individual liberty now calls for government intervention in the bedroom; a “rising tide” to lift all ships has instead skyrocketed a few while plummeting the rest. Our nation’s legislature is less popular than socialism (true story; in related news, it’s also less popular than abortion and torture) and our income inequality is among the worst in the Western world. With the worst economic downturn in nearly a century laid squarely at the feet of conservatives’ cowboy capitalism, is it any wonder the world has become disillusioned with American leadership? Liberals certainly don’t have all the answers, but they’re on the right track; equal rights all around, a free market with sensible watchdogs, and a dedication to shared sacrifice as well as shared prosperity. The endgame isn’t a commune but a community, and where liberalism comes up short, we’re willing to turn to conservatism for answers—just look at health care reform, the individual insurance mandate of which is pulled directly from the original Republican proposal. Not one philosophy has it all figured out, and liberals acknowledge that.
To put it simply, I’m a liberal because I want to be on that right side of history. I want to stand alongside Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, and both Roosevelts. Because it’s not whether you’re red or blue, it’s whether you believe in that brighter future. Liberals saw to it that a black man could take the presidency and a woman could nearly beat him to it. They ensured that our businesses would act responsibly even when they came to dominate the global economy. And one day we’ll look back and remember how they made certain we took another step forward when some wanted to stand still or go back.
– Daniel Shea is a junior political science and economics major.
