There once was a great man who exaplained what Democrats are not standing for. He did this in the most middle of the road, simple manner. He summed up all that we are fighting for, and illustrated how these matter to that elusive creature – the Red State Voter.
He knew we were fighting for:
Freedom of Speech
Freedom from Fear
Freedom to Worship
Freedom from Want
These were the core of the great social contract. This is what the great divide in American, what the fight is about.
Freedom of Speech
Can we criticize the President without being destroyed? Do we risk the ones we love, even the safety of the nation, if we speak up as did Joe Wilson?
Freedom from Fear
Will we live our lives afraid, cowering from the next attack? Or will we follow in the greatest footsteps, and live free from fear?
Freedom to Worship
Is there one law from one God? If the Unitarians and the Presbyterians and the Catholics disagree on a topic, is the answer to change the Constitution to declare one Chruch right?
Freedom from Want
We are a great and rich nation. We have elminated homelessness before. We can again. We have re-envisioned and rebuilt the nation. Shall we be two Americans, one burdened by want and one free from all fetters?
His name was Norman Rockwell. Don’t let the daily reports of corruption undermine the true value of our fight. There are two choices: freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom of speech and freedom of worship. The other choice is fear, obedience, corruption, and legislation of a single view of the face of One Lord Almighty.
http://www.nrm.org/exhibits/current/four-freedoms.html
We have got to remember this and communicate it, even amidst the daily news.
This is a FANTASTIC diary. Thank you for sharing it. I loved the link to the NR exhibit. I will join you in communicating this message. Paz.
Thanks for posting this! I had no idea that the “four freedoms” paintings were from an FDR speech, but it makes sense. Norman Rockwell is today one of those artists associated with Reader’s Digest and is a comfortable icon for the religious right.
The fact that the paintings are almost entirely comprised of WASP folks is probably part of why the images are “comfort food for the right-wing soul.”
The freedom of want picture is eerily like many a Sunday dinner I had at at my in-laws’ farm in Missouri (they were big fans of Reagan and Jerry Falwell), even down to the light streaming in the window behind the pater familias.
Using these paintings as a way to start a conversation with someone from that persuasion would be an excellent way to break through their stereotypes, find common ground, and move them a little to the left (or at least have them decide that we’re not all demons incarnate).
Recommended!