"If Democrats Only Had Some Courage" - Helen Thomas

[_ed_]

Published on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
If Democrats Only Had Some Courage
by Helen Thomas

Washington -- It's about time that the "me too" Democrats, particularly those in Congress who vote with the Republicans so often, stand up and be counted.

Too many Democrats are tiptoeing around the major issues facing our nation, afraid to venture out of the mainstream. This is a big mistake at a time when the nation is begging for true leadership.

Democrats with the courage to be leaders could have a field day pointing out that millions of Americans lack health insurance and that 37 million have fallen below the poverty line. Soon they will no longer be able to claim that theirs is a caring political party because they won't have evidence that this is true.

Take, for example, the case of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

Instead of endorsing universal health care -- a topic that she knows a lot about -- Clinton is busy co-sponsoring with Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, a law to bar desecration of the flag. Has anyone burned a flag lately?

Clinton is a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, which might explain why she's busy pandering to conservatives instead of staking out a leadership role on more important issues.

The Democrats' lack of political courage has left voters with the choice of Republicans who call themselves that -- and Republicans who call themselves Democrats. The result: The GOP gets a free ride.

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Read the rest here: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1213-29.htm

I hope Helen Thomas never retires...

[Cha]

1. Hey, Helen Thomas

can see right through hillary like some of the rest of us.

Thanks, Helen for being out there for us!

If the Democrats only had the courage and wouldn't be afraid they wouldn't be elected again..that is what they're afraid of isn't it?

[lucca]

2. Yes Helen!

To our Democratic leaders:
Our time is now....Please seize the moment..

Eleanor Roosevelt:
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."

Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers."

[katty]

3. Helen, common sense & compassion!