We Still Hold These Truths

Author: Ronald Hirsch ISBN 1-58939-587-5 (softcover) 108 Pages The message of We Still Hold These Truths is even more urgent now than when it was written in 2004. Goaded by Republican demagoguery and caught in an economic malaise and the pandemic, a fierce anger arose among much of the public against the Democrat's progressive agenda, encouraging Republicans in Congress and state legislatures to destroy much of the progressive framework enacted by government during the past 100 years and attack the process of democracy that has been America's hallmark. What right-wing pundits started, Donald Trump honed to perfection in the 2016 campaign and his presidency:  the use of demagoguery and the big lie. With these tools, Trump and the pundits have roused people who were angry and fearful to a fever pitch.  And they will believe as fact anything that Trump and his allies tell them. The issue is no longer the traditional conservative/liberal divide,  big versus small government, high versus low taxes.  Trump and his allies seek to fundamentally alter the balance that our nation has historically struck between private rights, the public good, and government.  At risk are America's middle class, the poor, and the environment.  But that's not the worst of it.   I did not foresee, even when I wrote the Foreward to the 2018 edition, the depth to which Trump and his allies would set American against American and that they would threaten the very process of democracy - free elections. ​Democrats must understand that the world as the middle class knew it since WWII has slowly been turned upside down over the past 50 years.  Small wonder they are scared, angry, and alienated.  Democrats must counter this climate of fear and anger by communicating policies to counter this trend more effectively, in a way the average voter gets; it is we who are the party of the people.  And by labeling the Republicans for what they are ... hypocrites masquerading as the party of the people.  Those policies need to clearly establish that Democrats are not just for government of the people and by the people, but for the people.  Democrats need to confront the labels of anti-family and anti-American-values that the Republicans have successfully applied to them by showing that their policies, be it policies that support the family or be it the right to an abortion or support for the LBGTQ community, flow from a respect for all Americans, including the traditional white middle class, as called for in the Declaration of Independence.   It must be clear that the white middle class is respected and is an important part of our vision for a stronger future America. Using the Declaration of Independence as a touchstone, We Still Hold These Truths examines nine key areas of government policy to define "an American manifesto," a cohesive context for Democratic policies that will resonate with mainstream America. Starting from the premise that all men are created equal and that all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it shows why it is the Democratic Party who is the party of the people, the party of America's historic values. And it shows why it is the proper role of government to enact such policies.  As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men."  That is the role of government.  The mantra started by Ronald Reagan and taken up by the Tea Party Republicans and Trump that, "government is not the solution; government is the problem," is at odds with not just our founding documents but our history. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Throughout Ron Hirsch's varied career - as a teacher, a legal aid lawyer, a survey researcher, a nonprofit executive, a composer, and a volunteer - he has worked to help others. A graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School, he has developed position papers on a wide range of social policy issues, seen first hand the devastating powerlessness of the poor, helped create social service projects that involved thousands of lawyers throughout the country, and authored three groundbreaking works on the legal profession. Ron Hirsch grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania and resides in Chicago and the Saugatuck/Douglas area of Michigan, where, as a volunteer, he works to preserve its village/rural character and tutors children at the local elementary school.