Reminding Democrats Why They Are Democrats

You may have heard about the devastating debate attacks leveled on Mitt Romney during the first night of the Democratic Convention - in a video tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. 

But that video was much more than just the source of hilarity at RMoney's expense. That video was the inspirational reminder to every Democratic voter in the nation of Who. We. Are. and What. We. Stand. For.

John Nichols at The Nation:

“I love this—seeing that debate again,” said Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, a progressive Democrat and frequent ally of Kennedy in foreign-policy fights with the Bush administration. “You know why Ted Kennedy won that debate? You know why he beat Mitt Romney? Because Ted Kennedy was a real Democrat. He didn’t have to worry about getting the talking points right; he didn’t have to check the polls. He spoke from the heart, spoke for his principles. And people loved it. There’s a lesson there for Democrats this year.”

McGovern hit on something important there. The Kennedy moment at the 2012 convention was not just about recalling a fight with Mitt Romney. It was about renewing a progressive program that is too often tempered and softened by Democrats who do not get it.

It was about being against someone, it was and must be about being for something.

So it was that, when the delegates were done laughing at Romney, the senator took the delegates back to where they came from.

There on the screen was the last of the Kennedy brothers explaining once more the point of debates and campaigns and election victories: to advance not just a candidate, not just a party but a set of ideals: healthcare for all; social justice for people of color, for women, for lesbians and gays and immigrants; economic justice for workers and peace.

“When I stopped crying, I remembered how much we miss him,” said Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy.

“There is a void,” said Congressman McGovern. “Ted Kennedy was the conscience of the party. But he was also the master strategist. He knew that we could win by standing on principle. In fact, that’s the way we win best, and biggest.”

On the other side of the hall, a few minutes later, Ted Kennedy Jr. smiled. “My father comes back every four years to remind Democrats why they are Democrats. He did it one more time.”