Week of 1/5: On Progressivism
Friends,
There’s a good chance you’ve already seen our campaign flyer, where we describe our platform as progressive. It’s a label that is important but misunderstood. I want to tell you what progressivism means to me.
Progressivism is simple – it’s about progress! It’s about moving us forward. It’s about fighting for an economy that works for everyone and protecting our rights.
Folks from all walks of life can be progressive. They want clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. They don’t want to be controlled by billionaires. They want good schools, good jobs, and good healthcare. They want life to be more affordable.
History is full of progressive people that were initially portrayed as radical. They may have flaws, but they fought for what we value most today. Theodore Roosevelt brought business and labor together and expanded our national parks. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for women’s suffrage. Frederick Douglass, Bayard Rustin, and MLK Jr. fought for our civil rights. FDR revived our economy and led us to victory in World War 2, resulting in historic prosperity and the development of the 1950’s middle class.
When progressives fight, we fight for you. And we win.
Here’s what I believe: A healthy community requires good public schools, good healthcare, and an economy that works for everyone. You are worth investing in. Your family is more important than a billionaire’s profits. Business that cares about Delaware is good for Delaware.
With attacks on progressive ideas, we’ve become stagnant. We don’t do big things anymore. People are struggling, and everything just feels gray. That’s because we’ve become a nation that values profit over people. American industry and our communities both suffer when the only thing that matters is a decimal point on a spreadsheet.
Progressive ideas are about looking forward to the future. Investing in people first, bringing back American innovation, and doing big things again. Rebuilding American industrial might that is centered around a strong middle class. It’s how we used to be.
And we know what will happen, because it’s happened before: People will move here to raise families. We’ll fix our schools. Businesses will thrive. The tax base will widen and Dover will become less vulnerable to threats from billionaires. We become a healthier community.
If you lift one person, you lift everyone. We all benefit. Left and right. Rich and poor.
That’s not radical. It’s American.
Until next time,
Dr. Rob Bahnsen
Candidate for State Representative, District 12