DEMS 101 GOES TO THE DNC
Newsletter #63 / August 19, 2024
Yes! Democrats 101 is present at the Democratic National Convention. Look for our new a just society .. as long as it takes bracelets on delegates’ wrists, and the Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity cards and definitions being passed around. We are truly thrilled that the Harris campaign has taken up the cry of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity. Those three words are Democrats in a nutshell. They are what it means to be a true American.
The new bracelets are out .. a just society .. as long as it takes.. what the better-dressed delegates are wearing at the Democratic National Convention! Why not get them for your own Democrats? Soon to be available in the Store, on the Dems101.org website.
Attention Campaigning with Values and Vision is coming, and very soon. It’s chock full of ways to inject those very same ideas of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity into your local campaigns, how to make it real and get results. Remember: it will be available to every organization that has adopted the Democratic Creed. Act now! Join the grassroots community that is growing fast, across fourteen states.
A message from southern Ohio: Why adopt the Creed
America is based on an idea: that “we are created equal, endowed from birth with the rights to life, liberty and opportunity.”
The Democratic Party was born from this idea, birthed in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt who, with the New Deal, began our long, unfinished journey towards “a just society…as long as it takes.“
We are heirs to that journey. As Democrats spread all across this country, we are quite simply a community of values. At the core of that community are the six values in the Democratic Creed. Those values represent democracy. They are inspired by the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights – the founding documents of the United States of America.
These universal values unite and reflect us. They give us a true foundation for
political campaigns, speeches, social media posts, and canvassing conversations. And they contrast sharply with the ugly values aspired to by the Republican party. Here is one example of those contrasting values:
The very first value of the Democratic Creed is “We believe all people are created equal, that this is America's fundamental ideal.” Each and every one of us believes this. On the other side, Republicans play to white supremacy. They target and demonize people of color, women and immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s no accident that the Kamala Harris campaign is using Freedom, Justice, and
Opportunity as a campaign theme. It’s the same reason Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity are embedded deep in the Democratic Creed. Democrats are the champions of these values. We are America’s champion, and we need to raise the banner.
Democrats 101 is a national grassroots movement dedicated to resurrecting the identity of the Democratic Party around these core values, with the long term mission of bringing about a just society…as long as it takes!
Dems101 is reminding the American people that we are more than just a political party, that we represent Hope and making the future work for everyone. Dems 101 strives to promote the values in the Democratic Creed, to make them literally America’s values.
As Democrats, we need a clear standard to live up to, a vision to strive for. By adopting the Democratic Creed, you are providing that standard, and in the process you will be changing the American political dynamic forever. Instead of being a traditional political party that does the same things over and over, we Dems will become America’s true moral leader, be seen as such. In time, through the power of moral leadership, we will achieve a political supermajority, enabling us to truly change society for the better.
The changes and challenges this country will face over the coming decades will dwarf everything we’ve seen so far. Coping with all that and finding the necessary wisdom, means finding a North Star to follow. That means establishing vision and values .. identity ..is fundamental to our success. The Democratic Creed is that genesis, our inspiration.
There is a national hunger for unity. With the ascension of Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and VP Tim Walz, the political situation is changing rapidly. Our future President and Vice President have held our party up as the champions of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity. Now it’s time for all of us to take this up. For the election? Sure. But our true mission extends far beyond, beyond the next election and the ones after that. It extends until we have truly achieved that just society, once and for all.
Adopt the Democratic Creed, and do it now! Join the movement that is reshaping rural America from the grassroots up. Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity indeed!
Tim Benford, Vice Chair, South Dayton Democratic Club
