Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart delivers an inspiring and motivating manifesto for Democrats eager to turn the nation back on the track of common sense and greatness. His book, The Courage of Our Convictions, serves as a field guide for making the changes that can bring back real moral leadership in ourselves and in our government.
That moral leadership, unlike the vision of the religious right-backed Republicans, is one of inclusivity, liberty for all, justice and community, empowerment and power to the people, with emphasis on preserving the democratic values that promise to leave no American behind. Hart, with tons of political experience under his belt, also uses his educational background and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in politics to mold a workable plan of action that is based upon the successes of our past as a nation, as well as our powerful position as stewards of the planet in the future.
He focuses on the need for strong security without the necessity of empire-building and taking over other nations by force, and he suggests we stop acting like moral crusaders trying to impose our religious will on others. His test of a secure nation goes beyond Iraq to other nations in need of both assistance and diplomacy, restoring strength without destroying liberty.
From the days of Kennedy and Johnson, when the ideas of civic duty and equality for all came into full focus, Hart calls upon Democrats to remember what worked and discard what is not working, instead looking to the very values that this country was founded upon to turn the nation back on track. He urges Democrats to take up a unified call to work for a nation that restores popular sovereignty, encourages civic duty, inspired international alliances, and instills social justice for all. Yet he also asks his party to discard rigid ideology and the lust for empire, which always leads to perpetual war.
You don’t have to be a Democrat to know a good thing when you see it.