From Left Space

200708241150

Someone called the Thom Hartmann program today with a philosophy that I want to talk about. "Be willing to lose."

The Democratic leadership in Congress is making choices designed to try and maintain their majorities. They are afraid that Impeachement hearings would distract from their legislative goals. They are afraid that voting against funding for the War would allow the Republican Party to claim that they don't support the troops. They are compromising on their principles in order to maintain power, and those compromises are acting as chains that hold back their power, hold back their majorities, and hold them back from being able to connect with the people who elected them.

Be willing to lose.

Be willing to put your principles first. Be willing to reach beyond your limits. Be willing to sacrifice for what you believe in. That's what the American People do every day when they make hard choices. That's what the members of our military do every day on the battlefield. That's what voters do when they choose a candidate and stick with them.

We elected you to lead our country, not to hold us back. We elected you to do your best, and we're not seeing what we voted for. Trust us. You will not lose elections if you follow through on what you believe to be right. And if you do, we try again in 2010. And 2012. This is a democracy, and sometimes we lose elections. We can't expect to win them all. But we have to be willing to lose in order to feel good about what we believe in. Because we know we are right. We just have to convince enough people of that. And compromising our principles will not convince anyone.

Be willing to lose.