From an endorsement for David Esrati, who is seeking the nomination to be the Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 3rd District. The endorsement, written by “The Ice Bandit,” is to appear in the DDN:
“Everyone wants to bask in the light of freedom, but few will actively fight for it. David Esrati is one of those exceptions. … But freedom was not won or preserved by the indolent nor the frugal. And as a former Special Forces paratrooper, Esrati knows freedom will always be under assault. This is the metal from which David Esrati was forged; a conviction of what is right and the backbone to see it through.”
Political speech that begins, “freedom will always be under assault,” is generally not speech reflective of the thinking of a progressive Democrat.
The battle for “freedom,” after all, has been a battle won by Republicans, starting with Reagan. And now, we are paying for that libertarian freedom. It was the freedom to drill in deep water, the freedom to ignore regulations, that led to the huge BP oil disaster in the Gulf. It was freedom from financial restraint that caused this economic recession. It was freedom from taxes that led to our huge national debt.
I can’t see the emphasis on “freedom” as being a winning plank, appealing to Democratic primary voters — unless it is given a liberal meaning, freedom for humanity in some larger sense. FDR’s famous 1941 speech outlined a vision of a world that enjoyed four freedoms:
- Freedom of speech and expression
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom from want
- Freedom from fear
FDR’s goal was for “people everywhere in the world” to enjoy these freedoms. Right now, in this part of the world known as Ohio’s 3rd District, there are thousands of citizens who, as our economy continues to slide, have no freedom from fear and no freedom from want. Their freedoms are under assault, and the question is, how should a progressive Democrat respond?
Justice is more important than freedom. More important than fighting for freedom, is fighting for justice, because it is through justice that there is freedom — not vice versa. The endorsement statement, provided for Esrati from the “Ice Bandit,” would be much improved if every reference to “freedom” was replaced with “justice:”
“Everyone wants to bask in the light of justice, but few will actively fight for it. David Esrati is one of those exceptions. … But justice was not won or preserved by the indolent nor the frugal. And as a former Special Forces paratrooper, Esrati knows justice will always be under assault. This is the metal from which David Esrati was forged; a conviction of what is right and the backbone to see it through.”
