There’s an obnoxious phrase uttered constantly at any gathering of Democrats: “It’s wonderful to see so many good Democrats here.” People who cast their votes for Kerry are “good Democrats.” People who show up and vote in the primary are “good Democrats.” Three or more Democrats, upon meeting a candidate, are branded good Democrats.”
(Ironic aside: I keep typing “Goode Democrats.” In the 5th, we call these “Republicans.”)
Maybe this is a regionalism, but I get the sense that it’s a great deal more widespread than that. If this group is the “good Democrats,” I have to wonder who the “bad Democrats” are. Republicans? Do Republicans talk about how great it is to see “so many good Republicans?” Are centrists both bad Democrats and bad Republicans? Is the only qualification to be a good Democrat to be, simply, a Democrat? Should we tighten up this definition a little? Or loosen it up, to maintain our reputation as a big tent party?
I wonder if I am a “good Democrat”? Surely, some would say not. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
Geez, lighten up! “Good Democrats” is about the mildest possible compliment you could pay to the people who are actually willing to do a little more than show up and vote on Election Day (or even more commonly, only in presidential years.) It’s hard enough to get people to volunteer or contribute; how hard do you think it would be if they were greeted as “Democrats who are exactly equal to anyone who ever supports us in any way, except for the fact that you’re here today…” ;-)
Yes, Republicans always talk about all the “good Republicans” in attendance at any given event. Always.
Well, I’m glad we’re not the only ones. :)
I’ve always taken ‘good Democrats’ to refer to particularly active loyalists. Anyone who votes for Democrats regularly is pretty much a regular Democrat is Virginia. In other states it would be if you are registered with the party. But a ‘good Democrat’ shows up for every caucus, comes to conventions, maybe serves on their local committee, volunteers for phonebanking, maybe takes the day off of work on election day to work at the polls. Those kinds of people are the real pulse of a political party. The grassroots. It’s the work of the ‘good Democrats’ throughout the year that gets the regular Democrats up off their keisters to actually vote on the big day.
At any gathering of Democrats, those are usually the people who are in attendence. If you’ve got a conference center packed to capacity, that is a really great sign of a healthy party and it *is* something to applaud. If the crowd is kind of thin and there are a lot of empty seats then you’ve got a problem waiting to happen in November.
It has nothing to do with toeing the official party line on every issue or your positions in intra-party disputes. You can be pro-life and pro-gun (as many VA Democrats are) and still be a good Democrat. It’s about the work that you are willing to do for your party and the fact that you bother to show up at the table with an interest in public affairs.