We are not Democrats. Some of us may have checked the Democrat box next to “party affiliation” when registering to vote, but Big Easy Magazine has absolutely no affiliation with any political party. Why then, are we hoping for a blue wave today? As an entity, we are highly motivated by our core values: kindness, compassion, equality, love, justice, and inclusiveness. At this point, Democrats are most demonstrative of these values as they push for control of the country. We see a blue wave–and the Democrats’ potential take-back of the House of Representatives–as a step towards progress.
About Those Values
While we bill ourselves as “Unapologetically Progressive,” this is intended as a description of our core values, rather than an affiliation with any political party. Our core values are kindness, compassion, equality, love, justice, and inclusiveness. We do not see these as controversial. By saying that a verdict must be unanimous for someone to lose their freedom is not radical. To say that children do not belong in cages is not radical. These statements, in fact, are aligned with our core values: justice, compassion, and equality among them. We believe, as Americans, that the values that we stand behind should be reflected in both parties. We are disappointed they are not.The Democratic Party is far from perfect, but we believe their candidates better represent our values than those of the GOP.
Standing up to the Bully
The travel ban. Separating families. A supreme court nominee with a credible accusation of sexual assault against him. Many of President Trump’s policies and actions have been prejudiced and out of line with our values–not to mention out of line with American values and common decency. What makes the president’s decisions worse is the congress that enables him. The Republicans control both houses of congress, and they have been in a position to stand up to the bully in the oval office. They have not. Democrats taking control of congress–the blue wave–will send a message to the president and the Republican Party that they do not speak for this country.
This tweet from Chelsea Peretti perfectly sums up what’s on the line:
Vote like a bunch of school children were shot and a bunch of other children were put into camps indefinitely bc they werent white and like a journalist was murdered and like you are being lied to daily by rich liars who harass / assault women & wont renounce white supremacy
— Chelsea Peretti (@chelseaperetti) November 2, 2018
Rest assured, on November 7, we will return to our progressive roots. We will ask questions and start discussions about the important issues facing our city, state, and country, and we will demand accountability from candidates of any party. But for today, we are watching for progress, and we hope to be riding a blue wave with you tonight.
The Big Easy Magazine editorial board is a diverse group of people who are passionate about encouraging the spread of progressive values such as kindness, compassion, equality, love, justice, and inclusiveness. You can learn more about individual board members here.
