What is a Democrat? Why is it so hard to define, and why do we keep letting the Republicans do it? Why do we squabble when we should be united? Why do we drift endlessly into policy disputes when bigger things are at stake?
We have core values. We have basic truths that each and every one of us believe in, regardless of who we are. We have universal truths that are American to their core, values that have their roots in the Declaration of Independence, values that appeal beyond our party. We’ve waffled around long enough. We need to proclaim these values. Now. Publicly. Before it’s too late.
This is a unique moment in American history. Enormous change is underway, change that offers enormous progress on one hand, instability and Reaction on the other. If we want to lead America forward through this, if we want to move this nation towards a more just society for decades to come, then we need to show that we are more than just a political organization. We need to show that we are more than “the other party”. We need to set out a beacon that everyone can see. We need to proclaim a statement of basic values that even our opponents can’t deny, a creed that rises above politics, a creed that not only says “this is us”, it says “this is America!”.
DEMOCRATS 101 is about an idea: that we need to see our future in bigger terms than politics and campaigns. DEMOCRATS 101 is about starting a national discussion, a movement by rank and file to put us on the proper path to navigate the uncertainty that is going to surround us for the next twenty years.
This book is not the answer, it’s about finding the answer. It’s about how we got into this mess, and how we get out. It’s about finding our basic values. If you care about the Democratic Party, if you believe we can be more than just a political party, DEMOCRATS 101 is a place to start. As one supporter put it, "This book makes me proud to be a Democrat.”
J.M. Purvis is a transplanted Midwesterner who loves good coffee, talking with friends, and rooting (hopefully) for the Knicks. He is also a military veteran (combat), a former journalist, and currently teaches at New York University. J.M. has watched this country change for a very long time, both politically and culturally. He has watched the enormous social progress that has resulted, uneven and often unsure, but always there. He has watched the Reaction as well, the forces opposed to change that are trying so hard to force us back. 2016 was a catalyst, a moment that led him to the realize that America had arrived at a crossroads, a moral turning point much bigger than politics and elections, and that if we Democrats .. the only real party left .. don't grasp that, the country is in trouble. He waited patiently for someone else to write about it, to produce something in the vein of Common Sense, but no one did. And so Democrats 101 was born.
