Reject the corporate Democrat.

Turn the Party around by only supporting and electing good Democrats.

!"# %" &'()%*+, %-( .""' /(0"123%

A good Democrat understands that the fundamental threats to our democracy
and our planet come from corporate greed.

The good Democrat seeks office because they have a desire to make a
difference and to be part of the solution; they are not ego-centric nor do they
have a personal agenda. When in office, their positions and actions
consistently focus on the public good.

The good Democrat supports environmental issues, civil rights, womens rights,
LGBT rights, human rights, voting rights, unions, fair wages, public education,
and access to affordable health care.

The good Democrat is staunchly against the privatization of schools, hospitals,
prisons and other institutions that exist for the public good. They recognize
that not every commodity and service should be made into profit vehicles for
the already wealthy in order that they can continually gain at the expense of
the vast majority.

The good Democrat understands the difference between capitalism and
corporatism. They promote fair competition and ethical business practices;
they reject greedy corporations that decimate our communities by contributing
to the inequality and environmental crises.

The good Democrat believes strongly in the separation of church and state.

The good Democrat seeks information and perspectives from community
leaders and experts before acting. They are open and eager to discuss the
positions they take because they know that those decisions come from ethical,
thoughtful deliberation.

Instead of kowtowing to right wing rhetoric in order to get elected and/or
remain in office, the good Democrat creates and uses the truth to craft a
persuasive narrative that wins the hearts and souls of their community.

The good Democrat recognizes that, because we cant out-finance the
billionaires like the Waltons and Koch Brothers, this battle has to be about
solidarity of people. As such, they develop networks of like-minded people
and organizations.

The good Democrat rejects handouts from corporations, and instead, seeks
endorsement and support from individuals, unions, environmental groups, civil
rights groups, human rights groups, etc.

As we sit on an historical threshold, the good Democrat understands that we
need an uprising and that uprising will either take the form of the Democratic
Party leading the way as it did a half-century ago or it will emerge organically
through the streets.

We all acknowledge that corporations have bought out the Republican Party,
and that the right uses religion and slick rhetoric to push through initiatives and
legal decisions that, at every level, elevate and enhance the status of
corporations while diminishing the people and environment.

As stewards of the Democratic Party, we need to start recognizing that
corporations are now buying out many of our own members.

We have a moment in history where we can turn this ship around. We can
defeat the right-wing Republican agenda, but we cant do that by adopting
their positions. We have to consistently identify, support, and elect good
Democrats; Democrats that have widespread appeal to those organizations
that promote and share our values; Democrats that are pro-union, pro-
environment, pro-human rights, and so on.

By building solidarity with unions, environmental, civil and human rights
organizations, we can win elections. There is a path to victory here.

But that path doesnt merge with the Corporate Democrats, the ones who claim
the Democratic Partys values but cross the middle line and step far into the
right. We must force the Democratic Party back to its roots by a wholesale
rejection of the Corporate Democrats.

Shannon Lienhart
Unionist, Public School Teacher, and Democrat (for now)