William Martin - What Liberals Believe: The Best Progressive Quotes Ever

Praise for What Liberals Believe

What a wonderful collection of invaluable quotes!

Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation and author of Taking Back America:And Taking Down the Radical Right

Every speaker needs great quotes. And if youre like me, you can use a little progressive inspiration now and then. William Martins book provides both.

Gloria Feldt, author, lecturer, womens rights activist, and former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America

William Martin has become the ultimate quotographer of the American Left! Revel in these quotations. Spread them liberally. Take them to heart. And then act on them!

Jim Hightower, national radio commentator and author of Thieves in High Places

A treasure chest of wisdom from the port side.

Alfie Kohn, author of No Contest: The Case Against Competition and Punished by Rewards

Wow. What a research job. What a resource!

Eric Alterman, author of When Presidents Lie and What Liberal Media? and columnist for The Nation

A quotation book that is pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-civil rights, pro-civil liberties, pro-union, and pro all the things that really matter. In short, a quote book that wont just sit on the shelf.

Frances Kissling, former president of Catholics for a Free Choice

An invaluable resource for spreading the word and for understanding the progressive legacy.

Tom Hayden, anti-war activist, author of the Port Huron Statement, and one of the founders of the Students for a Democratic Society

From A to Z, this book covers the tumultuous political waterfront with quotations that often go to the eye of the storm. William Martin has gathered thousands of quotes that speak to us with concise clarity. Turn to any page and start reading; youll probably be hooked within seconds.

Norman Solomon, author of War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

This marvelous collection of progressive insights is bound to provoke much-needed inspiration, thought, and action.

Joel Bakan, professor of law at the University of British Columbia, filmmaker, and author of The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power

An entertaining and convenient resource for all who seek to convey progressive values, the nastiness of the Far Right, or the moral mushiness of the so-called center. With abundant material to inspire or outrage, this is an essential collection of quotations for progressive speakers, writers, and thinkers.

Mayor Ross C. Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake City, Utah

Words well-assembled give us good maps for our lives in the world. William Martin does skillful service in assembling quotations that capture the dangerous half-hidden reality in todays America, teetering as it is on the edge of losing us our American heritage as citizens in a constitutional democracy.

Andrew Bard Schmookler, author of The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution

Grist for the debate. This is a valuable resource for progressive advocates.

Robert L. Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for Americas Future

This comprehensive compendium of quotations should be within arms reach of any progressive concerned about the corporate takeover of the Democratic Party, indeed of our entire society.

Charlie Cray, director of the Center for Corporate Policy and coauthor of The Peoples Business: Controlling Corporations and Restoring Democracy

William Martins collection of enlightening and energizing quotations illustrates the storied history of our liberal values while providing a roadmap for a strong progressive future. Read it, quote it yourself, but most importantly, take action.

Amy Isaacs, national director of Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)

An indispensable reference tool for writers, researchers, and reformers William Martin has done a public service by giving us a window into the soul of liberalism.

David Morris, columnist and co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance

William Martins new compendium of progressive voices reflecting the values that inform our work and our politics is a timely reminder that no political party or social movement has a monopoly on valueseven explicitly religious values.

Rev. Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, executive director of Political Research Associates, board member of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and former chair of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

Also by

WILLIAM MARTIN

The Best Liberal Quotes Ever: Why the Left Is Right

Copyright 2012 by William Martin

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

www.skyhorsepublishing.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61608-883-5

Printed in the United States of America

For Mar,

lover of nature, protector of underdogs,
and collector of small shiny objects

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION:
WHAT DO LIBERALS BELIEVE?

Liberals value equality, justice, compassion, and purpose. We are unequivocally pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-jobs, pro-union, and pro-marriage equality. We love our country enough to criticize it and believe that we are all in this society together. If you scan the pages of this book, youll see that this is not just a book about politics, but about the many issues that determine how we can improve our lives and the lives of others. What Liberals Believe: The Best Progressive Quotes Ever is a resource for keeping hope alive in an increasingly conservative society.

Much has happened since the original 2008 publication of What Liberals Believe, some of it very good. To the amazement of the world, we elected our first African American president. We enacted a historic national health care law, ended the Iraq War, repealed Dont Ask, Dont Tell, and through the Stimulus Bill made the largest investment in green technology in history. Several states now allow same-sex marriages. These accomplishments are impressive, but they dont tell the whole story. Overall, the arc of recent history has not bent toward justice. America has taken a hard turn to the right.

The reckless financial deregulation and risk-taking of the Reagan-Bush era finally came home to roost, causing the largest financial meltdown since the Great Depression. To prevent disaster, the political establishment bailed out the banks and large corporations, but left ordinary citizens to largely fend for themselves. This mismanaged crisis not only helped create the Occupy Movement, it spawned a Tea Party uprising so ideologically rigid and reactionary that it has caused the Republican Party to come unhinged. The Tea Party-dominated GOP has purged itself of all moderation. Its now so extreme that it would reject the policies of such conservative icons as Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush. The big tent of the Grand Old Party has been taken hostage by market fundamentalists who write the checks, and by religious fundamentalists who do their bidding.