Why I'm a Democrat

Coming up on America’s Fractured Politics, Mark Mansour peels back the history and heart behind his unwavering stance as a Democrat. In a passionate, unfiltered episode, he journeys from the party’s complicated roots to its legacy of progress—from the New Deal and Civil Rights Act to the battles raging today over voting rights, equity, and the future of American democracy. Mark weaves history, honesty, and hope into an argument for messy progress, inclusion, and fighting for a country that lives up to its promise. Whether you’re convinced, conflicted, or just curious, don’t miss this deep dive into what it really means—and why it really matters—to call yourself a Democrat right now.

Transcript

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Welcome back to America's Fractured Politics. I'm Mark Mansour with the country's future hanging in the balance. I wanna speak directly about why in this moment I stand as a Democrat. Not because it is easy, not because it is comfortable, but because at its core it's about the kind of country we want America to be. Every time I look around, I see this nation wrestling with its own reflection. I see the violence of disinformation. Waves of intolerance. The rise of a kind of authoritarian swagger I thought belonged somewhere else at some other time, but it's here, here in the open on the airwaves and the halls of power standing up as a Democrat right now. It's not just about party platforms or about how you check a box during election season. It's about a conscious, values driven choice. It's the act of defending the very foundation of democracy itself. For me, the importance of being a Democrat today is not ideological, it's existential. It's a promise one that says liberty and justice aren't. Slogans are privileges, but birthrights for every single American, no matter who they are. But let's look deeper at the long road. The Democratic party has traveled to get to this place. Stretching back nearly two centuries. The Democratic Party is the oldest active political party, not only in the United States, but in the world. You can trace its roots to 1792 when followers of Thomas Jefferson, who opposed the concentration of power in the hands of a few, and believed fiercely in individual rights, rallied against the Federalists Jefferson's. Democratic Republicans prioritized decentralized government state's rights. An awareness of unchecked economic and corporate power, fearing a return to anything resembling monarchy. After the war of 1812, the Federalists faded and the country entered the era of good feelings, one party dominant, but just under the surface, old tension sied from these roots in the maelstrom of the 1820s came a new coalition forged by Martin Van Buren and built around the figure of Andrew Jackson. Who championed expanding political participation for white men and railed against entrenched elites? The 1828 election saw the birth of the Democratic Party as we know it, the first modern voter based party in the world. And for decades it was the champion of the common man. And if you fast forward through history's pages, you see year after year Americans from every walk of life stepping into the story, sometimes timidly, sometimes storming the barricades to add their own verse. That early party for all its bravado was deeply flawed, to say the least. It fought for the rights of white men, but not women or people of color in a sin that casts long and painful shadow. Democrats defended slavery are cave to its interests and the name of states' rights, and the 19th century. As the nation fractured and bled over the issue of slavery, the party split into northern and southern factions trying desperately to hold together a tenuous coalition. When the Civil War came, the party would struggle for decades with the legacy of this division relying on the solid south and often heartbreakingly standing on the wrong side of civil rights. But American history is the story of reinvention, sometimes slow, sometimes wrenchingly fast. Woodrow Wilson's presidency saw competing democratic traditions, progressive reform, to bust up monopolies and bring new rights to workers On the one hand. And on the other hand, racism and discrimination still baked into the halls of government. The party was deeply divided along regional and ideological lines between Democrats who favored business interests and the agrarian populace who sought doing power, farmers and laborers. Then came a turning point, a new party identity forged crisis and compassion. The Great depression, which shattered millions of lives. Saw the Democratic Party led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt seized the moment with the New Deal. The Democrats became the party of social safety, nets of Social security, unemployment, insurance of jobs, programs that rebuilt the nation's infrastructure and gave hope to those who'd lost everything. FDRs Party, brick by Brick began to build the modern Democratic coalition working people, urban immigrants. African Americans drawn by the party's new emphasis on inclusion and opportunity. Over the next several decades, much of the face of American progress bore the stamp of Democratic hands. The party steered America through the storms of World War II embraced the GI Bill, and under presidents like Harry Truman began to break with segregation at the national level. A harbinger of deeper change to come the 1960s exploded into the civil rights era. It was Lyndon b Johnson carrying on the legislative initiative begun by John F. Kennedy, who signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Act into law over the house of opposition, within his own party, and from the other side of the aisle. Johnson's great society didn't just expand the social safety net. Its cemented Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start as enduring American commitments. These reforms, controversial and hard won, changed millions of lives. The Democrats once the party of Southern power and exclusion began through constant pressure from organizers, leaders, and the righteous outrage of Americans who had been denied their rights to transform into the party of equal opportunity and protection under the law. So when I talk about being a Democrat, I'm standing in the shadow and light of his history, messy, unfinished, sometimes tragic, but always pulled forward by Americans demanding more. The same party that gave us the new deals promise of security for the jobless and the old, the topple legal segregation with the courage of civil rights leaders that expanded voting and disability rights. That decade after decade reaffirmed the sacred, honest work of making this union more, just more fair, more free. I want to talk about inclusion. That word gets tossed around so often and almost loses its meaning. But if you stop and look, you'll realize the Democratic party is built around the truth. America is strongest when we stand together, when every one of us, every neighbor, parent, worker, dreamer, is seen, welcomed and counted. That means defending people's rights when they're under attack for how they worship, who they love, or just for wanting a say in the future through their vote. In a time where voting rights are getting carved away, when bigotry is being wielded as a wedge. Democrats are pushing back, fighting to protect the right to vote, pushing to end discrimination, insisting on equal treatment in the law. This is not just a moral stance. It's a necessity for a democracy that doesn't drown itself and exclusion and resentment. Without inclusion, there is no pluralism without pluralism, democracy, wilts. The party's commitment to this vision is relentless because I know that if everyone doesn't get to take part, nobody really does. We rise together. Or we don't rise at all. Move beyond that to economics. Do the real struggles. People feel. Deep down at kitchen tables and late nights staring at unopened bills. Democrats put working people, families, and America's most vulnerable at the center of everything they do. It's not a talking point, it's the fight for a living wage, for workplace safety, for unions with real power at the bargaining table. It's the belief that a teacher or firefighter. Should never see the privileged paying less in taxes percentage wise than they do. When Democrats champion equal pay for equal work. They're not just checking a box. They're breaking down the barriers that hold us all back when they fight for affordable healthcare, strong public schools or programs like Social Security and Medicare, it isn't about handouts. It's about dignity. These policies keep families afloat, lift kids out of poverty, and make the old American promise. Work hard, get ahead. Something more than a fairytale. And this isn't a recent reinvention since FDR Democrats have pushed to keep the economy fair, to protect the most vulnerable, and to build ladders of opportunity sometimes against bitter opposition and sometimes fighting their own worst instincts. None of this is accidental. It's deliberate action in the face of massive headwinds. And yes, it's about compassion. But it's also about building a society where the next generation can actually dream bigger than the last. When I hear talk of compassion fatigue or some politicians arguing that we can't possibly afford to care for our own, I say, how can we afford not to? If we can subsidize the richest with tax loopholes and sweetheart deals, surely we can back our own people. The true spine of this country with health, education opportunity, there's another front in the fight, a war between fact and fiction. In an era flooded by conspiracy theories and cynical manipulation, the Democratic Party insists on something radical. We must accept facts, follow evidence, listen to scientists and experts. That means, yes, confronting climate change, head on, and investing in clean energy, not as a sideline, but as an engine for jobs and national renewal. It means listening to doctors and public health experts, investing in the mental health of our communities. And facing pandemics with reason not denial. This commitment has root as deep as the party itself. Democratic leaders from the progressive reformers of the early 20th century through today have valued education, innovation, and irrational approach to the nation's hardest problems. It is about being brave enough to say, we don't have all the answers, but we will look and we will learn together. When you look at the story of American progress, real leaps forward, not baby steps. So much of it traces back to the stubborn hard nose, often thankless work of democratic leadership. The New Deal toward this country, out of the Great Depression and built a safety net that's still battered, though it is keeps millions from falling the Civil Rights Act. Civil Rights Act smashed institutional barriers and forced open the doors of equality. Though that fight is still unfinished, the Americans with Disabilities Act, marriage equality. These are chapters in the long unfinished story of striving for justice. These are not relics for museum plaques. These are living victories, still defended a GA against relentless attacks, particularly as direct reproductive rights and civil liberties come under fresh assault today. The story didn't end there, and neither does the struggle. Maybe you're sitting here listening, thinking, but Democrats aren't perfect. The party's a mess, right? It's got its internal fights. It's glaring compromises. It's unfinished business. That's all true. This party is diverse, sometimes loud, certainly imperfect, often frustrating. But you know what? That mess reflects. It reflects democracy itself. Democracy in all. Its wild, participatory, argumentative, glory. All those voices, all that noise, all that difference. It's not a liability. It's our strength. Contrast that with the politics defined by exclusion. Where dissent is viewed as treason and conformity is demanded, and the choice becomes, for me, blindingly clear, real democracy is messy, vibrant, alive. I'd rather wrestle with the flaws and work for progress than submit to a politics of exclusion and fear. Some people whisper about starting third parties about giving up on the infighting, the drift, the slow pace of change. But here's what I know At the end of the day, all that does is divide the opposition to the real threats, giving the green light to forces that would roll back progress and remake the country into something colder, smaller, something that turns its back on its own best promise. I'd rather stay fight for the better and win the battle of ideas from inside the tent. Then risk seeding power to those who want to undo all that we've built and everything still left to do. So when you cut through it all, being a Democrat for me is about standing for democracy itself. It's about refusing to let hope die. It's about pushing every single day for an America. Big enough in dignity, opportunity and freedom for all of its people. It's about saying no to politics, built on fear, exclusion, and division. And yes to the politics of belonging, of progress, of relentless resilient hope. Thanks for joining me on America's Fractured Politics. If you believe as I do, and a future that's worthy of the next generation, stand up, speak up, get involved. Democracy isn't a spectator sport. It's the one arena where every voice has a shot to matter. That's it. Today for America's Fractured Politics. If you enjoy these podcasts, please subscribe, pass them along, and write a review. Until next week, I'm Mark Mansour. Thanks for listening.