Why Democratic freedom matters

In 2006, Dr. George Lakoff published Whose Freedom: The Battle Over America's Most Important Idea. The book urged Democratic leaders to frame a progressive case for freedom instead of letting Republicans own the term.

Now that Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has made freedom its central theme, it's important to remember why the Democratic Party is the true party of freedom. In 2006, Dr. Lakoff wrote a New York Times op-ed to introduce the main idea of his book. He wrote:

The traditional idea of freedom is progressive. One can see traditional values most clearly in the direction of change that has been demanded and applauded over two centuries. America has been a nation of activists, consistently expanding its most treasured freedoms:

The expansion of citizen participation and voting rights from white male property owners to non-property owners, to former slaves, to women, to those excluded by prejudice, to younger voters

The expansion of opportunity, good jobs, better working conditions, and benefits to more and more Americans, from men to women, from white to nonwhite, from native born to foreign born, from English speaking to non-English speaking

The expansion of worker rights-freedom from inhumane working conditions-through unionization: from slave labor to the eight-hour day, the five-day week, worker compensation, sick leave, overtime pay, paid vacations, pregnancy leave, and so on.

Click below to read the full piece in the Times (and if you don't subscribe to the NYT, click this gift link to access the piece).