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Letter: The Democratic Party isn’t an extreme platform, it’s a viable option

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Supporters of third congregational district candidate Dr. Kathie Allen listen as she speaks during the Utah State Democratic Party 2017 State Organizing Convention at Weber State University Shepard Union Saturday, June 17, 2017.

In the state of Utah, the Democratic Party is seen as some extreme platform suggested in the notion that Utah needs a more centrist option. That is certainly true if we look at the Republican Party’s shrinking popularity and its position taken toward modern issues. The crowds at Republican rallies do not reflect the reality of American diversity.

The Democratic Party supports civil rights, equal rights, women’s rights (fundamental to those rights is a woman’s right to choose), comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform, voting rights, regulations that protect the worker and community safety, marriage equality, LGBTQ rights, universal health care, a social safety net, water and air quality, the protection of our public lands, preservation of our national parks, policies that deal with the changing climate and inevitable consequences on people and the economy, transitioning to greener, more sustainable forms of energy, wind and solar.

I will suggest it also includes fiscal responsibility and accountability. None of the those things is extreme. The list goes on. Prison and sentencing reform that takes into account the real effect that this country’s policies have had on African Americans and poor people, the statistics are undisputed and that those policies are rooted in a history of racial oppression. We reject the war on drugs and related policies that have incarcerated our own citizens at alarming rates. We will resist any attempt to slide back.

We support environmental and wildlife protections. Here in Utah, the Democrats have been disenfranchised and our constitutional rights trampled through the blatant redistricting designed to prevent Democrats in Utah from having any representation on the federal level.

The election of Donald Trump reflects a crossroads, on so many levels. We have to face the fact that the Electoral College no longer functions and the implication that Russia actively worked to interfere with our election as well as hack state’s voting infrastructure should matter even to Trump voters. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and should have won the White House. The Democratic Party represents more people across the rainbow of the American landscape. There is a viable option; the more people who vote for Democrats in Utah have an opportunity to be better represented. In the long run, however, if the people of this country cannot at least agree on basic American rights and values, we will be a ship without a sail, aimless as we enter the 21st century.

Maureen Morris

Salt Lake City