Rep. Tom Suozzi: Democrats Need to Show Our Love for America

I love America. Unfortunately, as we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, too many Americans associate those three words only with Republicans. Democrats need to change that. Many in my party are unhappy with the nation’s current trajectory. Under President Trump, we’ve fallen short on income inequality. We’ve seen masked agents go head-to-head with U.S. citizens. Our elections and voting rights have been attacked, while misinformation proliferates online amid bigotry, extremism and political violence.

Despite all this, we should remain fiercely proud of the American system. It has enabled the quest for “a more perfect union,” making possible the abolition of slavery, the rights of women and black Americans to vote, the protection of civil rights, the confrontation of religious, ethnic and racial bigotry and so much more.

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That’s why generations of Democrats have stood proudly at the helm of some of the most consequential struggles to shape American life. Democrats supported the rise of organized labor. Democrats gave us the 40-hour workweek and worker protections. Democrats created Social Security and Medicare. Democrats championed civil rights. Democrats pushed for major environmental protections. And it is Democrats who must now lead us patriotically into the future.

We must rebuild the American middle class. But we can’t do this by abandoning capitalism. Only by improving capitalism can we reward hard work and expand opportunity for every American who seeks it.

Capitalism has helped make America the most innovative and prosperous nation in the world. It has lifted living standards, created opportunity and helped build the strongest middle class in history. It has powered breakthroughs from the lightbulb to the microchip and fueled the ingenuity that defines our nation. But capitalism works only when it is shaped by fair rules, open competition and a basic sense of responsibility. The answer to inequality isn’t to tear capitalism down, but to make it work better for the men and women who go to work every day and want to live the American Dream of homeownership, educated children, affordable health insurance and a safe retirement.

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Mr. Suozzi, a Democrat, represents New York’s Third Congressional District.