It is not enough to tell each other what we’re against.
In order to win political power, in order to have a chance for a better world, we must share what we are for.
We can't only point out who’s screwing you and who is screwing up. We must have a vision for how we’re going to fix a system that’s failed all but the most powerful in this country.
So imagine this: A world where the United States does not turn its back on its allies and friends around the world, but instead works together to pursue peace and not to start new wars.
And what if, in the future, we really stood for human rights and self determination?
What if the United States was no longer complicit in the slaughter of tens of thousands of children and families in Gaza? What if we used our extraordinary power to convene the countries of the world to ensure there is a sovereign, independent state for the Palestinian people? And that we worked for the safety and security of all in that region.
What if we brought that same logic back home? So no one had to fear a plainclothes federal agent without a badge or without a warrant sweeping you off the streets, to detain you, to send you to prison for life in El Salvador.
And what if we followed that by rewriting our immigration laws in our own image and with our own values? Let’s once and for all legalize Dreamers, legalize their parents, and legalize every working American that makes this country great.
And what if in Texas, where it is harder to cast a ballot and register to vote than any other state in the union, we lived in a real democracy? One where politicians don’t pick their voters? What if we had online and same day registration?
And what if we got money out of politics? No more corporations buying candidates and elections.
Imagine a Texas where teachers didn’t have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. Where Greg Abbott didn’t funnel resources from public schools to private schools with his voucher scheme.
What if we stopped shoveling trillions of dollars to the wealthiest and most powerful in this country and instead spent that money on things we really need like building homes, researching and curing cancer, and combating climate change before it’s too late?
What if we had a Democratic Party that fought for every single one of us and didn’t roll over or make deals with Trump?
This is the future we must build. But we won’t get there by hoping. We’ll get there by acting—right now. Just look at the work our Powered by People volunteers do, registering and then turning out the young voters we need to win elections in Texas. They’re out there everyday, in election years and non-election years.
Thank you,
Beto
