I am a Democrat

by Carolyn Warner

I am a Democrat because I am motivated by faith and not by fear, by hope and not by hate.

I am a Democrat because I believe that religion is a precious freedom to be enjoyed by all, not a tool for the repression by a few of the rights of many.

I am a Democrat because I believe in stewardship of our land, our water, and our air; stewardship of those natural and human resources that make our America such a special place; stewardship for those who need our help and those who cannot help themselves.

I am a Democrat because I believe in growth – the growth of every individual through education; the growth of working women and men through good jobs; the growth of families, the elderly, the sick, the troubled, the impoverished, and the young through programs of empowerment that focus on results, not policies that focus on process; and the growth of our economy and communities through creative good sense and bottom-line good business.

I am a Democrat because I believe in tomorrow, in the future that every one of us, every one our children, and every one of our grandchildren has a stake in.

I am a Democrat because I believe we can shape our future. We can shape what America will be like in the next year, the next decade, and the next century.

I am a Democrat because I believe in inclusion, not exclusion.

I am a Democrat because I believe in partnerships between communities and neighborhoods, between business and industry and labor and education; partnerships between people of all races, ethnicities, faiths, genders, and commitments; partnerships between rural, urban, and suburban America.

I am a Democrat because I believe that all partners must be at the table, and that all must know that they have a stake in what happens to everybody else.

I am a Democrat because I believe in unity. I believe that there is more that unites us than separates us, that we must never abandon dialogue and resort to demagoguery, and that pride must never win out over principle. I am a Democrat because I believe in listening – listening to the concerns of others and the ideas of those who share my philosophy and of those who do not.

- Carolyn Warner

Warner served for twelve years as Arizona’s elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the first non-educator to hold that post. Hallmarks of Warner’s tenure were increased services to schools, greater accountability, greater involvement of business and the community in education policy, ground-breaking Basic Skills and Employability Skills initiatives, and the creation of the Arizona Educational Foundation.

She has been active for more than three decades on state and national levels as a respected and effective educational advocate and public policy leader. An acclaimed speaker and best-selling author, Warner has led U.S. delegations to Japan, Australia, Germany, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain and China.

In 1986, Carolyn was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Governor of Arizona.

(Shared by the Yavapai County Democratic party website, under Our Philosophy.)