George McGovern

Meteor Blades (and many others) have been sharing this quote around. I think it's worth reading, or reading again.

During my years in Congress and for the four decades since, I've been labeled a 'bleeding-heart liberal.' It was not meant as a compliment, but I gladly accept it. My heart does sometimes bleed for those who are hurting in my own country and abroad. A bleeding-heart liberal, by definition, is someone who shows enormous sympathy towards others, especially the least fortunate. Well, we ought to be stirred, even to tears, by society's ills. And sympathy is the first step toward action. Empathy is born out of the old biblical injunction "Love the neighbor as thyself." —-George S. McGovern, What It Means to Be a Democrat (2011).

I've been posting some favorite reflections from folks around the country on SDKos. Feel free to view them there.