November 2004

Values?

Since the election, everyone and their old uncle Jasper has been talking smack about how the Republicans won because their 'values' are better than that of the Democrats. Why? Because one exit poll said that 22% of people voted for 'values' at the polls. Wow! 22%! The 40-some% of people who chose either 'Security' or 'Iraq' must have had nothing to do with it!

We don't doubt that the mandatory-birth and gay-hater crowd is big, and that they think their 'values' are somehow more legitimate than those of us on the left side of the spectrum. For them, trumpeting the strength of their 'values' is a way to feel superior to the philistine masses among Corporate America, and especially to the liberals. The Republicans love to include those 'values' in their party platforms cable news screeds and talk-radio rants. The 'values' of anti-abortion and anti-gay America paint a silver lining around their anti-poor, anti-freedom, and anti-environmental agenda. Obviously, something is very wrong here.

Besides, anybody with half a brain (see Blue States) knows that the GOP's values talk is merely just a typical Republican Party misdirection ploy, at which they are so good. They talk up Jesus and get away will being the party of Corporate America. Somehow close ties to the Enron fiasco does not darken the moral stance of the party. The fact that this works so thoroughly for the GOP is a clue to just how effective it is to build a coalition of single issue voters. It would seem that most of the idiots in the Red States have core values that, is given lip service, vote republican. Should a Republican candidate so hooray for Vengeful Jesus and/or guns, he's in like Flynn.

In Baltimore and Washington DC, the faith communities read the same Bible as the 'values' crowd do. However, they come to a different conclusion from reading it. Their opposition to or support of abortion or gay rights does not trump a more primary need - a strong community. Their activism, in the form of protest, lobbying and organization, fights for more drug treatment, better schools, more police, and funding to prevent the spread of AIDS. In other words, they fight for the betterment of all people. But their values-based work goes unnoticed against the background of the American political scene - on the tee-vee at least (these things do not go unnoticed if you live in a big city.)

With all the talk swirling around the Democratic world, we fear the party may try to redefine itself to connect with the republican 'values' crowd, and not the more people and community friendly values on the left. This would be a terrible mistake. We get sick just thinking about it.

Democrats need to reassure themselves that their traditional values are critical to the strength and prosperity of America, and are the values developed under the New Deal. The values that placed America on the world's pedestal and were held dear by the majority of social security paying, equal rights demanding Americans for a solid half century Remembering THESE values is the primary motivation of our Blue Party platform. We want the Democratic stay progressive and have candidates run on ideals rather than political calculations of who is the most palatable for the masses. That kind of campaign is transparently callow, and will continue garnering less than the majority it deserves.

This month, we'd like Democrats to remember what we value and fight for in every election. Democrats need to keep these in mind every time a radio-host, tee-vee gasbag or newspaper columnist starts mouthing off about 'values.'

Democratic Values
Providing Good-Paying Jobs for Americans
Marrying the Person You Love
Corporate Responsibility (and the agencies to keep them honest)
The Right for a Woman to Choose
Counting Every Vote
Fighting Poverty and Urban Decay
Keeping Government Out of Bedrooms
The Freedom to Disagree with the Government
Economic and Environmental Sustainability

Or, Fundamentally, living in a fair and equitable society- liberty and justice for all, for now and the future.

Those are just a few core values which have motivated the Democratic Party for years. And, for a reminder, these are a few of the Republican's core values.

Republican Morality
Suppressing Minority Voting
Spying on You in the Bedroom
Controlling Your Body
Creating Huge Deficits
Rejecting Science
Restricting a Woman's Reproductive Rights
Protecting Corporate Criminals
Rendering Water Undrinkable
Reading Your Tax Return and Sharing it With Their Friends

If this is a boxing match, we'd knock 'em out in the first round. We can no longer allow the phony 'values' of the hate-crowd to lead this country. We need to re-introduce progressive Democratic values into the American vocabulary. It's not too late. But the longer this discussion takes to happen, the deeper in ruin this nation will have to pull itself out of. Right now we're teetering on the brink.