Party at the Crossroads - Can Democrats be a party of values too? Should t

[RamboLiberal]

An article from a Pittsburgh Weekly.

http://www.pghcitypaper.com/

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City Paper: We’re talking about whether Democrats need to try reconnecting with religious values and the people who vote based on them. But the first question is: How did Dems lose that connection? Are Republicans just more moral people?

Dianna Wentz: The Republicans are better at looking at key demographic groups and deciphering what one needs to do to turn out those groups and energize them. … Both parties have principles within their platforms that are Judeo-Christian in nature. One party is better at capitalizing on that, and the other party is afraid.

I was talking to people in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party two years ago, trying to start talking about moral and family values to evangelical voters. What was the Democratic answer? "Let’s talk in a generic sense. Let’s bring Jesus together with Islam and Judaism. Let’s just talk in generalities." In politics, with any battle for any demographic group, you look at what moves them. If you’re looking to move a group who views Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior, you need to use the name "Jesus Christ." You don’t use generic, feel-good terms.

Carol Stabile: I think it’s naïve to sit around now and say, "What happened?" when for the past 40 years we’ve seen a concerted effort by Republicans and fundamentalists to move this country away from social welfare and issues that people of all faith care about, and to focus on wedge issues that people get angry about. It’s a way of not talking about the issues at hand. It allows them to produce these socially reviled categories. Moral values have always been used to produce black folk who don’t line up with the moral platform, or gays and lesbians.

The polling data says 22 percent of people were concerned about moral values; I think 19 percent said they were concerned about the economy and jobs. We’re talking a difference of 3 percent. But has the media picked up on the economy-and-jobs people? No. It’s all been about moral values.