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Voting for MORAL VALUES
instead of economic self-interest.
The Republican's success has been to persuade the working poor
to vote for tax breaks for millionaires.
Should Democrats Get
Religion?
Democrats sell issues, and Republicans peddle values
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This was an election
where all the stops were pulled. Yet the poor and working-class still do not
understand that the big business interests of the Republican Party keep their
standard of living below where it could be.
Now we can only address the MORAL VALUES that they vote by. We can shout at
them till we’re blue in the face but until they are educated to the extent
that they realize that if there is a God then the proof is that he doesn’t
give a shit about them and the same proof exists of a Republican Government.
Otherwise we will continue down a separate road more in line with Islamic
Fundamentalism than Democratic western Europe.
(The Bush administration joined Islamic
Fundamentalists and the Vatican in opposing improving women's reproductive
choices and educational opportunities. The US Joined Iran Iraq Sudan
Libya Syria and the Vatican to vote against sex education to fight teen
pregnancy and AIDS because it included the use of condoms)
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To appeal to middle America, Democratics either have to pretend that they
are born again christians or educate the ignorant, religion-comes-first voters. They
have to convince
them that it is more immoral to have 30% of
the children in this country living below poverty level than to not be
christian.
Otherwise, the Democratic Party's efforts to improve the lives of working
class Americans will be blocked by the very people the Democrats aim to
help.
John Kerry's supporters should be feeling
wretched about the millions of farm workers, factory workers, Hispanics and
waitresses who ended up voting against their own financial and health
interests.
Working class people would benefit from Democratic policies on taxes and
health care but they are indoctrinated into thinking that Democrats
overspend. What they don’t realize is that perceived overspending would at
least be on policies that more directly benefit them. That would make
the higher tax-paying rich more accountable for welfare for the poor,
unemployed and the 40 million without healthcare. At least we could
approximate the standard held by European countries. (95% of
poor republicans do not know that Kerry would have raised the minimum wage
and bush would not, made clear in the 3rd debate)
One third of Americans are evangelical Christians, and many of them
correctly perceive Democrats as often contemptuous of their faith.
Some evangelicals take revenge by smiting Democratic candidates. Democrats
are forced to choose a devoutly religious candidate to appease them.
These Americans disapprove of abortion, separation of church & state and
same sex marriage, etc...
Republicans have created more social issues to get the public to stop
looking at what's happening to them economically.
Democrats are accused of “losing touch” with blue collar America. Of having
an upper middle class flavor to liberalism. Republicans have used
"culturally powerful but relatively insignificant issues" to connect to ordinary voters.
Its not that Democrats need to connect with these
people's value systems as well as stress the important issues, we simply don't have the same values, period,
and that is all they understand.
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More than half of voters (52%) rated
the economy not good or poor, nevertheless when voters were asked which of several issues mattered most in
deciding their vote, roughly equal numbers picked the Bush campaign’s main
issues of
 | moral values (22%) and |
| terrorism (19%), |
as picked the Kerry campaign’s main issues of
| economy/jobs (20%) and |
| Iraq (15%). |
Bush’s efforts to portray himself as taking clear stands
and as being a strong leader—characteristics he said were necessary for
fighting the war on terror—appeared relatively successful. Among voters who
said that being a strong leader was the most important candidate
quality in their decision (17%),
| Bush was favored by 86% to |
| Kerry’s 13%. |
Among voters who said that taking a clear stand was
the most important candidate quality (17%),
| Bush was favored by 78% to |
| Kerry’s 21%. |
The Bush campaign sought to convince the public that
unlike Sen. Kerry, Mr. Bush possessed the personal qualities of strength
and decisiveness necessary to fight the war on terrorism.
It also appears that the issue of gay and lesbian relationships may
have helped offset potential gains by Kerry on other issues. Only 26%
of all voters supported the idea of legalized gay and lesbian marriages,
while 36% opposed any legal recognition of gay and lesbian
relationships. Among this latter group, Bush held a greater than 2-to-1
advantage over Kerry. |
IN THE AFTERMATH of this "civil war" that our
nation has just fought, one result is clear: The Democratic Party's first
priority is to address the “MORAL VALUES reason” why Central and
South USA voted Republican.
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Some of Bush's record so far
| negative job growth |
| from record surpluses to record deficits |
| underfunding children's education (breaking election
promise) |
| less protection of the environment |
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