Thursday, August 11, 2005
Well Duh!
...these attitudes were most powerfully captured in symbolic issues such as display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, removing God from the Pledge of Allegiance, or outlawing public manger displays at Christmastime. On each of these symbolic cases in point, there was a broad perception that Republicans would be on the side of American tradition, Judeo-Christian values, and the forgotten majority while Democrats would stand up and fight for a subversive minority seeking to erode the moral foundation of our country.
From "The Culture Divide & the Challenge of Winning Back Rural & Red State Voters" by the Democracy Corps
Maybe it's because people clearly linked to the Democratic Party and their causes have been fighting against these traditional values.
When that happens, it's not necessarily a perception; it's based on experience.
"Most [focus group participants] referred to Democrats as 'liberal' on issues of morality, but some even go so far as to label them 'immoral,' 'morally bankrupt,' or even 'anti-religious,'" report Karl Agne and Stan Greenberg from Democracy Corps.
All I can say is if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, flies like a duck, it's usually a duck.
I saw at one gathering a sign that said "Euthanize Christians." It's things like this that make those assumptions truly believable.
Howard Dean called Republicans a "white, Christian party" like it was a bad thing to be white and Christian.
What is most important to voters? The report goes on to note:
President Bush and Republicans in Congress were faulted for their lack of effective leadership on these issues and their failure to offer new ideas. Furthermore, there was strong support for some specific progressive initiatives and a belief among many that Democrats would be more willing to tackle these issues and to offer new ideas in the face of current policies that are clearly failing. However, as powerful as the concern over these issues is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion, the importance of the traditional family unit, and the role of religion in public life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at the national level.
I put it rather simply:
For years, a sector of society has told another sector of society that their values, traditions and things dear to the heart don't matter.
The people are going to vote for those who they think will respect those values, traditions and things dear to their heart, even it it might not be in their most obvious economic interest because these matter more to them.
And that is a reality that is not going to go away.
From "The Culture Divide & the Challenge of Winning Back Rural & Red State Voters" by the Democracy Corps
Maybe it's because people clearly linked to the Democratic Party and their causes have been fighting against these traditional values.
When that happens, it's not necessarily a perception; it's based on experience.
"Most [focus group participants] referred to Democrats as 'liberal' on issues of morality, but some even go so far as to label them 'immoral,' 'morally bankrupt,' or even 'anti-religious,'" report Karl Agne and Stan Greenberg from Democracy Corps.
All I can say is if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, flies like a duck, it's usually a duck.
I saw at one gathering a sign that said "Euthanize Christians." It's things like this that make those assumptions truly believable.
Howard Dean called Republicans a "white, Christian party" like it was a bad thing to be white and Christian.
What is most important to voters? The report goes on to note:
President Bush and Republicans in Congress were faulted for their lack of effective leadership on these issues and their failure to offer new ideas. Furthermore, there was strong support for some specific progressive initiatives and a belief among many that Democrats would be more willing to tackle these issues and to offer new ideas in the face of current policies that are clearly failing. However, as powerful as the concern over these issues is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion, the importance of the traditional family unit, and the role of religion in public life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at the national level.
I put it rather simply:
For years, a sector of society has told another sector of society that their values, traditions and things dear to the heart don't matter.
The people are going to vote for those who they think will respect those values, traditions and things dear to their heart, even it it might not be in their most obvious economic interest because these matter more to them.
And that is a reality that is not going to go away.
