December 11, 2004
My values can kick your values ass.
I caught John Edwards on CSPAN the other day, doing a stop on his farewell tour. He was talking about the presidential campaign and explaining why he had decided to run at all. He said it was all about 'moral values' for him, that he wanted to promote the 'ideals' that he, and the people in this room in North Carolina, shared. He spoke of the 'values' of 'faith and family'. There only seems to be one America now. And damn if that America doesn't want to hear about your values.
Ace wrote that he thinks Howard Dean should head the DNC because it would be the honest thing to do, to allow people to really see a difference between the two parties, to really test the idea that people would respond to a strong liberal, progressive message, if the Democrats would quit trying to be Republican-lite.
I think that even if the Democrats do that, even if they somehow spend the next four years discussing and pushing whatever it is that constitutes liberalism these days, it will still only be a John Edwards type, talking up his moral values, that will clean up in 08. That was the first time I had heard Edwards talk this way and I think four years of practice may lend his 'values' talk credibility.
While in Colorado, I would try to gauge what people took away from the debates. The thing I heard most, and this was really surprising to me, was that, when asked, John Kerry didn't say he loved his wife. It was the last question of the last debate, and it stuck with people more than I could ever understand. The second most memorable thing for people I encountered was Kerry's unreasonable mention of Dick Cheney's daughter.
It's not about gay marriage, or even being a religious person. I met plenty of people that didn't go to church, didn't feel a particular affinity for the Republican party but voted for Bush for reasons beyond issues, but because he was like them. He loves his wife, he doesn't attack other people's children, he's just a normal guy. I don't think Howard 'we can win without the south and their obsession with G-d, guns and gays' Dean is going to have that same kind of touch.
Posted by Karol at December 11, 2004 01:20 PM | TrackBackTechnorati Tags:
I think John Edwards is not particularly a ticket to victory.
Posted by: Dorian at December 11, 2004 07:21 PMHey, I wouldn't love Teresa either.
Posted by: Steve at December 11, 2004 07:34 PMThis is probably the height of arrogance, but may I point out that I predicted the eventual collapse of the Democratic Party (and the split of the Republican Party) last week?
http://chainik_hocker.blogspot.com/2004/12/chainik-hocker-reads-entrails-yuck-he.html
Posted by: The Chainik Hocker at December 11, 2004 09:30 PMIt is too bad that Kerry's internal polls did not pick up the value of values. They could have acquired morality and religion when it would done them some good.
Now it is too late.
They might as well go back to the immorality that has been a part of their lives for so long.
Posted by: Jake at December 12, 2004 12:47 AMTeresa Heinz is the epitome of self-indulgence. Who wants to proclaim love to that?
Posted by: Lena G. at December 12, 2004 11:44 AMI think the hard-left, liberal, progressive position is a valid one. I happen to disagree with it, strongly, when it comes to most planks, but I think it's a valid position.
(Sidebar: As an example, I don't think the communist position is a valid position because it's based on forcefully depriving people of their property. That runs counter to the stuff I consider to be axiomatic. That's what I mean by "valid position.")
I think it's kind of a shame that nobody sane is standing up and saying, "I'm liberal, and here's what I think." Instead, we have the nut cases, the assholes and the liars. The nut cases you see at the anti-war, anti-WTO, anti-whatever-you-got protests. They carry dumb signs and long for attention. It's possible that in there somewhere there's one with a reasonable idea, but he's drowned out by the crazies surrounding him. The assholes are people like Michael Moore and Cameron Diaz who go on television and say things they know damn well aren't true just to try to scare people into changing their votes. And the liars are people like John Kerry who try to hide their true positions behind a pap of red-state-friendly blah-blah. It sounds like John Edwards fits into that category, too.
I wish there were a sane liberal out there who could assume a leadership position inside the DNC. I think the friction of the two schools of thought — liberal and conservative — is a good thing, and I wish we had more of it, and less of people like Edwards who try to hide their differences in the interest of making a few friends.
The ideas are more important than the popularity contest, y'all.
Posted by: Jeff Harrell at December 12, 2004 12:09 PMKarol, nice post. I agree.
"The ideas are more important than the popularity contest, y'all."
If you look at why most people vote for president there not.
It's about likeability, personality and values. More than issues and ideas.
Posted by: PAUL at December 12, 2004 03:41 PM
