Gary Hart "It's code...dog whistle messages"

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

His description of those in far right who claim the moral high ground on values.

This article is short and nicely written by one of my favorite columnists, Diane Carman of the Denver Post.

Lots of great statements by Hart while discussing his new book.

Hart, who was reared in the same evangelical church as Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson ("my wife's family knew Dobson's family"), finds it ironic that Democrats have been demonized, while Republicans lay claim to being the party of Christianity.

"In the book I raise the question: How could the same God who insisted that James Dobson become a Republican insist that I become a Democrat?"

snip>

It's code," he says, "dog-whistle messages."

As long as politicians never get specific, everyone can believe they are speaking about their faith and their values, "while all the while the political and religious insiders know exactly ... what these terms communicate."

Here's the article. What a great president he would have been. MKJ

http://www.denverpost.com/carman

[xchrom]

1. he's right -- lol -- dog whistles.

[havocmom]

2. Here is a gem we need to beat the DLC over the head with

The Democrats have failed to make the case for the values of charity, tolerance, mercy, justice, humility and understanding, he said. They have failed to give voters a reason to move beyond greed and cynicism. They have simply failed.

Wanna win elections? Stop letting neocons set the debate and agenda and get some positive messages out there about what we can and should do.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

3. That's right....that should be our message, over and over again

The real moral values. MKJ

[applegrove]

4. Yup. Dog whistles telling the dog how to heard the sheep. And rewarding

the "dogs" with being "in", or $$$, or "letting them act out their baser instincts", depending on who the character of the dog .. be they insecure followers, greedy covetous types, or sadists.