Kos has a very interesting front page discussion today about
values as opposed to religion in politics.
Here's the deal -- Republicans have claimed god as their own and perverted religious texts to justify some of the most divisive and hateful policies and discourse in our politics today. And while Corporate Cons, Neocons, and Paleocons have tolerated the Theocons in order to tap into their activist network (none of those other conservative factions have significant boots to help them win elections), fact is it's created an ugly party that is unelectable in entire regions of the country. No one likes to have their morality dictated by others. And that doesn't just mean the Religious Right, but those on our side as well.
Morality and ethics don't have to come from religion. Yes, there's a whole cottage industry of consultants, media pundits, and establishment figures who think that's the case. Witness last year's Senate battle. The DC punditry and party establishment were in love with Harold Ford. His campaign proudly sent me an advance look at Ford's ad filmed inside a church. I guess I was supposed to get excited at Ford's cheap manipulation of religion for political ends.
But the DC set was in love. Ford made the cover of Time Magazine. He was on every cable show as an example of a new breed of Democrat willing to wrap himself up in a cross for electoral gain. It doesn't matter that it's ugly when Republicans do it, here was one of our own willing to debase religion just the same!
The Ford love was so crazy, that James Carville attempted a coup post-November at the DNC, demanding Ford replace Howard Dean. When that got nowhere fast, Ford landed as head of the DLC. And this was a guy who didn't just lose his race, but did so in an open seat -- always the best pickup opportunities for challengers.
But you know what was interesting? Two Democrats defeated entrenched Republican incumbents in states just as Red, if not more so -- Jim Webb in Virginia and Jon Tester in Montana. Bush got 57 percent in Tennessee, while he got 59 percent in Montana (and 54 percent in Virginia). And, they did so without cheap pandering to the religious set. They didn't shoot commercials in churches, embrace hatred of gays, or demand school prayer (all of which Harold Ford did). They didn't prattle on about "god" at every campaign stop. Yet somehow they were able to win.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/15/123244/796
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