Posted on 08/11/2005 3:56:27 AM PDT by pookie18
The liberal polling firm Democracy Corps has released the results of its latest research project. Titled, "The Culture Divide & the Challenge of Winning Back Rural & Red State Voters," the memo encapsulating the results of a series of focus groups paints a grim picture for Democrats. "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.
Go figure. The same day Democracy Corps released its study, NARAL Pro-Choice America began airing a television ad that implies Supreme Court nominee Judge John G. Roberts supports abortion clinic bombers. Whether you call it "the God gap," "the values gap," or "the culture gap," it has never been wider than it is now."
It's been almost ten months since Democrats promised to take "moral values" voters seriously after the drubbing this important voting bloc gave them in the 2004 election. Back then, it seemed every aspiring Democrat politician in America was ready to enroll in the Rites of Catholic Initiation for Adults or start attending an Evangelical Megachurch. "Our moral values are closer to the American people than the Republicans' are," Howard Dean preached in his campaign to become the new chairman of the Democrat National Committee. Dean's opponent Don Fowler went a step further saying, "I am a Democrat because I am a Christian, not in spite of it."
It all came off as a bit solicitous and, frankly, futile. It's hard to imagine anyone uttering the word "values" more frequently than altar boy John Kerry did during the 2004 campaign. And it's not as if Americans of faith were a swing group. President George W. Bush beat Kerry among both Protestants (59%-40%) and Catholics (52%-47%). He won among those who attend church monthly, weekly, and more than once a week, which is to say people who enter a church for reasons other than to ask for directions (though Kerry slaughtered Bush among voters who never attend church). White Evangelicals supported Bush over Kerry by a greater margin than gays, lesbians, and bisexuals favored Kerry.
But then came the backlash. Despite exit polls showing a plurality of voters said "moral values" was their number one issue of concern on Election Day, liberals, libertarians, and even neocons managed to cover their ears and chant "there's no such thing as a 'moral values' voter" long enough to convince themselves they were right.
It got worse. When her estranged husband and Florida state courts decided it was time for Terri Schiavo to go, Christian conservatives and some Republican politicians protested. Loudly. Congress passed a measure to grant the Supreme Court review of her case. President Bush signed it. All involved were accused of placating the Religious Right. Republicans left, right, and center were accused of being "theocrats." All the polls said people had turned on the Religious Right. The "moral values" movement was as dead as that poor girl in Florida. It all ended badly for Christian conservatives (and not at all well for Ms. Schiavo).
It soon became so gauche to be a "moral values" American, Howard Dean called Republicans a "white, Christian party." And he meant it as an epithet.
Except that someone forgot to tell Americans.
According to the Democracy Corps memo:
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.
In short, "moral values" issues still trump everything else. And what's more, "moral value" voters still resent the Democrats' derision of their worldview. In the memo's words:
...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.
The voters are right, of course, just as they were in 2004. But Americans should expect another round of insincere Democrat yawps of piety and "our values are better than your values" talk. And then when the next "moral value" issue strikes (the entire John Roberts confirmation applies) liberals will blame those damn Christians for anything they can imagine. Then they'll lose some more elections until they say, Okay this time, we're really going to pay attention to Americans of faith.
"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."
That's gonna leave a mark.......
The funny part is that the Dems had to take a poll to find this out. Thats how out of touch they are. Everyone else already knew it.
That's gonna leave a mark.......
& it wasn't even a Free Republic focus group...
Hillary Clinton will be handling snakes by the time the election rolls around.
And those were just the Democrats...
Bwah hah hah hah hah...
morally bankrupt would be the kindest thing we would have said about them.
Let's not forget Nancy Pelosi's "religious remark" about the judges of the Supreme Court being "like the voices of God" after they ruled that private property was up for sale in the Kelo case. That pretty much shows where her values lie.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
We know it so well that our best possible candidate in 2008 is a nonstarter because he's a survivor of New York politics where you have to be pro-choice or you're a nonstarter. He also has a failed marriage.
Shame about Giuliani. He is a great leader and very personable and has a great record of cleaning up New York City and standing tall during 9/11.
But in my deepest view, without God on our side we can accomplish nothing. And without His protection, the watchman watches in vain.
Our country needs God in this very dangerous world and times and so we cannot turn our back on His moral laws or acknowledging Him in all things.
On the other hand, Repubs need to remember that they are a political party and not the church.
You mean like 666?
As I grew up, the assault on traditional, Norman Rockwell type American values started to creep into my political thinking, which was simple-minded to begin with. I am not a Bible-thumping fundementalist, but those that are had a very good point that the values that built America, God & Country, were not only being assaulted, but actively disdained by the Left. That means the Left disdains me.
Average folks see this. The Left hates the America we love. The America we love defines who we are as political citizens. Therefore, to many folks, the conclussion is that the Left hates them.
I need a soundbite.
The Evangelical Church of the Aardvark?
OH YES THEY DID!!!!
And we rejected their message!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.