Alright, fine, a little more punditry

(Graphic not mine; it was forwarded to me by e-mail)

This needs to be said, and it needs to be said quickly: moral values is a trap. People have been talking all day about how the election was won on moral values, and how the Democrats need to start thinking in terms of moral issues. But I say this: Don’t! Do not. Do not even try.

I was watching some talking heads on CNN a minute ago. A woman speaking for the Dems was asked what the party needs to do to get back in the game, and she said, as many people have been saying, that the Dems need to focus more on moral values. And then it occurred to me: has the Republican party just taken over the Democratic party?

Consider this: ok, fine, so exit polls showed that people voted for Bush because they're concerned with values. And fine, the Republicans have made values more of an issue than Democrats. But then again, Republicans have made values more of an issue than Democrats. Do you see where I'm going here? Republicans haven't just convinced voters that values are more important than policy; they've now convinced the opposing party of that as well. They have gotten the opposing side to begin shifting its entire philosophy into an arena that the Republicans built and control.

I'd say this is walking into an ambush, and here's why: There is no such thing as universal values. No such thing as universal morals. These ideas are defined by somebody in power, and then presented as a foundation of truth. The Republicans have already gotten there. That's why they're able to talk about "mainstream America" wanting this or that, without anybody -- even Democrats! -- questioning them. Yesterday on NPR, Gary Bauer was being interviewed, and the following question was posed to him: exit polls showed that (something like) 30% of people support gay marriage, 40% support civil unions, and the rest oppose gay marriage. Given that, isn't it fair to say that the majority of Americans actually do support some form of union between gay couples? And he said something to the effect of, "No, it doesn't mean that. These ballot questions passed, showing yet again that mainstream America wants to protect traditional marriage." And there it was: Gary Bauer defining what mainstream America is. Say it enough times, and it rings true. No wonder Democratic politicians shy away from the word "liberal." Conservatives have said that mainstream America doesn't like that word, and who's to argue with mainstream America?

See this? See this? To enter the political arena of American moral values is enter a world defined by the conservatives. To compete for voters in this manner would be like trying to play a game with somebody who can change the rules at any time. It's like trying to argue with somebody who believes they're speaking for God. It can't be validated, it can't be checked, it can't be confirmed. The only rule is that you lose.

What's the answer? Don't fall for this trap. Don't believe there's a consensus in "mainstream America" about anything. Anything! Republicans didn't gain power by figuring out what people want. They gained power by convincing people of what they want, and then giving it to them. It's the MTV/Clear Channel comparison I made in this post. If Democrats just followed what they believe people want, they'll end up mirroring the Republican party, and that's a whole lot weaker than just being the anti-Republican party. That means people with liberal values have no party to represent them. That means there's no balance.

The Democrats need to define what America wants, and then show how important it is. They need to pave their own road. Moral values is a trap.

Posted by Jason Feifer at November 4, 2004 01:40 PM