someone at Salon agress with me ;-)
Nov. 4th, 2004 07:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
winterbadgerhttp://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/11/04/religion/
[Edit]The following text is a quote from the article to be found at the link above. My point in citing the article and quoting from it is to observe that I am not alone in suggesting that one of the advantages that Bush had over Kerry in the election, and which Republicans have over Democrats in general, is their ability to speak to the religious element in American culture. This is not a secular country, nor is it a theocracy. It is a country that, for better or worse, was founded by and has been governed by Christians (with some Jews in supporting roles) for most of its history and remains deeply Christian in identity, more so than any other western democracy IMO. To ignore this fact and its political implications is disatrous.[end edit]
[Edit]The following text is a quote from the article to be found at the link above. My point in citing the article and quoting from it is to observe that I am not alone in suggesting that one of the advantages that Bush had over Kerry in the election, and which Republicans have over Democrats in general, is their ability to speak to the religious element in American culture. This is not a secular country, nor is it a theocracy. It is a country that, for better or worse, was founded by and has been governed by Christians (with some Jews in supporting roles) for most of its history and remains deeply Christian in identity, more so than any other western democracy IMO. To ignore this fact and its political implications is disatrous.[end edit]
The white evangelical core of the Bush/Cheney electoral coalition has no problems with identity politics and has both a deep and rich religious and political language with which to narrate its own problems and aspirations. Whatever one may think of this feeling-laden ideology, Bush knows how to connect to this base precisely because he eschews a secular and rationalistic rhetoric in favor of a language rich with moralistic, eschatological, and even apocalyptic themes.
In a country where upward of 75 percent of the population believes in God and an afterlife (in its decidedly Christian registers), only fools do not avail themselves of such a diverse and vibrant rhetoric for communicating concerns around a whole host of issues concerning justice and what possible ethical and social meanings can be attached to our sojourns here on earth.
Well, the Democratic Party leadership is such a collection of secular and rational fools. There are obvious exceptions in the black churches and the mainline Protestant denominations, but the religious rhetorics of these communities have rarely taken center stage in the last decade or so. In short, the Democratic Party needs to stop pretending it lives in a secular country. Until French citizens are allowed to vote in U.S. elections (as an old-time Socialist, how I would welcome the advent of that political impossibility), the Democratic leadership will have to fashion its messages for the deeply religious country it presumes to lead one day.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 03:42 pm (UTC)See here is something which I take offense with. Not just here, but I've seen it in the other news and media outlets. They are saying "Democrats need to become more religious/moderate/right to attract people" That is absolute bullshit. Forty-nine percent of the country is voting Democrat. The problem is with identity, the problem is with consistency of message, and the problem is being afraid to speak the truth because Democrats are afraid of offending some hick out on his farm in the middle of Indiana. Screw the hicks and their screwed up morals. Democrats are never going to win the hearts of the culturally and morally malignant wasteland of the American prairies and we shouldn't bother trying.
:) that felt good getting that off my chest.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 04:13 pm (UTC)...the problem is being afraid to speak the truth because Democrats are afraid of offending some hick out on his farm in the middle of Indiana. Screw the hicks and their screwed up morals.
Well, if the Democratic Party agrees with you, I think that Mr. Daschle's successor can afford to redecorate the Senate Minority Leader's office andy way he wants to, 'cause he'll be there for a while. :-)
Democrats are never going to win the hearts of the culturally and morally malignant wasteland of the American prairies and we shouldn't bother trying.
Don't forget the fetid and incest-ridden swamps of the American South, the strip-mined, shotgun- and snow-mobile-infested slopes of the Rockies, the chokingly corrupt and oil-befouled Gulf Coast, and the radiation-sterilized snowbird-filled dust-mounds of the Southwest...
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 04:52 pm (UTC)Are you really advocating that the Democratic party should attempt to co-opt right wing values in the hope of luring away voters?
Democrats need to focus on their base and on their message. Not running around whimpering and trying to appeal to all people.
(btw - I have a friend whos interested in saturdays game. would it still be possible to pick up a ticket for her that would be adjoining?)
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 05:24 pm (UTC)Not at all; I'm saying the Democrats need to be able to frame their values in the context of moral and religious values, because that's a form of discourse that speaks to a lot of Americans. I'm not for changing any of the core principles or beliefs of the party, just for conveying them to voters more effectively.
Democrats need to focus on their base and on their message. Not running around whimpering and trying to appeal to all people.
God forbid the party shoudl appeal to people ;-) We might get elected to something and then what the f*** would we do? :-)
Seriously, I think Kerry (and the party in general) sat back and ceded way too much ground to the Republicans. We accepted their premises instead of fighting them. We didn't challenge them strongly enough. We didn't point out their flaws and failings effectively enough. And we didn't articulate a vision of where we wanted to take America, why that was a good direction to go in, and how we would get there. And part of that is talking to people in a language that they'll be receptive to.
And it isn't just an attempt to pull Republicans. Democrats are strong in the African American community, in the Hispanic community, in the Catholic community. All of those communities have a strong religious component. And a lot of folks in those communities stick with the Dems just because they're the lesser of two evils; showing a little more understanding and aceptance of what is important to them woudl help cement Democratic ties there.
(btw - I have a friend whos interested in saturdays game. would it still be possible to pick up a ticket for her that would be adjoining?)
We can certainly get another ticket for the section; I'll ask the TicketMistress to get it as close to us as possible. Tailgate also? I'm bringing a friend, so I'm going to Paypal a tailgate pass for her; shall I do the same for you and your chum?
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 06:07 pm (UTC)God forbid the party shoudl appeal to people ;-) We might get elected to something and then what the f*** would we do? :-)
Not what I said. It's impossible for any political party to appeal to all people. I'm a fairly diehard liberal but I don't even agree with all of their current platform. The Democrats need to communicate their message with a clearer voice, in a more comprehensive manner.
With that their has to be an understanding that there is going to be division, and that there will be large groups of people who will just plain disagree.
Everything else I basically agree with.
As for saturday I am a definite for both, and I am waiting to hear back from my friend. I'll let you know about her as soon as she gives me feedback
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 02:46 pm (UTC)I really need to get your phone number recorded somewhere around here :)
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:23 pm (UTC)oops
Date: 2004-11-05 03:29 pm (UTC)Re: oops
Date: 2004-11-05 03:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 06:08 pm (UTC)Forty-nine percent of the country is voting Democrat
49% of those who voted, out of those who were registered to vote.
Yes, the total number of voters was higher than the numbers since 1968, but that's still a lot of folks who didn't vote. How do we reach them?
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 06:28 pm (UTC)Honestly? Start up democratic based youth groups, social gatherings, etc.
Throw a party just for your democratic friends. Discuss politics in an atmosphere which is self promoting. Co-ordinate with the local democratic party to have local politicians show up occasionally and discuss whats going on. Give out prizes at the socials to people who bring the most new people in the fold. Develop a sense of identity.
Look at religions and others that are based on group based dynamics.
When people go the gatherings ask for small (I mean small - 2 to 5 dollar) donations. People who give money to a cause are more likely to stay faithful to a cause.
Likewise people who devote their time instead of their money will feel the same way.
Grass roots activism.. its the way to go.