I'm in full agreement with Amy Sullivan's latest rant over at Washington Monthly:
Link: The Washington Monthly.
Good grief. You've heard me say it before, but apparently it needs repeating: A good many people are Democrats not despite their faith but precisely because of their faith. I don't want to read "religious" when what you mean is "right-wing." I don't want to read "evangelical" when what you mean is "conservative evangelical." And I don't want to read "moral values" when what you're really referring to are hot-button, right-wing sexual morality issues. The conflation of those terms with those specific definitions is NOT a neutral decision; it's part of a very conscious strategy. It's understandable that some news outlets have been taken in by the spin. Repeating the spin, however, is irresponsible.
I've just about had it with this notion that "Democrats/liberals don't have values." I'll put my values up against any red-state voting, fire-breathing, foot-washing, Social Security-axing Republican any day. I volunteer in my kids' schools. I take care of my handicapped mom. I help old ladies across the street. I buy Girl Scout cookies even though they're loaded with trans-fats and probably contribute to global warming.
I don't gamble. I don't look at porn. I don't cheat on my spouse. I don't swear (a lot). I don't do drugs. (Not even Oxycontin.) I love babies and puppies and tolerate kittens.
I support charities. I support stem cell research. I support our troops. I support universal health care. I support leaving no child behind (for real, not just for rhetoric). And I support Democrats—because my values do influence my vote.
So, Sam Brownback, Rick Santorum, Fox News, and anyone else who wants to tell me "Democrats have no values": Bring. It. On.
