A Party of Values

[Freddie Stubbs]

New Democrats have never shied away from message politics, or the belief that elections are ultimately about values. I distinguish values from issues. People who are trying to earn enough money, send kids to college, and deal with all the economic ups and downs of everyday life don't take a lot of time to process issues. But they do spend time processing values. New Democrats understand that.

And they understand something else: If you don't win, you don't get to do anything. If you don't figure out a way to translate your message into at least 51 percent of the vote, then you will not do very well. But we have ideological purists in our party who would rather be right than successful.

These are not the easiest of times for Democrats in the South. A majority of Southern whites now consider themselves Republicans. They perceive Democrats as being the exclusive party of African-Americans, teachers, and labor unions. This is not the Democratic Party of their parents or grandparents. But many have stayed because they appreciate the fact that the Democratic Party represents people who were born without privilege, who are struggling to fashion some opportunity out of their lives, who don't have a lot of capital or wealth. These are the 3 million people who have lost jobs in the last two years; the 1 million children who have slipped into poverty in the last year; the 41 million Americans who do not have health insurance.

Yet this party cannot sustain itself if it does not develop enough of a backbone to talk about what is right and what is wrong. Does that mean that the Howard Dean approach is the answer? I don't think so. But it does mean that we have to articulate what our party stands for and why we are still different -- why we present the best vision for giving everyone in our society a fighting chance, no matter where they start.

more: http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=252296&kaid=103&subid=110

[mopinko]

1. according to the exit polls and to DUers

"what our party stands for" is winning elections- period.