There was at least one Democratic candidate for U.S. President who could clearly articulate values without pandering to religion. Robert Kennedy, US Senator, said in an address at the University of Kansas, 1968:
"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.
Kennedy continued:
Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
I find especially compelling his appeal to the health, education and joy of our children.
I think John Edwards can deliver messages like this. I saw his stump speech too many times. The first time it struck me as passionate. By the 5th time, I had heard it all before, and it seemed so rehearsed it lost all appeal.