These words represent values that are at the core of most progressive politics and culture. These words (and the values they represent) cannot be handed to the radical right - and cannot be abandoned by progressives.
- life
- peace
- love
- liberty
- justice
- civility
- discipline
- liberal
- progressive
- joy
- love
- God
- faith
- theory of evolution
- science
- democratic republic
- morality
- values
- standards
- responsibility
- goverance (being the government)
- America
- American
- "I love my country"
The Right wants to make it about values (Right) and no values (Left). We need to make it about what kinds of values, what kind of morals. And we also need to make it about liberty (a Left value) and oppression (a Right value).
To do this, we will need to consider taking a more absolute, universal and morally sure stance on many issues. Traditional liberalism has been about universalism since its inception - can progressives find a way to be comfortable with universalism again?