We have to take this fight into the Biblical lands. No, I don't mean war in the Middle East. I mean the pages of that big black book.
It is possible to win again, and to do so without compromising one whit of our ideals. Our mission must be to remind the electorate how very Christian the Democratic party's platform really is. The way we remove God from the voting booth is by putting Him squarely in every ballot entry. It is not enough that we be right. We must remind everyone that our party's platform is a litany of Jesus' teachings manifested as policy.
At the same time, we must demonstrate the many non-Christian policies of the Republican party. Hate is not Christian. It requires neither education nor faith. It is simply a human vice, to be treated with disdain and chastised. No hate-based policy can withstand a New Testament test: "One question, Mr. Bush. What
would Jesus do in your shoes? Add 100,000 Iraqis to the Sept. 11th death toll? Or suck the wind out of the terror movement, and build a monolithic international anti-terror coalition, with a Gandhi-like refusal to repay blood with blood?"
We must show our party's Christianity in order to remove it as a wedge issue. Faith always trumps reason in the mind of the individual. It is the very definition of faith: belief without evidence. In order to win by the strength of our reasoning, we must remove faith from the equation.
The Republican coalition is a cadre of intellectuals with the unblinking support of a large majority of those of Christian faith. The Democratic coalition is a cadre of intellectuals with the unblinking support of a large majority of those of deep education. Deep education and Christian faith are both lauded in our society. Let us unite the country by refusing to adjudge either as superior. A well-educated but godless citizen is as valuable to our society as a godly but poorly educated citizen.
The Bush 51%
What has happened in recent decades is that one's Christian faith now has, in the mind of most of the public, a direct line to the ballot box. Through a series of events, issues, and framing techniques, most Americans now believe that the Republican party is the Christian party.
In addition, the Republican party still has its secular element. Intellectual conservatives, economic elites, and others with a (literally) ungodly interest in Republican platform positions continue to support that party.
This, then, is the Bush 51%. Economic elites, intellectual conservatives, and Christian faithful.
The Rest of Us
Who is the other 49%? The knowledge elites and the secular humanists. Those who vote on the historical record, those who read the news from multiple sources on a regular basis, those who make moral decisions based on personal compassion and reason instead of according to a pre-set religious doctrine or faith.
How We Win
Here's the key to building a winning coalition. Christian Democrats. Not in the European party sense; I mean genuinely Christian citizens who believe in Democratic principles. To take the country back, we must take back the churches. By offering an equally Christian alternative in the voting booth, we remove faith from the equation. With faith set to one side, all citizens can vote based on reason. As Clinton said, "when people think, Democrats win."
Our path to this goal is clear. We must display, proudly, loudly, and repeatedly, the Biblical underpinnings of our best policies. The good news is, Jesus was way over on the left politically speaking. Throw a dart at the New Testament and you'll find a Democratic party plank.
Anti-war? "Blessed are the Peacemakers." Universal health care? "As you do unto the least of these, so you do unto me." Progressive taxation? "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the gates of Heaven." Pre-emptive military strikes? "If a man strike thee on the cheek, turn the other to him."
We can win. Jesus is with us. We just need to help Him remind his followers of that fact.