I recently posted a diary on self-responsibility and common sense. I didn't get many recommendations, but lots of comments. One accused me of using right-wing talking points through one of my examples and warned me that such action was not very popular here.
It got me to thinking about what should be "allowed" talking points for Democrats. I realize that one of the things that encourages me about Sen. Obama's campaign, and one of the things that I personally like, is the fact that he is taking back some of the issues which for so long have been ceded to the Republicans.
In so many of the "analysis" pieces about Sen. Obama's acceptance speech, I see the claim that he contradicted himself because he spoke of self-responsibility as well as the government helping people. I don't find his remarks at all contradictory. The problem is that for so long the country - at least the media - has viewed issues as only "this" or "that", Democratic or Republican. Over and over, I see Sen. Obama refusing to accept this division.
There is nothing contradictory about calling for self-responsibility while understanding that there is still a need for assistance to those who cannot, in the words of Sen. Obama, pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they have no boots. We can call on people to be responsible, while recognizing that some will still need help. In echoing the calls for self-responsibility which usually come from the Republicans, we can take a different next step. The Republican next step is - and if you can't take care of yourself, too bad. Our next step can be - and if you can't take care of yourself, we'll help you until you can.
When Sen. Obama gave his glorious speech on race in Philadelphia, he not only talked about White racism, he talked about Black racism and self-responsibility. Again, Sen. Obama took a Republican talking point - the anger which some Whites feel about affirmative action - and went beyond the Republican use of it as a wedge issue. Instead of dividing us into "them and us", he appealed to the "angels of our better nature", in Lincoln's words, to recognize that we share responsibility for what is happening and should share in building a more perfect union.
When Sen. Obama launched into his discussion of abortion and gun control in his acceptance speech, I initially cringed. Those are such obvious Republican wedge issues. Those are the Republican issues we avoid. AGAIN, Sen. Obama tried to find common ground and common values. And I believe he is right that the common ground can be found. I personally never had an abortion and don't know if I could have done it. Yet, I believe with all my heart that we must protect the right of a woman to choose. As Sen. Obama said, we may not agree on when life begins, but we can agree that we all want to reduce the number of abortions and provide better alternatives. The Republicans ridiculed him for stating that the question of when life begins is one that is above him (i.e., in the realm of God), but that is an answer than many Americans will echo.
Religion is another Republican issue which Democrats have often avoided. But, freedom of religion is a vital issue to many of us who are not in the religious right. Indeed, we have more to fear if religious freedom is not maintained. Christianity is still the accepted norm of the country. For those of us who are not Christian, it is pushed in our face every day that our beliefs are not those of the majority around us. The religious right often seems to be on a crusade not for religious freedom but for religious dominance. Sen. Obama has been unafraid to state that his Christian religion is important to him, even if the internet rumors still fly about that he is a Muslim. Bill Clinton was the last Democrat who seemed to be able to convey that he understood religious beliefs - with him it was not a Republican issue. Seems to have worked well for him.
In speaking with a friend last night, she said that the selection of Gov. Palin helped McCain by putting the values issues back into his campaign. Yes, her selection energizes the pro-life, pro-gun, fundamentalist religious groups. But I think that as Democrats we make a mistake if we now just cede "values" issues to the Republicans and try to win on other issues.
We are a party of values. I have strongly held values. I made the mistake during the last campaign of not speaking from my heart about my values when I spoke with undecided voters. I ceded the values issues to the Republicans. Finally, in a phone conversation shortly before the election, a family member told me that she was voting for W because she thought he shared her values. I exploded. I explained that I was voting for Sen. Kerry because he shared my values. I told her that I valued the lives of the service men and women being sent to die in a war based upon false representations. I valued protecting our environment so that our grandchildren could still breathe the air and not have to cope with the disastrous repercussions of global warming. I valued fiscal responsibility which would not leave our grandchildren paying off the debts which W was incurring. I valued Social Security which would secure a decent life for our seniors. By the time I finished, the family member responded: I didn't realize all of that. I'm sorry, but I voted early.
I do not intend to make the mistake again this campaign of ceding the values issues to the Republicans. This is my declaration of action diary for me - maybe it works for some of you as well. As Sen. Obama has demonstrated in his speeches, we can find common values. As Democrats we can speak as proudly and strongly of values as the Republicans, even on the issues of abortion, guns and self-responsibility. Those should not be right-wing talking points. They should be American talking points.