The Terri Schiavo story has produced the usual Republican grandstanding and chest-thumping about the "culture of life" they claim to support -- with the implication, of course, that moderates and liberals don't support it.
The GOP has been getting away with this deceptive frame for far too long, thanks in part to our sorry joke of a news media, and thanks in part to a comatose Democratic leadership.
A party that enthusiastically embraces the death penalty, to the point of hurrying to execute death-row inmates before any last-minute exonerating evidence emerges, is not "pro-life".
A party that supports and pursues the concept of pre-emptive war, with violates (true) Christian just-war principles in just about every way, and destroys millions of lives and livelihoods, is not "pro-life".
A party that grandstands and wrings its hands over saving the life of one individual, while at the same time ensuring that millions of poor people have as little access to LIFE-SAVING health insurance as possible, is not "pro-life".
A party that claims to fight for the rights of the unborn, but refuses to help provide expectant mothers with the proper pre-natal and post-natal care, not to mention the health needs of the child once it is born, is not "pro-life".
A party that claims to support adoption as an alternative to abortion, but assiduously narrows the pool of prospective adoptive parents by discriminating against gay couples, is not "pro-life".
Medicare and Medicaid cuts, heartily supported by the Republicans, fly in the face of the "culture of life" concept.
The proposed evisceration of Social Security, which is often all that allows our senior citizens to close out their lives with dignity and comfort, is not "pro-life".
By our actions and by the policies we support and advocate, it is us, the Democrats, who truly embrace and support a "culture of life".
We believe that ALL Americans should have access to the same quality of medical care extended to Terri Schiavo, even if they're six-month-old African-American babies in Texas. We believe that well-cared-for expectant mothers are far less likely to pursue abortions. We believe in erring on the side of life when it comes to the death penalty. We don't believe in attacking foreign countries and destroying their people's lives when they pose no threat to us. And we only believe in war as a LAST resort, not as a FIRST one.
The Democrats are the pro-life party.
So how do we get our leadership to push this frame? It's not just advantageous to Democrats; it has the advantage of being ACCURATE. Howard Dean, are you listening?