Folks in Arkansas Have it Right

Today, The Washington Post printed an article titled, "For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap." The article reports the findings of a group of Democratic strategists who interviewed voters in Wisconsin, Arkansas, Colorado and Kentucky. Big surprise: Morals win over electoral politics. The heart of rural America is still beating, which gives me great hope.

The article did a lot to validate how I feel, how I vote, and what I believe in regards to politics. It was nice to realize that somebody finally figured it out - though, with the story buried on Page A8, I doubt too many people in the DNC will pay attention to it.

I am a rare species - LDS, originally from Utah, and a registered Democrat. I spent my senior year at BYU active in the College Democrats organization (a surprising fact: though many don't even realize BYU allows Democrats - ha, ha - it has a very active chapter). People gasp, faint, fall over and assume that I cannot possibly be faithful to my religious beliefs while voting for the "other guy." I admit, my roots in registering as a Democrat came more from my belief that EVERY state needs a two-party system, and I was trying to bolster the beleaguered minority. That aside, I believe largely in the Democratic Ideology - small business, social awareness and activism, proactive government, etc. "Largely" is the key word - because I've voted Republican at least as often as I've voted Democrat, and there are some issues (ie Military) where I'm definitely more Republican in my ideology.

What people (politicians, the DNC and others) don't get is that being Democrat does not mean I feel inclined to surrender my traditional morals and values. The article pointed to some themes in how the study's participants felt, that mirrored almost identically how I feel:

The good news for Democrats: All the groups
expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and with the
leadership of the president and the GOP-controlled Congress.

Then came the bad news: "As powerful as the concern over these issues
is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion,
the importance of the traditional family unit and the role of religion in public
life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at
the national level," the study said.

Many of these voters still favor Democrats on economic issues. But they
see the Democrats as weak on national security, and on cultural and moral
issues, they view Democrats as both inconsistent and hostile to traditional
values. "Most referred to Democrats as 'liberal' on issues of morality, but some
even go so far as to label them 'immoral,' 'morally bankrupt,' or even
'anti-religious,' " according to the Democracy Corps analysis. (Balz, D., Washington Post, 8/10/05 p.A08)

That's it. No matter my political ideology I REFUSE to vote for someone who challenges or tries to negate my values and beliefs. Often, my voting pattern has been less about ideology and more about who is the better person to safeguard the religious, cultural and traditional beliefs that make up who I am.

I hope someone from the DNC is paying attention. It's time someone in the Democratic party wake up and realize here are a lot of us who are quietly ready to mutiny. For once, the good people of Arkansas and I agree on something.