Dems and values

Regular readers of this site know that DC Clipmonkey bristles with rage at Republican claims that their party better represents the albeit-nebulous term "moral values." The idea that a party that eagerly supports the death penalty, torture, and bombing other countries, shows little regard for the environment, and cuts funding for services to the poor at every opportunity, is morally-upright is laughable. This month's Harper's describes the absurdity of this notion in great detail.

Ultimately, it is merely a function of marketing. Republicans are simply better at it. But many Democrats are finally getting the point, led by the Rev. Jim Wallis. In today's NYT, Wallis lays out how the Democrats can reclaim the values mantle.

Excerpt:

"...somebody must lead on the issue of poverty, and right now neither party is doing so. The Democrats assume the poverty issue belongs to them, but with the exception of John Edwards in his 2004 campaign, they haven't mustered the gumption to oppose a government that habitually favors the wealthy over everyone else. Democrats need new policies to offer the 36 million Americans, including 13 million children, who live below the poverty line, as well as the 9.8 million families one recent study identified as 'working hard but falling short.'"