Martin Frost emailed us his latest column for Fox News. That's right, Fox News. After I read through it (you can read it by clicking on 'permalink' below) I had a mixed reaction.
Mr. Frost believes Democrats must reach out to religious voters. To agree with his position means I have to agree that Democrats' current values are out of step with religious beliefs. I do not, so it makes it a little difficult for me to swallow this column as a 'call to action' as it was intended. Using a study by the Democracy Corps, he takes on the idea of a change agenda.
For example: "But somehow, Republicans have equated any support for gay rights and a woman's right to choose an abortion with immorality."
First, I strongly believe in the separation of Church and state. Secondly, I believe it is very Christian to champion the rights of the disenfranchised or discriminated against people (gay rights) and as far as abortion goes...when I grow a heart-stoppingly gorgeous vagina I'll speak up more fervently about the issue of abortion.
click here for the full entry.
Dems Must Regain Faith of Religious Voters
Thursday, August 18, 2005
By Martin Frost
August is traditionally referred to in Washington as Â?the dog days of summer.Â? That means just about everyone is out of town and itÂ?s so hot that only dogs go outside; the people who are still here arenÂ?t really paying much attention to anything. And then along comes a story so important that lots of people need to pay attention.
On Aug. 9, the Democracy Corps (run by long-time Democratic Party strategists James Carville, Stan Greenberg and Robert Shrum) released the results of four focus groups held earlier this summer entitled Â?The Cultural Divide and the Challenge of Winning Back Rural and Red State Voters.Â? The premise of the Democracy Corps report is that many white, non-college voters have closed their minds to Democrats because of religious issues, and that the party can reach them only by changing the subject. I disagree. Following such a strategy will ensure that Democrats remain a minority party for a long time. To quote the study released by Democracy Corps, Â?These focus groups (conducted in Appleton, Wis., Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Golden, Colo.) powerfully demonstrated that as Democrats seek to redefine their party they face some hard truths. No matter how disaffected they are over Republican failures in Iraq and here at home, a large chunk of white non-college voters, particularly in rural areas, will remain simply unreachable for Democrats at the national level.Â?
The study continues, Â?Furthermore, Republicans and their allies on the right have very effectively used their bully pulpit and their media echo chamber to define Democrats as weak on defense and security issues, hostile to religious faith and the role it plays in most AmericansÂ? lives, enamored with big government solutions to every problem, and obstructionists with no positive agenda or new ideas of their own.Â?
There is truth in what they say on all these issues, but their solution to the problem is very questionable. The Washington Post ran a story about this study the next day and Rush Limbaugh devoted a lengthy monologue to the report on his daily radio program. Just about everyone else yawned. As a Democrat who wants to see his party once again regain majority status, IÂ?'m not yawning. IÂ?m paying very close attention. Democrats must find a way to speak to people of faith in this country. We arenÂ?t there yet, but we need to keep trying.
During the time I have been writing this column, no subject has generated as many e-mails as the role of religion and morality in contemporary politics. Democrats believe in God and lead moral lives every bit as much as Republicans do. To suggest the contrary is simply a lie. But somehow, Republicans have equated any support for gay rights and a womanÂ?s right to choose an abortion with immorality. Democrats have varying views on these subjects, with many Democrats supporting parental notification for an abortion and opposing gay marriage. But often that gets lost in the noise from the extreme right. I find the recommendations of the Democracy Corps study troubling. They suggest simply changing the subjectÂ?hitting hard on such issues as price caps for prescription drugs, Republican ethical failures, Republican cuts in veteransÂ? benefits, a real energy policy providing for energy conservation, and alternative energy sources and the need to protect workers' pensions. All these are important issues and should be developed by Democratic candidates in 2006 and 2008, but there should be more to this story.
Democracy Corps concludes that rural and red state votersÂ? Â?deep-rooted doubts about Democrats and their affinity toward Republicans on cultural issues will prevent them from voting for Democrats for Congress unless Democrats can tap into their frustrations with an aggressive Â?changeÂ? agenda that holds Republicans responsible for the current mess in Washington and presents a Democratic alternative that will deliver measurable results and make a real difference in their personal lives. Carville, Greenberg and Shrum are right about the strength of a "change" agenda, but we canÂ?t accept their view about the futility of also attempting to reach large groups of voters on moral grounds. After reviewing almost 2,500 e-mails from readers of this column during the last four months, it is clear to me that many voters want Democrats to speak to them on moral grounds-- even though there are some who will never listen to what a Democrat has to say. I would like to see a "change" agenda. But, IÂ?d also like to see my party make a better case on the role of morality in society. We will never go to the extreme of embracing a far right religious agenda, but we should not concede the votes of the vast majority of people of faith in this country either.
The dog days of summer are ending. My party needs to study the findings of the Democracy Corps focus groups but we shouldnÂ?t give up the fight for the votes of people who believe strongly in a moral nation. Religious faith does not belong to just to one party.
Martin Frost served in Congress from 1979 to 2005, representing a diverse district in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. He served two terms as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the third-ranking leadership position for House Democrats, and two terms as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Frost serves as a regular contributor to FOX News Channel. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from the Georgetown Law Center
I thought PD did have a vagina
nope, I'm a gal, PD isn't.
I am female but was recently mistaken for a gay man on this blog, in the comments, by a racist, ungrammatical, hate-mail zealot. He said I should #&*# and then called me a #&*&#* (slur for homosexual man). I was so flattered. Good luck with the vagina, PD.
As for "values". . .Jesus HATED money-changers and people who prayed in public. Sounds like Rs to me.
"Mr. Frost believes Democrats must reach out to religious voters. To agree with his position means I have to agree that Democrats' current values are out of step with religious beliefs."
I think this reasoning is flawed, PD. It does not mean that Democrats' current values are out of step with religious beliefs, rather it means that Democrats are just really lousy at communicating those values to religious voters. And on that point, he's 100% right.
I think he means that when the issue of faith is brought up that too many Democrats have spent so much time arguing that it is the right of an American to be anything they want to be that they forget to say that Jesus loved everyone. Remember though, Jesus reached out to the sinners, but he told them to sin no more.
Please, please, please. Make Martin Frost go away. He and his minions destroyed the Texas Democratic Party. Why would we care what he has to say?
As for the reminder that Jesus wanted us to sin no more and that this should somehow be communicated by the Democrats. . .this is complex. There are myriad ways to be cruel and immoral: sins of omission and sins of commission, private sins, public/societal sins. There are sins we don't understand we have commited until decades pass. There is no commandment, i.e., that says thou shalt not own slaves, but we have come to understand slavery as evil. It's not going to save the Democratic party to go around saying it's has "values" all figured out. Only an individual conscience can do that. And you can't turn an arduous moral life into to bumper stickers and placards. The"faith-based" slogans that try to are propaganda, the antithesis of individual conscience.
I realize I have been irony-free. My apologies.
Edmonton dominated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and the 4-0 margin in Game 6 makes it hard to imagine the Oilers not hoisting hockey's Holy Grail above their heads in less than 48 hours. And it would not come as any shock to see defenseman Chris Pronger, who had another 31-minute night, take the honors for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
Chris Bell mentioned his church/faith in his speech to Texas Democrats. I don't want to assume that's calculated. I think Bell's point was that Democratic values were not out of step with religious beliefs... but that the point needed to be spelt out.