Kerry & the Good Samaritan

Check out Newsweek’s article It’s About Abortion, Stupid on John Kerry and his supposed inability to make a moral argument.
The article explores Kerry’s lag in the Catholic vote due to his pro-choice platform. A recent Zogby poll found that in key swing states (including Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, & Pennsylvania) Catholic voters are far more likely than the general public to vote to re-elect President Bush. While the article is somewhat obnoxious with quips about how democrats should “stop marginalizing their own pro-life members”, it raises an important discussion about whether Kerry’s campaign is effectively targeting issues that Americans are voting on.
Critiquing the supposed Clintonian legacy of never striking a moral issue, the article notes that: “Democrats stick to the uninspiring and oversimplified notion that people reliably vote their pocketbook, period…Republicans make the economic pitch, too, of course—tax breaks, come and get ’em!—but are smart enough to know that we want our vote to count for more, much more.”
And it’s true. While the rich undeniably seem to vote largely based on economic interest, I think for middle & low income voters it’s not such a clear-cut decision. Republicans have done an amazing job of creating this hegemonic fantasy where Bush stakes claim to the moral “high road.” While it’s all clearly bullshit (as the Bush administration has done nothing but marginalize and disenfranchise women, people of color, etc.), Democrats need to actively AND strategically deconstruct the Bush regime’s fascist social policies.
Check out this kickass commentary from Kerry that I somehow missed. “Four years ago, this president came to office calling himself a ‘compassionate conservative.’ Well, in the story of the Good Samaritan, we are told of two men who pass by or cross to the other side of the street when they come upon a robbed and beaten man. They felt compassion, but there were no deeds. Then the Good Samaritan gave both his heart and his help. For four years, this president has talked about compassion, but he’s walked right by. He’s seen people in need, but he’s crossed over to the other side of the street. For four years, we’ve heard a lot of talk about values. But values are not just words. They’re what we live by.”
Whoo-hoo! I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that this passion and moral fortitude will make a primetime appearance in the debates next week.