AN OPEN LETTER TO BLUE STATE DEMOCRATS FROM CONCERNED RED STATE DEMOCRATS.

The recent election was a tragedy. Despite the tireless efforts of millions of citizens, the Democratic Party lost nearly every battle. We had good reason to be optimistic. More young people got involved in the electoral process, an experience that will make them better citizens in the future. We had an identifiable enemy: George W. Bush. The base was energized. The truth was on our side. We knew the truth about the war, about the economy, and about health care; we threw our energies into exposing the truth to the nation. Our candidate won three debates against the President. On November 2nd, we had everything going for us.

The outcome was very different from our expectations. The Presidential election, although close, was a clear defeat. We had an opportunity to retake the Senate, but we failed. To add insult to injury, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate was defeated by his Republican opponent. There are a few bright spots: Barack Obama won his race in Illinois; Ken Salazar defeated Pete Coors in Colorado. Despite these victories, the Democrats further eroded their representation in both houses of Congress.

The media was quick to point to the “moral issue” as the greatest difference between voters for Bush and voters for Kerry. The “moral issue” was never fully defined, but voters frequently cited morality as their reason for voting for Bush. They voted for Bush despite their economic interests. They voted for Bush despite their disdain for “big government” and deficit spending. They voted for Bush despite the grim reality of the quagmire in Iraq. Whatever this “morality issue” is, there is a perception that the Republicans have it and the Democrats don’t. However vague it may be, people voted for “morality” over tangible, real-life issues that affect their lives.

Since the terrible morning of November 3rd, we have heard many Democrats from the so-called “blue states” take a defensive position concerning the “morality issue”. They are quick to bring up later polls in which people named morality as their primary issue less frequently if they were required to choose between morality and other specific, defined issues. They claim that the Democrats have the high ground on such “moral issues” as health care, the environment, and assistance for the poor. There has been public scoffing at any Democrats who dare to approach the morality issue as a primary reason for the defeat. The blue state Democrats are generally very moral people, and are not accustomed to having their morality questioned.

The Democrats who live in the red states know otherwise. We have our morality questioned every day. In our world, morality does not mean health care, it means banning abortions. In the red states, morality has nothing to do with the environment; it is more concerned with preventing gays from getting married. In the red states, people see no contradiction between Christianity and aggressive war. These are the conditions in which we red state Democrats find ourselves. In the red states, we face lower education levels, lower income levels, and less tolerance for outside cultures or opinions or lifestyles. In the red states, emotional arguments are far more persuasive than logical arguments, no matter how wrong the emotional arguments may be. In our world, slogans work. The people here really believe that the anti-abortion movement is “pro-life”. They really believe that the war in Iraq is “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. They really believe that the assault weapons ban will take away their hunting rifles. They believe that gay marriage will destroy heterosexual marriage. They really believe that an outspoken man of God would make a better President than a qualified candidate who is quiet about his faith. We have heard people say that they won’t vote for Kerry because “he is a very immoral person”. Why? They don’t know. They only know that he is a Democrat, and Democrats are associated with all things immoral. This is the message, blue staters: every red state Democrats knows that the “moral issue” is what defeated us on November 2nd. We have been beaten over the head with the moral issue for years.

Please understand our condition, blue staters! We have to wade through this sea of hostility and ignorance to get our message across. It is admirable that you take a hard line on the core policies of the Democratic Party. We understand why you don’t believe we need to reframe the debate in moral terms. However, we need you to understand that we must work with what we have. We must meet the red state voters where they are. We don’t need to move the party to the right, but we do need to persuade some of these right-wingers to soften their hard line. To this end, we have to state every issue in a way that conservatives can understand. When we speak, our audience is always conservative. There simply are not enough true liberal voters to win against the conservatives, even on a good day. If we are to have any hope of regaining power, we must persuade some of these people to change sides.

We are not asking much for the blue states, but we do need a little help. First, we need the blue staters to stop insulting the red states. It is not easy to face red state voters when blue state Democrats are calling them idiots. They do not make any distinction between Democrats in the red states and Democrats in the blue states. As far as they are concerned, we are calling them idiots. The constant harking on the deficiencies of the red states in unhelpful. If you want to help, try pointing out the good points of the red states. In middle-America, people value hard work and family. These values are not incompatible with the principles of liberalism and the Democratic Party. Most importantly, dear blue staters, please cut the red state Democrats some slack. We cannot afford to take the hard line on issues that you blue staters comfortably can. Just because we are reaching out to Christians does not mean we want to erode the separation of church and state. Just because we want to reframe the arguments in moral terms does not mean we think you are immoral. Just because we must use the language of rural America does not mean we are conservatives. Please recognize that we are on your side, but we must use different tactics than you can use in your home states.

We do not want to distance ourselves from the blue state Democrats. We want an alliance. We want a united Democratic Party. Our message to blue state Democrats is: cut us some slack. Allow us to work within our environment and make some gains. Do not call us “Republican light”. Do not call us “DINOs”. Do not call our intended audience “stupid”. Remember, working together means everyone does their part. It is the part of the blue state Democrats to provide a firm core for the party. It is the part of the red state Democrats to reach out to those who have rejected us. We are doing missionary work. Please remember that everything you say reflects on us. Please help us succeed.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
Concerned Red State Democrats.

© 2005 Bryan Lower

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