The First “Non” Family Values Election Since 76?
June 5th, 2008 | by Bluestate |BLUE STATE SAYS:::
One of the things that has always been a bit of a thorn in my side is the way the Republicans/Conservatives have more or less labeled themselves as the “Family Values” party.
I recall a few years ago, having lunch with a good friend who happened to be a pretty far right leaning Republican. He had once been a centrist, one election voting Democrat, the next election voting Republican, but recalling the conversation that day, he told me how he could never again vote for a Democrat because he was for “Family Values”.
That comment was probably one of the few times I actually got a bit angry, or maybe bewildered would be a better choice of words. I really had a hard time understanding or even comprehending how he attributed “Family Values” to one particular party or the other.
My father is, and has been a lifelong Democrat, never having voted for a Republican in his life, and I don’t know that any amount of money could ever persuade him otherwise. But he worked hard his entire life, raised 2 kids to be fine adults. Stayed faithful to his marriage which is now entering 56 years, didn’t drink, and taught me and my brother right from wrong, but for some reason, according to my friend, he does not have “Family Values” and would never be worthy of his vote if he was seeking office. Did I mention that my friend was recently divorced?
I’ve always found it a bit strange that the state in the US with consistently the lowest divorce rate is Massachusetts. Arguably one of the more liberal states in the country, whereas, the highest rates (with the exception of Nevada) are generally states frequently defined as those being in the “Bible Belt?
One of the things I’m really hoping for in this general election is that the candidates will stick to real issues, not phony ones such as “Family Values”. Sure I know that conservatives might say that “Family Values” are a real issue and I won’t dispute that, but, is it a political issue? It’s not something that any politician can do anything about. It comes from within your own value system, your own concept of right and wrong, your own concept of morality . Sure, a politician can talk about it, but it’s just pandering. You control your own morality. It does not belong to one political party or the other.
I’ve always been amazed at how the conservatives seem to hate government programs, or intervention in their lives, always claiming that liberals want government to solve every problem, yet they seem to look to government as some kind of moral arbiter. “Family Values” do exist, but they are about actions, not words, and are not exclusive to any political party or political persuasion.
