Redefine the Liberal Label a Must
Democrats need to redefine the so called "Liberal" label.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3Aliberal&btnG=Google+Search
Do a google define search (define:liberal) and the definitions would make anyone want to claim them as their own.
If the Republican Party is able to define Conservativism in a way that a religious base understands, I believe the Democrats, by virtue of their basic tenents, can do even more in changing the apparent bad name that being Liberal seems to lend and pick up many more of this Religious base.
It must be an advertising campaign, subtle or not, and may take more than 4 years, but it must be done - Redefine the Liberal Label into a positive one.
Then again, I have to accept and understand that many people simply like to be told, "This is the way it is" and the Religious Right and in this election, Bush, were Masters at it.
There really are two different Countries right now, the Rural Red Counties and States vs the Urban Blue ones.
Redfine the Liberal Label
Okay, I might have jumped the gun saying that the definitions would make anyone want to claim them as their own (one site defines a Liberal as One who denies some of the basic truths of Christianity.....).
However, overall, the definition and especially the Perception of a Liberal needs to be changed and made Positive. We also need to make the Liberal label related to Christianity, which is a big part of this Country.
We need to make the Christian Right appear to be the Christian Wrong.
Perception amounts to a lot.
Decline in civility
We as a nation, both Republicans and Democrats, have let the professional politicians influence our thinking to the point that we allow them to do our thnking for us.
We not only need to redefine Liberlism, but Conservatism as well. We need to get back to the basic teachings of the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights, and rediscover our collective roots.
Diversity of thought is what made this nation great, and we have become too polarized and lazy to think for ourselves. "Liberalism" and "Conservatism" are neither inherently good nor bad. The way that these divergent views are presented by their supposed proponents are where the negative emotions and hatred are ignited.
The problems that divide our country are more than just political and ideological, they include a lack of civility and honest discourse. There is too much emphasis on power and control by the professional politicians and their respective special interest groups, and we, the people, are being used to further their greedy causes.
The USA is, and always has been, a nation of divergent peoples, views, religions, and philosophies and that is our strength. We are being weakened by the political pandering of both parties, and our core values are slowly disolving.
To get back to the kind of a nation the founding fathers envisioned, we must regain control of our respective parties and bring them back to the grass roots level. We can no longer tolerate being told how to think, or that we must accept decisions by others. We must never give in to fanaticism or hatred. We must stand together and agree to disagree as neighbors and friends so often do.
We need new labels. Old ones meaningless.
I was thinking the other day that we need new labels. We're all aware of the smear that "liberal" has taken over the years. I'm proud to say I'm a liberal, but that carries an irrational taint for so many people now. And it's part of a confused bunch of terms. We think liberal politics is good, but we think neo-liberal economics on the world stage is not. We think conservative is bad, or at least not for us, and we know neo-conservative is bad. We're progressives, but there's such a thing as progressive Republicans? With the left/progressive/liberal resurgence in concert with this election, will we now have neo-non-neo-liberals? Aaagh! I want to clean the slate and start with brand new original labels that have real meaning. Much like when a group or business redefines its mission statement, I'd like for us to look back at our values and come up with a new word that best encapsulates our beliefs. Not a marketing gimmick, but a real idea in political philosophy. Now's the perfect time to do it too, what with the questionable future of the Dem Party as a legit body for electing people like us, and the groundswell of people and organizations on the left not necessarily happy with the flagship party. Who sets these terms anyway?!