The Moral Values Debate

It now seems clear, based on exit polling, that "moral values" was the reason that the Democrats took such a beating. Well, I am thoroughly confused.

So is it true that people might be worried about losing their jobs or a terrorist attack or a zooming deficit, but are even more worried about the prospect of gay marriage? I read somewhere that during the campaign, people passed out flyers in a southern state (possibly West Virginia) warning that if the liberals were elected, they would "take your Bibles." I laughed at the time, but it's pretty clear that a large portion of the country fears the Democrats.

At what point did the GOP become the standard-bearers for moral values? Was it the Clinton scandal, when they tried to paint all Democrats as being like President Clinton? Does it go back to Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which played upon racial fears and prejudice? What role does Fox News play in tapping into these fears...I remember a parody of the network on The Simpsons, where the news ticker read "Do Democrats Cause Cancer?" What other factors come into play, if in fact these are part of it?

If people are more concerned about gay marriage and abortion and "God's Will" than with their own well-being, how do you convince them to vote for you if they fear you so much? The Democratic Party has a lot of work to do to convince these people that they are indeed on their side.

What do you think?

For more on this, please see http://www.carenlissner.blogspot.com