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Over the past week, we seemed to have run through each and every one of these issues in several threads, in response to things such as another horrendous shooting to Mitt Romney's stupid fucking remarks about religion. Usually the statement in my subject line is used derisively, as it should, none of the 3 "issues" mentioned are so called "bread and butter" issues, such as income disparity, lack of a social safety net, etc.
But, that's not what matters, what really matters is that we find a way to reach at least SOME people who do consider these important issues. We can't, no matter how we try, to reach all of them, but some are reasonable enough to try to at least prioritize their issues, and may vote Democratic in the next few election cycles.
So how do we reach some of those who vote based on these, and some other issues? I think its more a matter of how to approach these issues, rather than either ignoring them or changing any positions to appeal to these types of voters.
Under the God "issue", first we must face facts, a little less than three quarters of Americans are Christian, less than a third actually go to church regularly, and less than that are considered members of the "Religious Right". Most of the Christians in America are basically people who believe, but, more or less, its a Christmas and Easter thing. The problem here is that the Democrats and Republicans are treating a minority of Christians as if they were the most important voting bloc in the country. In reality they aren't, they are more likely to vote compared to the average American, so their numbers are exaggerated when counted among registered voters.
I figure the best way to deal with the Religious right is to increase the voter participation of more Americans, especially younger people, 18-30 years old, who are, generally, less religious, or, at the very least, less zealous. The best way to do this is to appeal to their issues, it seems to me that for many politicians, these people seem to not exist, yet they can constitute a large voting bloc. These are people whose biggest issues reflect their life journey, many are just starting in careers, or going to college, and/or starting families. So for them, things such as low interest college loans, publicly provided child day care, job training and security, etc. would be considered their most important and pertinent issues.
The Gun issue is a stickler, mostly because there are passionate people on both sides of the debate, and too many are too uncompromising on this issue. The fact of the matter is that guns aren't going to go away any time soon, so we should deal with that reality as it stands now, not what we hope for in the future. To be honest, my personal belief is that standard registration and background checks are enough as is. However, the problem is that too many people think guns cause crime, they don't, they just make some crimes easier to commit than they would otherwise with some other weapon.
Banning guns will save lives, a sword wielder at a mall wouldn't be able to kill or wound as many people as someone with a gun, however, the fact is that the guns aren't the problem, the crime, or, more particularly, the motives for crimes, are the problem. Outside of a few psychopaths and people with psychological problems, most murders in this country are crimes of passion or desperation. The causes can be complex, but generally speaking they are crimes caused by stress. We could increase the ration of police officers per person in this country to 1:1, and it still wouldn't solve the problem. We could eliminate the Bill of Rights entirely, and it wouldn't solve the problem.
The fact is that the cause of most crimes are a combination of abject poverty, the existence of ghettos, and hopelessness. The lack of a safety net, and social mobility, in addition to lack of gainful employment, are the biggest problems that face our society today. Having said all this, I think Democrats, in general, should not have Gun Control as a primary issue on the national stage. Instead, we should think of effective ways to reduce the motives for committing violent crimes. Decriminalization of most illicit drugs, increasing the safety net, increase public investment in local businesses in inner cities and ghettos, and increase funding for grants and low interest loans for low income people to go to college or trade schools. These, I believe, would lead to a great decrease in crime, especially in the cities, but also nationwide.
As far as the last one, Gays, well, again an issue with a not so easy answer. The big problem goes back to the first issue, under "God", and part of the answer is there as well. We are seeing a huge shift in society as society is adapting to changing social norms. To be honest, I think this change is going far too slowly, I would like for things such as Gay Marriages to be legally recognized nationwide yesterday. What Democrats need to do is NOT, repeat, NOT, pander to the worst elements in American society in regards to Gay Civil Rights. What they need to do is try to appeal to fairness and equality, while at the same time GBLT people and their allies work to change our culture to be more accepting of GBLT people.
While all this is occurring, what we also need to do is remind people of the real bread and butter issues, education, health care, living wages, social security, etc. We need to make sure THESE are the issues that are at the forefront of American consciousness. What we need are positive ways to approach the people of this country, not trying to divide them up unnecessarily. Keep the eye on the ball, that's how you win elections.
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