God, Guns, and Gays. The three issues that rural America votes on. The Status quo Democrats lose on all three. Most Kossites believe that we would have to sacrifice our values to win on these issues, and that it just isn't worth it. But this isn't true. Without reform, it certainly is. The DLC would love to move to the right on these, but it just doesn't work unless you truly believe in it. If you use the DLC model, you end up in a goose-hunting outfit 2 weeks before the election when everybody already knows your anti-gun voting record. People in this country have pretty good bullshit detectors for this sort of thing, and Kerry probably lost thousands of votes with that stunt alone. Remember: these people aren't
stupid, they just have different priorities than you. If you want to win (or at least begin to make inroads) in Rural America, here's a good way to start:
1. Gun Control:
The Democrats have been way behind the times on this issue for quite a long time. The fact remains that the majority of Americans believe in stricter gun controls. However, the problem is that the significant minority of people who want looser gun controls should be in the Democrats' pockets, economically.
We have to promote common sense with guns. Common sense is not banning a certain type of weapon for the entire country. Common sense is telling America that while Nebraskans and Montanans probably have a use for a hunting rifle, it's safe to say that people in downtown New York probably don't. We should vote against national anti-gun legislation, with the exception of, say, trigger locks and the like, which don't really adversely affect anyone. We should say that we support state and local rights on this issue. The NRA lives off fear of the Democratic Party taking away their guns. We take away that fear, and we take away a large chunk of their base and donations. The issue is largely forgotten, and we gain supporters without alienating our base.
2. Gays:
Let me start off saying that I am for gay marriage. Second, let me tell you that I am not a DLC-type compromiser. However, I believe that this is a generational issue that will sort itself out over time. In 70 years, people will look back in shame at the constitutional amendments passed in the last election just as we look in shame at the Jim Crow laws. We need to support gay rights in the form of Civil Unions across the country. It is not a huge issue to put emphasis on, but we can use the inclusive message to frame it as being "Christian", and say that God wanted everyone to have rights. There are other strategies, such as giving marriage to the churches and just having rights controlled by the government, that would work just as well, if not better.
3. God:
As an atheist, I don't have much to say on this issue. Numerous good diaries have been written on this subject in the past. Obama is a good model. Just frame it so people see how Democratic principles, feeding the poor etc., are Christian.