I'm so sick of this "family" crap from the Republicans.

[AngryYoungMan]

It's clear that some strategists somewhere decided that "family" was the best rhetorical armature for their agenda. And I hate it, not just because it masks their actual divisive purposes, but because it just doesn't make any damn sense on its face.

"Republicans stand for morality." What does this mean? Whatever it means, appallingly high numbers of polled citizens accept it. "Morality begins with the family." Again, I don't understand what this means. I understand that they are talking about Christianity, heterosexuality, lack of female authority etc. but the whole argument is like the kind of thing you make up to instruct children. "Clinton was unethical." "Bush is trustworthy." This idiocy is sold to people under the mantle of "Family."

I feel like I'm listening to Don Corleone chastising Sonny Corleone. "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." This from a murderer and a kingpin of organized crime.

What rhetorical weapons can liberals use against this? WE ARE THE MORE CONSCIENTIOUS PARTY (using the word literally). How can we get this across to the country? All this "values" stuff is about as content-free as a Mentos ad.

[callous taoboy]

1. Welcome

to newspeak.

[salinen]

2. Too late.

Thugs bought airwaves. Must speak of ultimate morallity. The "others" are the enemy. Must kill enemy.

[central scrutinizer]

3. like "states' rights" it is a code word

everybody knows what it really means, but for some reason it remains hidden.

[Snow]

4. And how about

"great place to raise a family"
(no blacks)
or
"good schools"
(no blacks)
or
"quiet neighborhood"
(no blacks)

[AngryYoungMan]

11. Other code words:

"Cities" (Blacks)

"New York" (Jews, etc.)

"Politically Correct" (stolen term; they mean 'morally lax')

"Right to work" (anti-union)

"Pro-Business" (anti-union)

"America first" (Fascist)

[Zeke]

13. Add to the Mix...

AT RISK = black, hispanic and other minority youth.

[samsingh]

5. neocons and repugs only care about themselves

and THEIR family.

Democrats care about all families.

[callous taoboy]

17. Hence a term I enjoy:

"Mepublicans"

[emanymton]

6. Truth, Justice Or The American Way

"Republicans stand for morality." What morality is there in war?

Equal Rights are always a good place to start. Stand up for Equal Rights. Depend Equal Rights.

Hard to against Equal Rights.



Bush Lied, People Died.

[absyntheNsugar]

18. Bush Lied, People Died

Love it - now that should be our mantra.

Of course I have my spin...

Bush knew, Atta Flew...

[Az]

7. Dogma vs Society

This issue feels very real to the ground forces of the right. We live in a diverse society. We have a host of cultural and social values all vying for position within this society. The only way to make such a society survive is to repsect each position and put no value over anothers. This is known as Post Modern ethics. Aka Moral relativism.

You may hear this phrase bandied about by the right. They appeal to people who have been indoctrinated by churches to the notion of moral absolutes and dogmatic moral authority. Moral absolutism and Moral relativism are on a collision course in America these days.

Unforutnately most people do not recognise it for what it is. Instead the right paints it as family values. The left is too disorganized to paint it as much of anything. It is left to defending in desperation and becomes reactionary to the claims of the right.

Essentially what has happend is that the right has torn up the Social Contract. This is the unwritten acceptance of other peoples and values. They are proceding in the belief that what they champion is right, moral, and just. They define these terms on what they believe to be the absolute definition of good and evil as defined by their religion.

The oddity of their position is it sort of leaves them morally bankrupt. That is they are incapable of determining morallity for themselves and thus turn to the bible to define right and wrong for them. Unfortunately the bible is open to interpretation. Thus even though they believe they derive their morality from a concrete source in the end it is just their own fears and obsessions that comes through in the end.

[oldcoot]

8. I like "valuing families"

Some of the Democratic candidates have turned the family values rhetoric around by saying that they value families. The implication is that while the Republicans like to talk about family values, they really do not care about families. If they did, they would be addressing real issues that impact families such as health care instead of worrying about Janet Jackson's breast. The Democrats, on the other hand, favor taking real actions to help families cope.

[earthman dave]

9. Family values

http://www.anxietyculture.com/family.htm

[swinney]

10. FAMILY VALUES TRY THESE

1. Reagan had no closeness with his. He cared for nancy and his horse.
2. Reagan was kicked out of his family by first wife.
3.Newt Gingrich shacked up with aide and married her after asking wife to sign divorce papers while in hospital bed treatment for cancer.
4. Sinator Tim Hurchinson shacked up with his aide and then married her and left his family.
5. Bob Barr paid to hsve a member of his family killed.
6. Rep. Bob Livingston had to quit his job for screwing aides in the Congress building. White House or Congress House.
7. Warren Harding. enough said.
8. President(out of looper) Bush shacked up with aide.

Many skeletons available on Repuglasmuts.

[slappypan]

12. family values

Isn't caring about your family the very least you can do in life? Yet these people want to act like it's some great sacrifice, that one should get all this special acclaim for. Kind of like bragging about washing your hands after going to the bathroom or chewing with your mouth closed. Sorry, I am not really impressed by "family values" as a virtue in and of itself.

[proud patriot]

14. I always like to remind them

that Democrats are serving in Iraq right now as well
as gays and lesbians.

[Qutzupalotl]

15. I liked Clark's stump speech on this.

We're the ones who value families, by working to create jobs, affordable healthcare, and better schools. They love to talk about morality, but we practice it.

WE ARE THE MORE CONSCIENTIOUS PARTY (using the word literally). How can we get this across to the country?
I think the word you're looking for is "hypocrite." May be too strong a word to be used too often. If we can keep bringing up examples of them saying one thing and doing another (and there are PLENTY), that will work.

That would still be a negative approach, though. Combine it with the positive: we will eradicate the tit-for-tat that exists throughout Washington. We will reinstate mandatory environmental regulations, and get rid of these soft "voluntary compliance" policies. We will not punish public schools for struggling, but will give them the help they need. We will prosecute corporate robber barons, who steal the life savings of American workers. We will fix trade agreements that export American jobs.

Sprinkle with a little more negative: it is IMMORAL to make our grandchildren pay back the tax breaks for the rich. It is IMMORAL to lie about the reasons for war. It is IMMORAL to send soldiers to die for oil. It is IMMORAL to misrepresent inflation figures by eliminating housing costs. It is IMMORAL to lie about the number of unemployed who no longer can receive benefits. It is IMMORAL to allow moneyed interests to influence government decision-makers, then argue that money is free speech. The Republican party is CORRUPT and IMMORAL to its core, and they exist solely to preserve their collective ability to avoid responsibility. If you want change, if you want a country, vote a straight Democratic ticket!

[Deb-Ter]

20. Ref. Clarks Stump speech...

"WE ARE THE MORE CONSCIENTIOUS PARTY (using the word literally). How can we get this across to the country?
I think the word you're looking for is "hypocrite." May be too strong a word to be used too often. If we can keep bringing up examples of them saying one thing and doing another (and there are PLENTY), that will work."

While this would be fun to see their faces, if you're honest with yourself you will see this from 'every' group. All you would do is trade names of people that do this and each person would go away thinkging 'I showed them' and nothing will change.

Maybe I'm being naive, but I don't think that 'republicans' are any different than we are in what they want, they just see a different way to go about it. (I'm basing this on the ones that I know....you may have a different experience). These are honest policy differences, it doesn't make them all evil.

Wouldn't it serve us better if we were able to explain our side without resorting to name calling and pointing out individuals that failed to measure up? We may actually be able to convince someone to see things from our perspective, but once the name game is played you've closed the door on opportunity.

[geniph]

16. Value ALL families

some of us have found happiness in the families we have made, not the ones we were born in. Those families come in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, and they are still families. Those spouting the tired old "family values" cant are often only referring to one, very narrow, definition of family - a definition of family which really only came into popular favor in the last century.

I find the lyrics to the song "Family" by Gaia Consort, very apropos:

http://www.gaiaconsort.com/family.html

[HootieMcBoob]

19. Bush Crime Family Values

:puke:

[DemLikr]

21. Ask Texas Republican governor Rick Perry about his FAMILY VALUES

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...AAAAAAAAAAA...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I love when these Repuke closet queens come stumbling out of the closet!

[Hamlette]

22. Family values is codespeak for abortion and homosexuality

That's what President Playboy means when he says family values. People who are against abortion and hate homosexuals.