By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
A pair of Democrats believe the party’s future success is in its core values.
J.M. Purvis, author of “Democrats 101,” and State Rep. Joe Miller, D-Lorain, talked at a Wood County Democrats meeting Monday night at Grounds for Thought in hopes of starting a groundswell of support for uniting the party locally, in the state and across the nation.
“We have to change the conversation and make it about our values. We are still playing politics and thinking about the next election; but it’s not just about the next election. This is about the way we think about what we are doing,” Purvis said.
There is a lot of work to be done to pinpoint the party’s values and identity, and “It won’t happen overnight,” he added.
One of the issues is that Democrats have let Republicans define the party, Miller said. “Our party is being defined by everything but what we truly are.”
There also is a tendency for Democrats to want to explain everything rather than provide a clear, succinct message.
Purvis said the Republicans have landed on a successful message that resonates with people as the country is going through a social, cultural and technological revolution. Within the past 20 years smartphones have changed the way people relate. The idea of a Black president that was formerly considered ridiculous became a reality, and the majority of Americans aren’t concerned any more about the once controversial idea of gay marriage.
“This is a massive upheaval of social norms, and it presents us with wonderful opportunities over time to create a much more just society for us,” Purvis said.
The same cultural change is also what Republicans responded to for their effective messaging. “MAGA (Make America Great Again) isn’t a slogan. It’s an emotional home and has become their sense of identity,” he said. “They have turned what used to be traditional politics into a war over identity—us vs. them.”
According to Purvis, the misidentification of the Democratic Party started with President Richard Nixon’s southern strategy to turn the south red using racism and continued during Ronald Regan’s presidency when the term “liberal” became a dirty word, and Democrats were constantly labeled socialists and communists.
“We sneered at them and said, ‘Who is going to believe that?’ But it was repeated enough and people believed it,” he said.
The question becomes “How do we change our identity with the America people so that they think the Democrats are the good guys?”
The foundation of “Democrats 101” is to create that identity and demonstrate that the Democrats’ values are based in the origins of the forefathers’ documents, including the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.
“Our identity cannot be based on positions or policies because we don’t agree on policies, but we can all agree on values,” Purvis said.
“What do you value?” Miller asked. The responses included: Helping others. Public education. Giving everyone a chance regardless of zip code or upbringing. A government that works for us.
The founders put in the Declaration of Independence the importance to protect the golden ideals to do what is right. “That is what we aspire to, that all people are created equal. That was their framework,” Miller said.
Within the book, Purvis offered a creed that could appeal to everybody in the Democratic Party regardless of where they live. He worked with Democrats across the nation, from various backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses.
Beyond the framework that all people are created equal, the tenets include:
- That America is a democracy, by and for the people ruled by the Constitution, protected by the Bill of Rights and inspired by the Declaration of Independence.
- The founding documents demand freedom, justice and opportunity for all Americans in full and equal measure.
- The duty of the government is to to make the ideals of freedom, justice and opportunity a reality for all.
- The purpose of government is to protect our nation, defend our democracy and to promote the welfare of everyone.
- Fighting for these ideals is our purpose as a political party.
“We need to be able to communicate these values and relate them to people’s interests.
Fighting for these ideals is our purpose as a political party,” Miller said. “
Purvis said Democrats 101 was written to create a sense of unity for the Democratic Party. His next book will be called “America 101” because the values are American values. “If this is our identity, we need a vision and the American people, and the Democrats need to know where and how we are going to get there.”
