I think that the conversation between Upchuck and I is really important and I want to highlight it with a new thread. Here is the gist of what we are going at:

What does it really mean to say you ar a Democrat? Is it possible to find a common ground that is so far in the bedrock that we can bring enough people together to start really taking over the power structures?

As I was getting ready to respond to Upchuck's latest, very thoughtful response, I came accross a new entry in the conversation that does a much better job than I am doing at articulating this point.

Read this post on Kos. I believe it is very important.

Single issue groups are always quick to argue that their issues are always "core" parts of the Democratic Party. It's clear why -- the Dems don't have a coherent, national message, and the issue groups have eagerly filled the void. Nature abhors a vacuum.

And given that these issues groups must all fundraise from the same base of liberal donors and foundations, it's no surprise that they all claim their issue is The Most Important One Facing the Party Today.

I've actually heard people say "abortion is a core part of the Democratic Party". Bullshit it is. I hate abortion. It's a horrible, horrible thing. You make that a "key" part of the party, and I'll start looking for a third party.

So why am I a supporter of abortion-rights? Well, it's clearly not because of abortion itself. And finding those broader values that lead us to support one issue or another is far more important than the single issue itself. We, as a party, won't win any more elections until we recognize that.

Let's take the abortion issue. I support choice because I don't think it's my business, or government's, to control any woman's body. I think women have an expectation of privacy when dealing with their personal medical concerns.

And therein we find a core value -- privacy. That's where the party branding is built, with top-level values. And the beauty of it is that we're not branded as the "party of abortion" which is a guaranteed loser in large swaths of the country.

I want to add a few key notes before I shut up and beg some of you to join in:

1. This party is in a period of rebirth. Our old reason for power was power itself. We held the congress for 40 years based on an alliance with the devil (segregationists in the south). LBJ ended that alliance and we have been withering in power ever since. WE are now closer than ever to being a party built on real values held by pogressive Americans.

2. Values are not issues. Values are deeper. They are the barely spoken sensibilities that guide our decisions. They are what bind families, comunities, faiths, and coalitions together. Issues are agendas that spring from those values. Abortion rights is an issues, more to the point NARAL's take on abortion is an issue (or issue focus).

I believe that there are a few values that tie us (ie progressives) together with people who don't call themselves progressives. We are divided by issues. NOT by values. The Repugnantcans distort values, they corrupt and abuse them in order to pursue dishonest and reckless goals.

We are the only ones that can meet the great challenges that threaten the future. But we can't do it if all the good guys are too divided to get anything done.