A closer look at America
If there's one thing that helps connect all the dots, it's 9/11. Bush was unambiguous about the fact that we are in a war of good versus evil, just as he has framed some issues as choices between right and wrong. Only 8 percent of voters listed religious faith as the most important quality in a leader, but 34 percent said they wanted a strong leader who would take clear stands on the issues. Some 49 percent said they trusted only Bush to deal with terrorism--18 points more than voters who said they trusted Kerry on the issue. Women were key. Gore won the women's vote by 11 percent in 2000, Kerry by only 3 percent this year. Bush carried married women by 55 percent, up from 49 percent in 2000.
But while a conservative populism is in the ascendancy, its reach should not be overstated. With it, there is an underlying acceptance of many positions that liberals have long fought for. Today, we see increased tolerance on issues related to homosexuality, expressed in the growing acceptance of civil unions--something that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. We see increased tolerance of interracial relations and a broad consensus against segregation, in contrast to American attitudes of 35 years ago. We also see wide acceptance of women's rights. Issues that Democrats disagree on, in other words, simply can't be dealt with by attacking the other side as religious cranks.
We do not have to look forward to a future in which America is permanently divided into red and blue states or racked by a culture war. At the same time, the Democrats will remain a party of opposition if they fail to understand that attitude counts at least as much as policy.
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