I think there may be a fundamental misunderstanding of the "faith" issue

And it can't be solved by saying "Im religious too".

Faith is an issue because it explains WHY Republicans hold the views they hold. "Agree or disagree with me you know where I stand". Kerry and Gore were always able to articulate WHAT they wanted to do and HOW, two things that Bush can't do and Reagan couldn't either, but they weren't able to say WHY.

While I never drank the Howard Dean Kool Aid, when I saw him on CSpan at the Agenda Meeting Sunday he very articulately said WHY Social Security is important as is, not in practical terms or scare tactics but because it is the value of community. We are taking care of our parents and our children will take care of us just for being in America. It put his entire argument in context.

When Kerry seemed like a flip flopper when he didn't flip flop and Bush didn't seem like one when he did it wasn't just because of the media white noise, it is because people know why the little one is making the decisions he is making. Even if you despise him and ascribe motives to him that he does not claim you still know WHY he does what he does. Kerry and Gore seemed like oppurtunists because they couldn't say why.

Clinton could always tell you why. Kennedy and FDR could tell you why. W can even tell you why. His "faith" gives him a shorthand.

I think Dean is on the right track in reestablishing a Democratic why. Not just dry hows, whens and whats.

In fact, if memory serves, every Clinton answer was a why answer not a what answer. If someone asked him "How are you going to solve this" he started with why it mattered to do it and then his solution was in context. Kerry answered with what Bush had done and what he was going to do differently. This makes Bush and his motives the answer to every question.

Saying why is what builds the seemingly contradictory opinion people have of their President, that they trust him even if he isn't truthful. They trust him when they know why he is doing what he is doing.

In that context the '04 election was between one guy saying "I know what America is and I am willing to defend it" and the other saying "50 % of 20% is less than 100% of half a dozen".

or something like that.

That being said I think the Dem Party should proudly decide " To proclaim for all the world to hear, that human rights must never again become subservient to property rights"

My Clinton impersonation uses what I found to be his catch phrase "it is the right thing to do". I think if I was to do JR Bush I would start by going "heh heh heh" and then throw in alot of repetitive catch phrases like "weapons of mass destruction", "war on Tara" and start every sentence with "see ..."

Anyway, does the whole country know why JR does what he does - because the rich bastards and the military industrial complex tell him too, the same reason everyone calls the big guy "bones". Like he said accidentally, they never stop thinking of ways to hurt our country and our people, and to make a profit doing so.

JR may be able to tell us "why" but as I concluded my essay about his "agree with me or disagree, at least you know where I stand" line. "In a sense, however, he (Bush) is right. Those of us who pay attention do know where he stands, on the side of the rich, the powerful, the intolerant, the unthinking, the dogmatic, and pragmatically, on the side of untruth. I know that, however, not by believing what he says, but by watching what he does."

If I can quote me from above:

"Even if you despise him and ascribe motives to him that he does not claim you still know WHY he does what he does. Kerry and Gore seemed like oppurtunists because they couldn't say why."

The same needs to be done regarding vote fraud. When asked about verified vote we should not be replying with statistics that make even a stats wonk's eyes glaze over, but with a re-statement of WHY a verifiable vote is crucial. Once that is stated, then segue into how it can currently be abused, followed with examples of how is has been abused, but keeping the WHY at the forefront.