Democrats: we should be the technology party

Republicans have made their way lately by being widly accepted as the Christian/"Moral Values" party and have won the last election in large part due to that perception (evidence to fraudulant votes notwithstanding, of course). What I see a lot on here is people trying to find out what it means to be a democrat these days and how the party has, in many ways, lost its way. Worse yet, we don't seem to be able to agree on what, in fact, our party does stand for other than just not being Republicans.

I think we should make our mark as the pro-technology party, and keep the message just about as simplistic as that. I know that in the past a lot of people get turned off at the mention of technology because it envokes images of technolgy running amok: robots stealing factory jobs, technologists manipulating the masses because of their general ignorance of technology and all that were good reasons not to push technology in the past.

But, my generation (I'm almost 32) is a lot more technologically savvy than previous. Even my parents' generation is light years beyond my grandparents' in terms of ease and comfort with technology. So, the pro-technology ethos is primed to take serious root in American life.

This stance ties into so many things. Better technology means:
* Better jobs and industry
* Better security through better intelligence gathering
* Better health care through better science
* Better transportation and energy through more efficiency and design
* Better environment as a result of the last item
* Better education through use of technology AND more emphasis on technology in education.

Feel free to add to that list. We have an opportunity right now to take the Republican's greatest strength and turn it against them. We can paint them as a party of the Dark Ages, far more willing to hold on to antiquated fears and supersitians than they are to progress forward with optimism.

The two times I saw Kerry speak in MN he said something that really spoke to me: our energy crisis is not something that we should be drilling our way out of, it is something we should *invent* our way out of. He also spoke of challenging America to have certain alternative fuel goals by 2020 and likened it to Kennedy's challenge to land a man on the moon by the end of the '60s.

We need to SHAME the Republicans by continuing to point to our previous technological achievements, such as the moon missions. We need to make people look back and see what we've accomplished as a result of technology and science and make them see how SHAMEFUL it is that our auto industry is whining about CAFE standars. They need to feel EMBARRASSED that we're holding back stem cell research because of how many lives it could be saving. And, perhaps, they even need to feel AFRAID because our intelligence technology is keeping our country open to terrorist attacks.

And, in general, we need to be ASHAMED of all our industries that rely on marketing and PR first, then R&D second. Ford and Chevy shouldn't be trying to cover up the truth about dagerously-unsafe SUVs, they should be actively doing something about it all the time. They're just now deciding to do something about it, despite nearly 2 decades of 1/3 of all accident fatalities attributed to rollover deaths. We should be EMBARRASSED that we're exporting all our high-tech jobs and that everyone else in the world is innovating and we're just following.

good idea. We need to change the frame of the debate, and frame it on our terms. The thing is, our policy and message benefits the vast majority of americans. We just have to communicate it.

Also we need to frame the rethugs in a more realistic light. Dishonest, cheating, lying, do anything to win republicans.

Most importantly, we need a single topic around which we can encapsulate why we're different and better, and I believe Technology and Science is that topic. Yes, it's vague, but how vage is "moral values?" Hell, how vague is "Christianity?" Are we talking Catholic or Protestant? If Protestant, which branch of Protestantism?

This difference between the general mindset of Democrats and Republicans already exists, we just need to drive the point home.

People are already concerned about their image when government puts too much stock into religiousity:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/11/12/evolution.embarrassment.ap/index.html

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Of course we'll have to steer clear of issues like: who invented the internet. :toast:

;)

I'd love for this theme to really take off with the party. Who could ask for a more perfect foil to the religious right?

The type that does not pollute and can be used to increase the greater good of mankind, unlike such ideas as SDI.

Yes, of course we all want responsible technology. My main point, though, is we need a powerful, simple message. A one-word mantra of "technology" is a lot more powerful than a more neuanced message of "responsible technology."

I'd even go as far as to say it sounds like we're protesting too much with a phrase like "responsible technology." It kind of beggs the question "Why do you say 'responsible?' You sound awfully defensive about that ..."

I'll be happy to let the right play 2nd fiddle by claiming they're the ones in favor of "responsible technology." I think that would fall just about as flat as us pointing out to Evangelicals that Kerry almost became a priest. Being the first to say it and the one to say it simply is of paramount importance.

People will infer that we mean "Responsible Technology" because of how we push the idea of technology making things safer, cleaning up the environment, creating better jobs and all that.

and as a thirty-something the "Technology party" resonates with me.


(of course it also evokes the clinton 90s which was a damn good time to be in tehcnology too, but still)

Since according to our president, there is apparently more than one.

Science Saves.

I like this.