Values Voters Summit: Whose Values will Prevail in 2008?

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Nov 26, 2007 2:06 PM EST

The Christian Conservatives held their Values Voter Summit on Oct 19-21 in Washington D.C. and around 2000 people attended. The Values Voter Summit, promoting Faith, Family and Freedom, is the largest conservative event of it's kind. All 9 major Republican presidential candidates showed up and fell all over each other professing how they were more conservative than the next guy.

In one of their brochures on the website, they ask,
"Whose Values will Prevail in 2008?"
http://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF07F03.pdf

The conservatives have been and continue to be very successful in taking over the word "Values". I did a Google news search on "Values Voter Summit" and it brought up over 1,000 news articles that mention the event. That's a lot of press reinforcing the notion that conservatives have some sort of a lock on "Values." Here is another example of how they do it. They title their conference "Values Summit" and their organizations "American Values", as if they are the only ones who have values. This gets echoed thought the press and reinforced in people minds. So what are progressives doing about this?

A Progressive Values Summit - Confront them Head On

How about next year progressives hold a "Progressive Values Summit" down the street from the Conservative Values Summit? It would help the media and in turn the country, to see the contrast between conservative and progressive values. It would piggy back on the conservatives media coverage and give the media something to talk about. The media likes a bit of conflict and a horse race, so let's give it to them. We could also launch a "Failed Conservative Values" campaign to point out how true conservative values have failed and how positive progressive values are the alternative.

Here's my question that I posed for the Nov 28, republican CNN/youtube debate.

Values Voters: Have Conservative Values Failed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmmIwxjUGPU

Here are the Progressive Values.

http://ProgressiveSpirit.com
230 video clips about Progressive Values
http://www.youtube.com/group/ProgressiveValues

In summary
What Are Progressive Values? 50 Responses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QEo1iRyVEU

Let's show how it's not a Values Voters Summit, but a Conservative Values Summit and how there is a Progressive alternative.

Show how it's not Family Values that Conservatives are promoting, but Conservative Family Values of; authoritarianism, hierarchy, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, secrecy, intolerance, close-mindedness, etc
Contrast this to Progressive Family values; of caring, community, empathy, justice, nurture, openness, tolerance, etc.
http://rockridgeinstitute.org/thinkingpoints

Show how it's not Traditional Values that Conservatives are promoting, but Traditional Conservative Values. Again those of; authoritarianism, hierarchy, secrecy, intolerance, close-mindedness, etc.

Show how it's not freedom and faith they support, but conservative definitions of faith and freedom and again that there is a progressive faith and freedom alternative based on; caring, community, empathy, justice, nurture, openness, tolerance, etc.
http://whosefreedom.com

What do you think? Should progressives hold a Progressive Values Summit?

Here's more on the Conservative Values Voter Summit.

Event Website
http://frcactionwashingtonbriefing.com

Their Promo Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHLOrkiDhpc
The official Promo Video gives an overview of the Values Summit.


Sponsored by:

Family Research Council
http://frc.org
"The Family Research Council (FRC) champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society."

American Values
http://wouramericanvalues.org
"American Values serves to remind the public of the conservative principles that are so fundamental to the survival of our nation and to bring support and ideas to policy makers and empower our elected officials to have the support they need to do what is right, noble and good."

Focus on the Family Action
http://focusaction.org
"Focus on the Family Action is a cultural action organization... It will provide a platform for informing, inspiring and rallying those who care deeply about the family to greater involvement in the moral, cultural and political issues that threaten our nation."

Alliance Defense Fund
http://alliancedefensefund.org
"The Alliance Defense Fund is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation."

The Family Foundation
http://familyfoundation.org
"Building on 20 years of protecting traditional values. The Family Foundation's vision is to establish a Commonwealth of strong families who are guided by faith and protected by a principled government."

A Progressive View of the Values Voters Summit
These videos give a flavor of the event from a Progressive Point of view.

Theocracy Now! At the Value Voters Summit 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvhn43BmdWM
"Max Blumenthal takes us on another shocking trip to the far shores of the Christian right, this time to the 2007 Value Voters Summit. "
This clip gives a view of the internals of the summit as Max confronts participants.

A 'Values Voters' wrap-up on Good As You.
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/value_voters_summit/
They have video of the event. You can see most of the speakers and it gives a sense of the event.

On the Ground: Values Voters Summit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XC79vGEr_o

In addition, the first in person meeting of the:
What are Progressive Values? Study Group
http://progressivespirit.com/StudyGroup
will be November 27 in El Cerrito, CA. You can always join the group online at
http://www.dfalink.com/group.php?id=2285


edwin

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