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Remember the phrase
"it's the economy stupid." Political thought tells us
that politicians win their elections because “it’s the economy
stupid.” In this election
cycle, the news media is reporting that 27% of the voters rated morality
as the number one election issue. Therefore, we are lead to the
conclusion that “its morality stupid" or are we? The political pundits
have drawn the conclusion from exit polls that 27% of voters believe
morality is the most important issue in the 2004 election. The
Conservative Right is, consequently, claiming the moral high ground,
claiming morality is the driving force for issues facing the country.
As the President reshapes his administration, and the political issues,
he also appears headed to the same conclusion. The Right claims a
moral victory in this election, apparently believing their moral beliefs
will govern our nation, and its future. However, the election
may not be about morality. Recently, the Pew Research Center for the
People and the Press polled voters on the morality issue, and the 2004
election. Based upon this polling, the Pew Research Center ended up with
some interesting numbers regarding morality and its role in this year's
election The Pew Center did two
different polls. In the first poll, Pew Center posed the question
of morality as a “multiple choice type question.” When the issues
are listed as a part of the answer, voters chose morality as the central
issue by 27%. The Pew Center asked the question “What Mattered Most in
Your vote?” The choices given to the voter were Moral values
(27%), Iraq (22%), Economy/Jobs (22%), Terrorism (14%), Health Care
(4%), Education (4%) Taxes (3%) and Other (4%). Although morality rated
a 27%, it is important to note that Iraq and Economy/Jobs are at 44%,
leading the morality issue by 17%. The Pew Center also
proposed an open ended question. The question was proposed to the
voter in the following manner "What Mattered Most in Your
Vote?" The voter was not given a choice, but was allowed to
answer the question as posed, open ended. The results are
strikingly different. The respondents answered with Moral values
at 14%, Iraq 25%, Economy/Jobs 12%, Terrorism 9%,, Health Care 2%,
Education 1%, Taxes 1%, Other 31%--with the “Other” sub categories
including Honesty/Integrity 5%, Like/dislike Bush 5%, Like/dislike Kerry
3%, Direction of country 2%, Leadership 2%, Foreign Policy 2% and
Don’t Know 5%. Based upon these
results, morality is not the issue driving the election. The
prominent issues are Iraq and Other or Iraq and Economy/Jobs.
Based upon Pew Research poll, neither the Christian Right nor the
President can claim that they have the moral high ground, or that their
morals should drive the political direction of this country. Regardless of whether
morality is defined by religion, or personal conviction, most Americans
possess moral principles, moral principals telling them right from
wrong. The Right does not have a monopoly on morality, and any
claim that morality in this election gives them “political capital”
is wrong. Morality belongs to no
one; it does not belong to the Right; morality belongs to all Americans.
Our Country is made up of a melting pot of people, ideas and beliefs.
We have moderates, liberals and conservatives—and a few who do not
fall into any of these categories. Those who are liberal
are no less moral than those who are on the right. Those are in
the middle are no less moral than those on the left or the right.
Morality has no political affiliation, no political party, no political
category. Morality is personal to each of us. If morality is defined
by Christianity, how can the Christian Conservatives (Christian right)
say they are more moral than those who are on the left, and Christian?
Moreover, can those on the Christian left say they are more moral than
those on the Christian right? What about those in middle, the
moderates-if they are Christian, are Christian moderates any less moral
and Christian left or the Christian right? What about the Jewish
people, are they less moral than the Christian right, the Christian
left, or the Christian middle? Does religion have any political
party, or any political ideology? In considering
morality, are those on the left just as moral as those on the right, and
what about the moderates--isn’t their morality the same as those on
the left or on the right? Can the right condemn the left, or the
middle for being immoral based upon their political beliefs? Those on the right do
not have a monopoly on morality. The Christian Conservatives do
not have a monopoly on morality, religion, God or Jesus. The Pew Research poll
shows that morality is not the driving force in the election, but it
does show that morality is on our minds, and each individual's morality
is something that guides them without any one philosophy, or political
party, having a monopoly on morality Morality is strong and
well and America, our morality is based on diversity of beliefs.
This election was not about morality, or anyone’s definition of
morality. What the election shows us is morality is not defined by
the political right, left or center. Morality, moreover, is not
defined by any one religious belief, and it is not defined by the
Christian right, left or center. Most important, this election
shows us that morality is not defined by any political party—morality
is not political. Morality is personal
to all of us… and using morality is
a political tool is, well, immoral. Stuart James
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