"Family Values" and the Rural vote

ILLUSTRATED: Just speak concretely about Democratic programs that value families.

This month, two socially conservative Republicans (Senator Ensign and Governor Sanford) have admitted adultery. The hypocrisy of its leaders is doing serious damage to the GOP brand. However, we might ask, why did they campaign on this and why was it successful?

My take is that rural states and rural counties generally have an ideology and political culture of limited government. In addition, non-profit capacity is far below what is needed in those places.

Thus it is not surprising that in such a region, people will listen to a politician talking about "family values", it is what we yearn for. There are great benefits to programs from governments, non-profits, and religious organizations. These programs help raise children, help care for our elders, and build cohesive communities for family life.

To counter this, simply list programs that help people and ask if local taxes create value for the public. You'll be surprised how responsive the American people are to well spent tax money.