Values Question

[velvetpage]

Most of you on my friends list are liberals in terms of your social and political philosophies. It has been said that the Left in the U.S. does a very bad job of articulating exactly what it is they hold as their moral values - that the idea of morals has been co-opted by the right, and leftists are seen as having none.

So, Liberals of my friends list - what are your values? What do you believe in, passionately, that sets you apart from people further right, especially the Religious Right? Comment here in sound-bite style phrases, and then those of you in the States could print out the answers and send them to your local democratic candidates.

Comments

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

It's a great quote. It indicates exactly what the left-leaning among us are fighting. The problem is, it's still fighting AGAINST something. I would prefer to redefine the argument somewhat so that liberals stop fighting AGAINST the so-called conservatives and start fighting FOR their own values. It would become harder then for the religious right, in particular, to claim that liberals have no values, that they exist in a moral vacuum of hedonism. I'm tired of being told that, because I'm left-leaning in my politics, it means I either a) have no morals or b) have no brain. (My father spouts both in turn, perhaps not realizing how offensive they are to me, his liberal daughter.)

So, again: what are liberal values? I have a few ideas, but I want the friends list to express theirs before I express mine.