I have read over the last couple of days the messages of our need to refine our message and get it out to the people.  I couldn't agree more.  But we must frame our message in terms of the philosophies that we hold dear.  Our unifying message need not be religious in tone at all.  We need to keep it short, keep it clear, and make sure that when we act upon issues, we act in ways that support those principles.

With that in mind I give you my sense of a framework for our new message, and notes to these message points below.

My Five Principles of Progressive Liberalism

1.  Respect for the inherent dignity of each individual
   
2.  The need to use society's resources to build institutions that benefit all
   
3.  Building strong communities, locally, nationally, globally
   
4.  Embracing diversity - of thought, perspective, and background
   
5.  Personal Accountability for one's actions

By using these principles I believe we can develop our ideas into one which shows a smarter, more consistent set of well defined "values" than the Republicans ever can.

Notes to the above principles:

1.  Here is where I think we can strike to the heart of many religious people.  At the heart of many religions is the sense that there is an innate worth to each person.  That each of us carries within us a divine spark.  Let's take that message as our own and say we honor the uniqueness, holiness, and humanity within each of us.  This also means that as a founding principle we will tolerate no bigotry or prejudice, or any philosophy that degrades the individual.  Therefore issues like gay marriage become refocused - it is not about the semantics of marriage vs versus civil union, it is about how we as a society give every person the respect and dignity they deserve.

2.  Here again, we redefine the issue.  It is not about wanting to redistribute wealth or tear down the rich to fund the poor.  It is about allocation.  How do we as a society use our resources?  Do we build institutions that help a few or that help many?  Do we protect the most vulnerable or do we further protect the already well-protected.  Here again, we can bring in the religious principles, particularly prophetic ones, of our need to care for the widow and orphan, and to protect the weak and defenseless.  Furthermore, we should promote the idea of the common good.  Building a library serves all - rich and poor, young and old.  Building similar institutions that raise the standards of everyone - that's our model.

3.  It is this point, on community, that is most critical to develop.  I was reading a conservative blog which quoted someone as saying "Hillary was wrong - It doesn't take a village it just takes a Mom and Dad."  But this is fundamentally wrong, and shows the root of what we face, and how we work against it.  A child obviously needs more than just their parents - a doctor? a teacher? a friend? a neighbor? a relative? police? firefighters? This list is endless.  There is no middle ground here.  Like it or not we are all part of a village.  The question is what type of village will it be?  We have the opportunity here to strike to the heart of "family values" if we can refine our message to the importance of building a community for help, comfort, support, advice, and energizing.  As a central tenet we can expand upon the idea of community to help point out the ways in which the modern global community generates a wider community that we can all use (and the resulting need for global cooperation to maintain such a community).

4.  Here is one of our greatest strengths - and the other side knows it.  Why have done so well lately in urban communities around Chicago, New York, Los Angeles?  Because these are the communities which are diverse and vibrant, full of people who see the myriad ways in which members of our society interact.  Our society is only getting more diverse, and if we can show the greatness of incorporating ideas from different languages, cultures, peoples, and places, and embrace diversity as not just something to put up with but a treasure to be embraced and cherished, we will soon have the heart and soul of a large number of Americans.  The trick here is that there still are some groups in America that are quite insular and single-issue.  We must also be able to show them why it is in their benefit to open up and share in the richness of multiple perspectives and ideas.  This tenet also allows us the opportunity to show that we are the ones who listen and assimilate the ideas of many, and thus have the upper hand in truly unifying the country and building bridges.

5.  This is the point for which we need to stop being defensive.  For too long the far right has claimed to be the party of personal responsibility and labeled the left as one which promotes lack of responsibility.  It is time that we make this clear - we demand accountability for actions - whether from the left or the right.  It is time that we destroy the myths of the right once and for all.  The stereotypes they portray of the poor being lazy or unambitious can no longer be tolerated.  We should demand the highest ethics of all leaders from either side, and show how the working poor are taking far more personal responsibility for their lives than CEOs who diffuse the accountability for financial practices to those underneath them.  We need to show strong examples of those who are ethical, responsible, and also caring for the good of the greater community.