Dems have a PR problem, not a policy problem.

The buzz among Democrats right now is figuring out why they lost to the worst presidential incumbent in American history.

Exit polls suggest voters chose Bush because of his values. True, to those who don’t watch FoxNews, this is laughable. Bush governs “of, by, and for” the corporations. His every policy is a punishment on those who work hard for a living. But that’s not what his supporters believe. And it’s those beliefs, not the empirical facts, that the Democrats keep losing to.

The Dems are finally waking up to the fact that economic arguments must be phrased in moral terms. And when it’s appropriate, to explain these morals in Christian terms.

Welfare is a moral issue, even if there are deadbeats abusing the system. When faced with letting them all starve or giving them food, it is moral to feed them. It would be a moral crisis if the richest nation in history tossed its poor to the four winds. Jesus was unconditional when he told us to feed the poor. Same for healing the sick. Nation-wide health care is a moral and Christian imperative. So is restraining greed and rewarding work.

If the Democrats ever want a majority again, they need to start wearing their religion on their sleeves once in a while. Too many Christian voters equate religious silence with being non-religious. They want their politicians to give a nod to God once in a while. Is this too much to ask?

By not linking social programs to religious values, the Dems have let the GOP twist and spin all the Progressive, New Deal, and Great Society advancements into some kind of subversive anti-American communist agenda. How far would their argument get if it also meant arguing Jesus was a communist?

This new approach requires no change in policy, no shift in beliefs. It simply brings to the table the moral and Christian basis already inherent in the socially conscious philosophy of the Democratic Party.

The voters are clearly concerned about morality. It’s time to remind them which party best represents those morals.