HOW'D THEY LOSE ETHICS?:

Democrats Try to Regain Ground on Moral Issues (RACHEL L. SWARNS and DIANE CARDWELL, 12/06/03, NY Times)

When Representative Richard A. Gephardt accused President Bush this week of condoning a culture of corporate greed, he cast his criticism in distinctly moral tones. "We've lost ethics," he told voters at a pizzeria in Independence, Iowa. "We've lost a sense of right and wrong."

One day later, Gen. Wesley K. Clark told Democrats at a crowded synagogue in Florida that he would never allow Republicans to claim a monopoly on faith.

And all week long in New Hampshire, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut cast an array of policy proposals, like expanded access to health insurance and child care, as proof of his dedication to family values. "It's a basic commitment," he said, "a moral commitment that we should make to all of our families."

While much of the presidential campaign so far has focused on the economy or the war in Iraq, a different refrain is being heard from many quarters as Democratic candidates seek to distinguish themselves by discussing values and also try to reclaim ground increasingly dominated by the Republican Party over the last decade.

Mr. Lieberman and Mr. Gephardt both voted in favor of Bill Clinton during impeachment.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 6, 2003 10:23 AM