Musing: The myth about value voters

"Value voters" is a term that has grown popular among both liberals and conservatives, but it doesn't make sense to me. How can we imply that some people vote according to their values and others do not? Aren't we all value voters?

Behind any public policy is (hopefully) a set of principles--dare I say values--that make it a relevant and important policy. Whether health care or train track width regulations, we do what we believe to be right. We can vote for candidates who support policies that we do--and therefore probably hold the same values--or we can vote for candidates who speak to the values that we hold dear. It does not seem like a big difference to me. Furthermore, who's to say our values are that different? Talk of "family values" is most ridiculous, because it implies that some politicians do not believe in healthy, happy families. While I know Democrats can have a penchant for eating babies, it is more our definition of the ideal family that varies. (Democrats are slowly catching on to this.)

Despite the lack of meaning behind the term "value voter," both ends of the political spectrum have embraced the term for rhetorical purposes. Conservatives can claim the moral high ground as liberals shy away from talk of morals and paint "value voters" as irrational, uneducated people. But buzz words getting in the way of real conversation is nothing new.

Proud to be a value voter.