How should John Kerry talk about values?

William A. Galston, director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, University of Maryland

George W. Bush's "values" offensive is an effort to energize his base and to repeat his father's success in defining Michael Dukakis as out of the moral mainstream. The president may achieve the former objective, but he is unlikely to attain the latter, for two primary reasons.

First: In a year in which economic and security concerns are taking center stage for most voters, a values-based appeal is likely to fall flat for all except fervent social conservatives.

Second: As the first President Bush learned the hard way in 1992, values issues are a two-edged sword. If an appeal to "traditional values" shades over into intolerance, the party of intolerance will pay a price with middle-of-the-road voters. While a majority of the electorate disapproves of same-sex marriage, it also rejects President Bush's proposed constitutional amendment banning the practice.

John Kerry need not play defense on American values. He has a compelling argument of his own, and he's beginning to make it. The old Jacksonian principle of "equal opportunity for all, special privileges for none" is the basis, not only for progressive public policy today, but also for a powerful critique of an administration more beholden to unpopular special interests than any other in recent history. The idea of service to country, which John Kerry's life exemplifies, has the capacity to arouse the latent idealism of many Americans, especially young adults who are thirsting for a call to a mission larger than themselves. As Kerry's invocation of veterans shows clearly, most Americans respond strongly to the principle of reciprocity: Those who have served and, more broadly (in Bill Clinton's formulation), those who have worked hard and played by the rules, are entitled to decent treatment from their society and their country. Most people don't believe that average hard-working Americans have gotten their due under the Bush administration. Furthermore, most Americans embrace tolerance as a central value, one that permits a diverse society to function. Talk of morality becomes dangerous whenever a self-appointed "moral majority" tries to impose its preferences on the rest of us. Sen. Kerry can and should use every opportunity to identify with the ideal of tolerance and to portray his opponent as someone who has made a dangerous bargain with the least tolerant forces in our society.

The Rev. Andrew Greeley, professor of sociology at the University of Arizona; author of the novel "The Priestly Sins"

The Democratic Party needs to demonstrate that it shares these values with the vast majority of Americans:

Americans have the right to honest and accountable political leadership, not leadership that dissembles and shirks responsibility for its public actions.

Anyone who is willing and able to work -- regardless of age, race or gender -- is entitled to a job that is sufficient to support a family. No CEO is entitled to earn as much in a morning as their employees do all year.

Americans of every age are entitled to adequate healthcare at reasonable cost. They should not be subject to a system designed to maximize profits for pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

American children, wherever they live and whatever their background, have the right to a good education.

Americans should have access to financial safety nets at times of crisis in their lives.

Every American who is willing to study should be able to go to college.

Economic policies should benefit all Americans, not merely the rich and the super rich.

The United States should go to war only when there is absolutely no other choice, only as a last resort.

The United States should be a beacon of leadership to the whole world, not a superpower bully.

The government should demand honesty from corporate leaders, no matter how much they may have contributed to political campaigns.

No group in American society is a legitimate target for hate.

Workers have the right to join one another to seek a just economy for all Americans.

The freedom of all Americans should not be abridged by the government with false arguments about security.

Democrats should appeal to the openness and generosity of the American people, not to fear and greed.

Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, co-director of the National Marriage Project; author of "The Divorce Culture: Rethinking Our Commitments to Marriage and Family"

John Kerry should shift the ground of the "values" debate by following the lead of the two Edwards: John and Elizabeth. First, he should expand upon John Edwards' "Two Americas" speech. Because there are two Americas, there are two sets of values: one for the rich and powerful, and one for everybody else. The values of the rich and powerful are "whatever works for me and my friends." The values honored by everybody else are "what works for my family, community and nation." The real values of America are not getting ahead on the backs of others. The real values are working hard, playing fair, telling the truth and lending a helping hand.

Second, Kerry should build on Elizabeth Edwards' answer to the question asked of her on "60 Minutes": How can two wealthy men appreciate the needs of the average person? Noting that both running mates had voted against a tax cut that would have fattened their wallets, she responded: "Isn't that what we want? A leader who looks at the greater good instead of what simply benefits the person himself or the people in his own class?"

At the same time, Kerry can also make it clear that he, like most voters, is a person of religious faith. But he should follow the actors' rule: Don't say it. Show it. He can show it by focusing on the tradition of giving to others, a tradition that has roots in both our "civic" religion and our diverse religious faiths. As part of his regular campaign schedule, Kerry could visit religiously sponsored community organizations -- food pantries, childcare centers, nursing homes, healthcare clinics and after-school programs. He might say to the people who serve there: "You are doing God's work. You are also doing your nation's work. I am here to thank you and to honor you."

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