The Moral Center: How Progressives Can Unite America Around Our Shared VAlues

by Callahan, David

• ISBN13: 9780156032988
• ISBN10: 0156032988
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-10
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

As the 2008 presidential election nears, Americans on both the right and the left agree that America is in a moral crisis. For most citizens, though, this crisis is not about abortion, gay marriage, or the war on Christmas, but a growing culture of self-interest and a lack of greater purpose. Just as Americans must determine the leader that best represents our true values, Americas elected officials must look to restore our core beliefs of personal responsibility and duty to others. But we need a clear vision. In The Moral Center, now with a new introduction and updated throughout, Callahan explains how progressives and moderates can find common ground to build a new majority and a unified America.

Author Biography

DAVID CALLAHAN is cofounder of and senior fellow at the public policy center Demos. Author of six previous books, including The Cheating Culture, he writes frequently for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other publications. He received a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University and lives in New York City.



 



 

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition	p. vii
What's Really Wrong	p. 1
Family Matters	p. 21
Sex and Responsibility	p. 56
Tipper Gore Was Right	p. 81
Punishment for Some	p. 117
Honoring Work	p. 143
Who Cares About the Poor	p. 176
The Meaning of Patriotism	p. 207
Conclusion	p. 235
Notes	p. 239
Index	p. 254
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Chapter OneWhats Really WrongYOU DONT NEED TO BE A BUSH VOTER OR AN EVANgelical Christian to be worried about the moral climate of America. You dont need to be upset by abortion or gay marriage or sex ed teachers putting condoms on bananas. You dont have to be up in arms about the influence of Charles Darwin in our schools or the absence of the Ten Commandments from our courthouses.You may have none of these concernsand yet still feel that something is deeply wrong with the values of America. Maybe you worry that most strangers cant be trusted. Or that young Americans have lost any sense of purpose beyond getting rich and famous. Or that Hollywood and Madison Avenue influence children more than Mom and Dad. Or that millions lack health care in the worlds richest country. Or that having a strong marriage and family is ever less compatible with making a living. Maybe you gaped at the television images of people stranded in New Orleans and wondered, How did we ever become so cold-hearted? Maybe your specific concerns keep changing, but you cant shake the feeling that American life is getting meaner and more degraded, and that everyone is out for themselves.For me, its all this and also something else: a sense of constantly being tugged away from my real values. I never cared much about money and never saw myself as a covetous kind of person until I moved to New York City, where I had to walk past the townhouses of the rich every day and started reading magazines like New York and the real-estate section of the New York Times. With inequality now at levels that rival the Gilded Age, envy may be the most powerful emotional current in America today, and its hard not to get caught in its grip. We live in a time when so many of us look anxiously upward at what we might have or who we could be, as opposed to looking downward and being thankful for all that has come our way. I consider myself a compassionate person who cares about the misfortunes of others, but Ive learned to tune out the beggars on the subway, even the women who tug their children along and tell horrific stories of lost housing or benefits that I know reflect reality. Im committed to marriage and familythis is the foundation of true meaning and happiness, I understandbut much of the time I put career first, scrambling after an endless series of external rewards. I want to know my neighbors better and get involved in my community, but Im busy and preoccupied. Maybe next year. Its easy to feel that things are not only getting worse, they are also making you a worse person. I dont have children yet, but I can imagine how parents might lack confidence about passing along their values in this environment.Youre not alone if you share these feelings. While the complaints of the Christian right echo through our politics every day, the truth is that Americans of all political stripes worry about values, in one way or another. This has been obvious for some time. The 1990s were a decade of

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Excerpted from The Moral Center: How Progressives Can Unite America Around Our Shared Values by David Callahan
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.