“I’m a Values Voter”

Those aren’t my words. I heard a woman proudly proclaim them on NPR this morning. When pressed for what values she was speaking of, she said that she voted for life, and she was against the “gay marriage thing”. “One man and one woman”, she happily offered. She went on to say that McCain’s values are her values. I wonder if that includes secrecy, lies, and abuse of power—all things that seem to be valued on the McCain-Palin ticket.

But being a so-called values voter brings up an interesting issue. Simply because I support a woman’s right to choose, as well as the right for a gay couple to marry, does this mean I have no values? If I used her criteria, then I suppose it would. Yet, everyone has values. Whether it be power, prestige, material goods, or the more noble values such as human rights, animal welfare, or equality. All are values—the only thing that differentiates them is the people who hold them.

The woman on NPR concluded her mini-interview by stating, “God bless McCain, and God bless America!” It made me wonder if she’s thought of perhaps holding the value of humility. She didn’t demonstrate that, of course. Instead, she showed self-righteousness. But, I suppose that’s a value as well…