Democratic National Committee Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry '84 called for Democrats to become more comfortable talking about their values in a Monday afternoon speech honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Daughtry, who is also the pastor of the House of the Lord Church in Washington, D.C., appeared in an event sponsored by and held at the Rockefeller Center.
Daughtry acknowledged the difficulty of combining religion and politics in today's increasingly secular world.
"Martin Luther King, by his life and example, seamlessly weaved these two seemingly divergent interests," Daughtry said. "I have spent my life trying to do the same."
Daughtry identified connecting with faith-driven voters as one of the greatest problems facing the Democratic party today. She continued that many people equate faith voters with arch-conservativism on par with that of Pat Robertson and the "Moral Majority" but warned that this view is, in actuality, not the case.
"Faith voters are people who say faith is as important as any other issue in deciding who they vote for," Daughtry said. "This is 70 percent of the country, and it represents people of all political persuasions; they are gays, blacks, whites, Republicans and Democrats."
In Daughtry's eyes, the key to a Democratic White House in 2008 lies in values. A candidate can change his position on issues, she said, but his values will always remain the same.
"The [presidential candidate] who wins is the one who best articulates his values," she added. "He needs to be able to have a vision for the country. People don't care about the 15-point list of what you are going to do when you win. What they want to know is who you are, and do you care about me?"
One of Daughtry's main challenges is to reach out to New England Democrats who are religious, but uncomfortable talking about their values. She used the example of one senator she was coaching who spent an entire speech talking about a bill he wanted to introduce on education.
"He nearly put me to sleep," Daughtry said. "But then at the very end he mentioned that he had three young children, and that he was writing this bill to prepare them to succeed in the world. I said that you should start right there. That story shows me your values. It shows me who you are and why I should vote for you."
In her struggle to bring values to the Democratic Party, Daughtry believes she has her work cut out for her. Both the advantage and the disadvantage of the Democratic Party, she said, lies in its diversity as a party. The Republicans, she maintained, are a far more homogeneous party.
"We know how to work with the African-American faith community," Daughtry said. "Now we're trying to broaden our dialogue to reach out to mosques and synagogues. We're trying not to talk about faith but values. What are the things that make you do what you do? I want to know what you believe, and find common ground on those terms."
Sadhana Hall, an associate director of the Rockefeller Center, likened her religious and political amalgamation to King's own dual background.
"Her religious and political background has been so impressive that we felt she really put the Martin Luther King celebration in context," Hall said.
