I interviewed Nancy Kops and asked her about Failed Conservative Values and what are Progressive Values. She feels caring is the most important liberal-progressive value. She knows many conservatives and finds them to have good hearts and be very caring about the people around them. However, she can't figure out why they can be attracted to the Republican Party. She thinks they just don't see the big picture.

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I interviewed Nancy Kops and asked her about Failed Conservative Values and what are Progressive Values.  She feels caring is the most important liberal-progressive value.  She knows many conservatives and finds them to have good hearts and be very caring about the people around them. However, she can’t figure out why they can be attracted to the Republican Party. She thinks they just don't see the big picture.

Progressive Values - Nancy Kops on Caring

My name is Nancy Kops.  I am a retired attorney, retired public defender of 28 years, and I’m at the State Democratic Convention because I’m interested in the Democratic Party and trying to win the election with the issues that concern the Democratic Party.

I’ve always thought of myself as a liberal.  It’s the most standard answer.  So I told him I’m a liberal.  He said “moderately liberal?”.  I said “very liberal”. 

EDWIN:  What do you see as the most important liberal values?

ANSWER:  Caring for all of us, for everybody in society.  Everybody needs to share and take care of the most vulnerable.  I’ve just always felt that people need to treat each other fairly. 

I don’t think there was any specific time when it dawned on me.  I think there was always the value that I thought that things should be fair.

My mother always told me I should play with everybody, that I shouldn’t just have special friends, but to play with everybody.

EDWIN:  She was a special influence on you.

ANSWER:  She was.  And my older sister also.  She was the person who told me when she went to college that the Democrats were the party that cared about the little person, and the Republicans cared about big business.  And my parents have been Republican, and I think she kind of steered me into becoming a Democrat at a young age.

It’s just being conscious.  I feel I’ve been very lucky.  I mean financially, I’ve been lucky, and with good health, having good parents, having a stable life, and I think it’s just being aware of what I have, and that it’s a shame that everybody else doesn’t have at least something – at least some stability and some safety net.  I am just so thankful for what I have, and everybody should have something.

Failed Conservative Values: Nancy Kops on Selfishness

I’ve known many Republicans who are very decent people, and I would have to say they are very caring about the people who are around them, and maybe with respect to other people.  But I get the feeling that the values of Republicans are “We have made it through our own efforts, and the people who haven’t made it, it’s their fault that they didn’t make it.

But I do know many conservative and Republican people who have good hearts.  And I can’t figure out why they can be attracted to the Republican Party.  It’s mind-boggling to me.  But as individuals they may be wonderful people in many respects.  It’s just the big picture.  I don’t see how they can’t see the big picture.

Progressive Values Metaphor: Nancy Kops - Like a Loving Puppy

Well, caring is following your heart, so that if your heart says something is wrong, you take action.  If caring were animal, it would be like a loving puppy, or a loving dog licking you all over and wagging its tail and wanting to be around you and play with you, and just be there for you at all times.

Some Questions for Discussion:

 How can conservatives that have good hearts and care about people vote republican and create such a mess in the country and world? What is the transition between being caring for the individual people around you, but supporting the value of selfishness and greed in a larger national context? How can you explain that?
 

Failed Conservative Values
I ask for your assistance to systematically build the arguments and tell the stories that reveal how Conservative Values have Failed. Join in our effort to create a documentary and book on the subject by contributing  articles, posts, chapters for the book and video clips. Check our website for more information and a growing outline of tasks that need to be done on this project.  
 

More Progressive Values Stories:

Edwin Rutsch
What Are Progressive Values? Documentary Project
http://ProgressiveSpirit.com 
and Study Group

Authors Website: http://cultureofempathy.com

Authors Bio:
Founder of the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy.
http://cultureofempathy.com
The Culture of Empathy website is a growing portal for resources and information about the values of empathy and compassion. It contains articles, conferences, definitions, experts, history, interviews, videos, science and much more about empathy and compassion.

I am also working on a documentary on empathy
more bio here:
http://humanityquest.com/Projects/Bios/EdwinRutsch/