We're still six days away from the election, so I am primarily focused on the work we can do over the next week to get out the vote and swing independents, moderates, centrists, and our Democratic base.

But this issue is important enough that we all need to take a deep breath, a detour, and a second look at what we perceive to be a slam dunk in favor of Democrats against the thugs and haters in the Republican party.

Eric Cantor invited the public to a campaign event at a coffee shop. When the public showed up - in this case, a Democrat - Cantor had him forcibly removed from the premises. And this is not the only event of this kind. Joe Miller had a reporter handcuffed for trying to ask questions. Rand Paul's supporters tackled a woman at an event and then stomped on her head while she lay on the curb.

On their face, these events would all appear to reflect a tremendous act of evil aggression against a peaceful, nonviolent dissident. But to Republicans, these are bold, decisive acts to defend the nation from interlopers who have no business trying to butt in to Republican events. Republicans are much more able to promote "us versus them" thinking because purity, disgust, outrage, and security are core themes that drive Republicans to be Republicans. Protectionist thinking is at the core of Republican ideology. Democrats at a Republican event is anathema to Republicans, and this is what drives Republicans to fear and expel gays from the military, Muslims from the suburbs, etc.

Moral disgust at interracial marriage is still within the hearts of many conservatives, even though interracial dating and marriage is protected under the Constitution. The "mixing of the races" is seen as an assault on the purity of the races, and creates confusion and a breakdown in social order. So, efforts to promote racial understanding will inevitably fall on deaf ears with this group of moral decision-makers. Segregation is not merely convenient. It certainly is not considered evil or wrong. It's fundamentally moral in the minds of conservatives.

Similarly, attempts to use tax policy to create more economic equality will provoke a kneejerk reaction from conservatives who believe that, "If you earn your money, you should be able to keep it," and that the wealthy are fundamentally different from and better than the poor. The wealthy are perceived by conservatives to have some moral advantage (they work hard, they earned their money, they were smart, they made their money work for them, they managed their affairs well), while the poor are perceived to be morally reprehensible (irresponsible, lazy, stupid, foolish, etc.). You won't hear this discussed in public, but conservatives don't need to say it out loud. It's understood at a core level, and if you're conservative, you get it.

This is why President Obama's speech at the 2004 DNC Convention is so brilliant and so fundamentally Democratic. You won't hear a speech like that at the RNC Convention, because Republicans don't rally around a message of "we're all in this together". Instead, you'll hear Sarah Palin talking about "heartland values" and you will hear of a need to defend Palin's honor from the "lamestream media".

Republicans will respond to the idea that America is a "Christian nation" and that the sanctity of the Holy Land (Israel as envisioned by Zionists) must be protected. Consequently, Muslims can easily be demonized as the enemy for trying to invade the West and impose Sharia Law on Americans. Conservatives believe this (lie) because they want to believe it. It isn't about evidence. It's fundamentally true.

Political liberals, on the other hand, have a fundamental sense of fairness and avoidance of harm. Liberals (almost always Democrats) will argue that the values of all Americans must be protected, not just the values of the majority in-group. They will rage at the fundamental unfairness and inequality of our economic system because these values are liberal values. All the while, liberals think they are proving a point when in reality, their moral argument fails to sway Republicans.

Rand Paul's supporter, Tim Profitt, can easily appeal to conservatives and ask Lauren Valle to apologize. Profitt wasn't doing anything wrong - he was simply protecting Rand Paul from the invasion of an interloping liberal who knew she shouldn't be there. From a conservative viewpoint, defending one's own (the homeland, the homestead, the favored son, the "Truth" with a capital "T", etc.) is a basic core value. From a conservative viewpoint, it makes sense to vote a straight Republican ticket and to support other Republicans no matter what. Why? Because defending the in-group is a core value.

The Tea Party, Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Red State, and other conservative groups can make appeals to purify the Republican Party and hold candidates to pre-determined standards. Why? Because purity is a core conservative value. Impurities are an unacceptable threat, and therefore must be destroyed or eliminated. And disloyalty to the in-group is fundamentally immoral.

This also helps to explain why Democrats are having an "enthusiasm gap" in 2010. Democrats look at local issues, local races, and individual candidates. Republicans demonize their opponents and focus on restoring the nation to its former conservative greatness (greatness defined as whatever conservatives pre-determine is good, whether it's huge deficits to fund wars in 2004, or dramatic spending cuts to shrink government in 2010). Republicans tend to respond more to authoritarian leaders than Democrats, who believe that change comes from the ground up, not the top down. And so, this makes it much more difficult for Democrats to overcome the Republican attacks on the "Obama-Pelosi agenda," even though when you look carefully, the Obama-Pelosi agenda includes a lot of tolerance for dissent and a fundamentally positive agenda for the nation.

So, how do we use this knowledge in the last 6 days of the 2010 campaign? A few suggestions:

Appeal to "America first" values. This is why outsourcing and tax breaks matter so much. Conservatives see outsourcing of jobs as fundamentally immoral and disloyal. (Of course, they'll blame the "wetbacks" and "illegals" for "stealing our jobs," but it's relatively easy to show how this is simply not the case.) Tell the truth about the job losses, offshore tax havens, and the fundamental unfairness of dishonest cheaters.

Appeal to restoring American greatness. Barack Obama has always said that Republicans and Democrats both have good ideas, and we should accept good ideas. "Foreign oil" and "energy independence" are issues that resonate with independent conservative voters. Framing energy, not merely as a "greenhouse gas" issue (which is good, because it appeals to purity), but also as a "freedom" issue (which is better, because it appeals to in-group loyalty and patriotic zeal).

Appeal to "one America". Ultimately, we're all Americans. Calling to the loyalty of one nation, under God (yes, say that), indivisible, with liberty and justice for all is something powerful and vital. Rather than ridiculing or rejecting those who are part of the Tea Party, help them understand your perspective, your patriotism, and your passion for America. Ultimately, the 2008 campaign succeeded because President Obama was better-able to appeal to independent, moderate, and inclusive voters. His common-sense pragmatism worked not only because he had good solutions and reasonable ideas, but also because he was able to appeal to a mentality of loyalty to American values and our common fate as Americans.

Turn anonymous, faceless, impersonal corporations into a "them". It's we the people, not we the corporations. Corporate money from global conglomerates is interfering with the purity of American politics. Restoring democracy means restoring power to regular Americans and taking away power from the foreign companies that are trying to steal our money and take our jobs. Help Americans understand that our common enemy is not the illegal immigrant, but rather the offshore tax haven and the un-American News Corporation, which is led by Rupert Murdoch (not even an American!).

We can still bring in more voters and inspire them to make their voices heard in favor of Democrats this November. Don't let yourselves fall into the us-versus-them mentality that Republicans want to frame. For Democrats, there is no them. There is only us. White, black, Hispanic, Asian - all of us have our unique cultural identity, but we all want our families to thrive and survive. We all want America to be a great nation. And we all want to throw the bums out.

Update 2:30 PM CDT: Joan has a great follow-up reflecting the response of Eric Cantor's campaign to the mere presence of Democrats at their campaign event. The key is her closing statement: