Kerry Invoking 'Values' Theme to Frame Issues: "Last Saturday, Mr. Kerry used the V-word no fewer than eight times in a 36-minute speech to Hispanic leaders and next Wednesday he is scheduled to give a speech on his 'plan to restore America's values to the White House.'

"It sounds the same whether he is discussing the minimum wage or immigration, foreign policy or his own biography: Senator Kerry is increasingly adopting a traditionally Republican refrain to give his campaign—and himself—grounding and context in broad moral terms."

"Mr. Kerry also occasionally invokes God, either when talking about his own recovery from prostate cancer or to say 'God bless' soldiers, for example. But the focus on values may be less an appeal to the religious right, a constituency seen as a critical part of Mr. Bush's coalition, than outreach to what Democratic strategists call 'secular values voters'—people concerned about balancing work and family, opportunities for their children, and America's leadership in the world."