Are your friends Demos but don't know it?

I heard Steve Olsen (candidate for the 3rd Congressional district) speak at the Salt Lake County Convention, and his message sounds like it will really resonate with Republican voters. And it should — Olsen used to be one.

Olsen summed up the Democratic philosophy in five words — "We care about our neighbors" — and told attendees about his booklet "Why Most Utahns Are Democrats But Just Don't Know It Yet." It's a good read, and today Holly Mullen in the Tribune helped Olsen get the word out:

Steve Olsen won't go so far as to call it a "manifesto." That word might rattle many Utahns as a bit too forceful. Olsen sees his 15-page document, "Why Most Utahns Are Democrats But Just Don't Know It Yet," more as a passionate declaration of principle. [...]

Olsen poses that average Utahns would favor honesty in how the federal government can keep running up a near-bottomless deficit while still promising tax cuts. He wades into the abortion quagmire, urging people who oppose Roe v. Wade to start embracing access to health care, job training, child care and other support systems for women whose pregnancies are an economic hardship.

"Utah values stress the ideas of care for the poor, our neighbors and of practicing compassion," he said. "The Democrats haven't done a good job of cutting through fringe issues that alienate people and getting back to those values." [...]

If you are a Democrat without even knowing it, he writes, "it's OK, really. If true, I promise you won't die from it."

You can download "Why Most Utahns Are Democrats But Just Don't Know It Yet" in PDF format at Steve Olsen's campaign website.