April 12, 2005 10:09 AM
Nick Coleman in the Star Tribune: "Common ground? Among people of all faiths? Among people of all political stripes? On all of the issues of the day? Not just abortion and gay marriage? But war, poverty, racism, sexism, hunger and injustice? It's so crazy it might just work."
The rest of the article is a bit fawning toward Jim Wallis. A guy I respect, but I also think is really dangerous for progressives to rely on. Progressives like the quick fix (witness the George Lakoff bandwagon), and Wallis tells us we don't have to change our ideas, we just have to convince people of faith our ideas are right. Yet another recipe for failure.
Common ground (04.12.2005)
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Tom from Madison:
Wallis makes many salient points. I particularly agree with what he says about Bush using religious language to speak in code with his base.
Bush uses religious language as a way of simultaneously declaring his faith and justifying his policies. While he has every right to do the former, he has absolutely no business doing the latter--not in America. We are not a theocracy and don't deserve to be led by a "Messianic Calvinist" [Wallis' words].
One reason Bush gets away with this is his very effective avoidance of press conferences where he will really have to explain himself. All the explaining seems to be left to press secretaries or other party operatives.
I would suggest the Dems rally behind a credible leader like Harry Reid and challenge Bush's melange of religion and politics. Beyond that, Democrats need to articulate a vision to create a country that honors the free exercise of all religions--not just the dominant ones. And as Wallis indicates, many on the right have forgotten about the poor.
It might help to remember RFK's words:
"I believe that, as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil. "
Tue Apr 12 2005 4:15 PM
Sponge Bob:
What an incredibly stupid post. Anybody have the secret decoder ring for Bush's next speech? I seem to have lost mine.
When the democrats find that credible leader please post his name. I guess to the party that refers to Robert "Sheets" Byrd as the moral conscious of the Senate, Harry Reid looks pretty good.
Tue Apr 12 2005 6:29 PM
Tom from Madison:
Bob,
I don't blame you for lashing out. Your guy is having a hard go of it right now. In case you hadn't noticed, there are entire books of "Bushisms".
Bush loves to talk about "Divine Providence" and a special role that the US is playing in the world. He does this to justify his pre-determined courses of action, including waging war in Iraq. Yet he won't answer hard questions posed by religious leaders. He tries to associate himself with the Pope's legacy, but he doesn't practice the same kind of Christianity.
That begs the question, what kind of Christianity is Bush practicing when he's killing people in the name of their own liberation?
If you study Bush's career, you might notice his linguistic devolution. He was a lot more articulate early in his career. Personally I think he works at a calculated good-old-boy persona. It's deliberate.
It's not just the Democrats that need a credible leader, it's the USA. Bush has so lowered our standards, that even the right wing can't defend him. All they can do is criticize the alternatives. Sad. Very Sad.
Wed Apr 13 2005 11:19 AM
Sponge Bob:
"It's not just the Democrats that need a credible leader, it's the USA. Bush has so lowered our standards, that even the right wing can't defend him. All they can do is criticize the alternatives. Sad. Very Sad"
I agree that Bush is of a lower standard. But even sadder is that with four years of planning and soul searching the democrats "best" candidate couldn't even match the lowered standard and offered up a man even more lacking. The average American is then insulted by the incredible claims the Bush is "speaking in code" to appeal to "dolts" that elected him - interesting tactic - insult those whom you wish to have vote for you.
What I find stupefying is that suddenly the entire democrat party is trying to "Jesus it up" from Howard Dean right down to this blog. Did watching the enormous amount of TV coverage given the Pope's funeral inspire this idea? If so the democrats might find in the very near future that the American public isn't quite as stupid as they believe.
Wed Apr 13 2005 11:37 AM
Tom from Madison:
If I were a Republican, I'd be worried too! Guess what? Jesus isn't a Republican!!!
There's been a religious left for a long time. They're just getting organized now.
By the way, there are many reasons why voters might have preferred Bush to Kerry, not just religion. For the religious segment, the code-talk principle applies. For others, it doesn't.
Wed Apr 13 2005 12:02 PM
Sponge Bob:
"By the way, there are many reasons why voters might have preferred Bush to Kerry, not just religion. For the religious segment, the code-talk principle applies. For others, it doesn't."
Again I agree with you, there a lot of reasons Bush beat Kerry, recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in recovery.
The democrat party just hasn't figured out how to address the issue. Having Howard "Switched Religions over a Bike Path" Dean spew religious proverbs (Hey, is New or Old Testament?) to crowds is going the opposite direction and only confirms the belief that politicians are whores to public opinion. Somehow the idea reading that aloud bible scripture can be equated to values has bubbled all the way to the top of the DNC, and the results are laughable.
Wed Apr 13 2005 2:09 PM
Tom from Madison:
Bob,
I'm glad we agree!
If I were a former Democratic Texas congressman & I lost after what Tom DeLay did, it wouldn't take much soul-searching to figure out what to do about it. Fortunately, the law is catching up to the Exterminator.
When cheaters win, the solution is to enforce the law. When liars win, the solution is to keep telling the truth.
Bush's 40-something % approval rating is cause for hope for everyone with better ideas.
Neo-cons had better get used to Democrats quoting scripture. Apparently it works. It should work even better for those who can really walk the talk!
Wed Apr 13 2005 3:50 PM
I forgot about the interfaith alliance. My dad actually gives $$ to this organization-- maybe this is the type of thing Jim is interested in. Their site says they have 150,000 members.
Mike Ackerman
Wed Apr 13 2005 5:03 PM
Tom from Madison:
I recieved a mailing from the interfaith alliance. Walter Cronkite is a prominent spokesman. I was impressed with their inclusiveness and their sincerity to rise above partisan politics.
Wed Apr 13 2005 5:27 PM
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