The firm is Common Good Strategies, a two-year-old company that has advised several successful Democratic candidates on matters of religious outreach. The principals of the company, Mara Vanderslice and Eric Sapp are self described evangelical Christians. While it may be unfair to assess the entirety of their ideas based on one newspaper story, based on what we can learn from that story, we should all be concerned. If I am right, we are looking at a possible war inside the Democratic Party -- ignited by those who may be seeking to incorporate important chunks of the agenda of the religious right agenda into the Democratic Party in the name of political expediency in religious outreach.
But Ms. Vanderslice's efforts to integrate faith into Democratic campaigns troubles some liberals, who accuse her of mimicking the Christian right. What we seem to have here, is yet another Democratic Party political consultant who wants to deemphasize our rights, our history, our laws and the Constitution in the name of political expediency. This emphsis on religious outreach without consideration to many other important values, to my mind, goes to the heart of what has been wrong with the Democratic Party's approach to religion in public life over the past few decades. It has careened between obnoxious forms of labeling and demonization of religious rightists -- to the internalization of the major themes of the religious right itself, withought having identified core values and a smart approach to articulating and advancing them in response to the religious right. That said, I have no problem with politicians talking about their personal religious views and explaining how they inform their approach to politics and public policy. I might add, no one has, to my knowledge, prevented anyone from doing so in the past, and the last two Democratic presidents were openly and by any reasonably standard, authentically religious men. But I do have a problem with the implication that this should in any way be made a requirement or a litmus test for the validity or viability of political candidates. I have, like Welton Gaddy, a further problem with the overt commodification of religion. This inevitably means taking bits and pieces that will supposedly "appeal" to certain religious groups. This is inherently dishonest, and has nothing to do with faith or the articulattion of a consisetent set of religiously informed values or political positions. What we are seeing in Common Good Strategies' advice to drop separation of church and state because the phrase does not appear in the constitution is an utter capitulation to the religious right and its Christian nationalist interpretation of history and its approach to contemporary politics. It will not only be shocking, but will ignite a signficant struggle in the Democratic Party if clients of this fashionable consulting boutique abandon principles that are the product of centuries of effort to create a society in which people of differing religious views can get along with one another and enjoy equal rights under the law. I will not review here the history of the phrase and how it has come to be a pivotal concept in American history and jurisprudence. Suffice to say, for now, that a far better course of action would be for Democrats to get competantly grounded in American history and law -- and know what the phrase means and be able to persuasively articulate its meaning, instead of dropping it. Lets consider a brief list of what other phrases don't appear on the Constitution.
The right to vote. Which important constitutional, Democratic, progressive, or common sense principles will also be abandoned Democratic Party operatives because the words don't appear in the constitution? What other elements of textual literalism shall we advocate to help make Antonin Scalia a happy man and to pander to the religious right? What central tenets of constitutional democracy and the advancement of human and civil rights shall we abandon in the name of short term political gain? While all of the above listed matters are already subject to varying levels of legal protection, and the underlying concepts are found in the constitution by the Supreme Court or were added to federal law by the Congress, the point here is, I think, clear enough. Certain phrases have come to represent important bodies of thought and law, and ought not be dropped because a narrow segment of the Democratic electorate is uncomfortable with the term. Let's underscore once again that the right to vote does not appear in the Constitution. But the Supreme Court has used the phrase separation of church and state to describe the meaning of the first amendment's establishment clause, just as they did, for example, the phrase one person one vote as a standard for voting rights. I think the radical ahistoricality of the consultantocracy and the Democrats who follow its advice in shaping their politics are doing a disservice to the nation's signature identity as respecting the rights of the individual. All of this comes at a time when elements of the Democratic Party seem hell bent on triangulating "faith-based" politics in ways that are likely to undermine the best efforts of three hundred years of effort to achieve greater freedom of conscience and greater religious tolerance and greater civic equality. First we had Jim Wallis, an evangelical opponent of abortion and homosexuality gaining the ear of Democratic Party leaders as he argued for downplaying -- surprise, surprise -- abortion and homosexuality. We also were treated to the spectacle of Sen. Barack Obama joining Wallis's notoriously unsupported claim that secularists are somehow silencing "people of faith" in the Democratic Party and religious people generally from public life. So far, neither Wallis nor Obama have been able to produce a single example of any Democrat anywhere in the United States who has ever acted inappropriately regarding the expression of people's religious views. Unfortunately, secular baiting, long the province of the religious right and such disingenuous allies as Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter (who is not even religious) is starting to become acceptable even among liberal pundits. Liberal columnist Mark Sheilds recently objected to fellow liberal columnist Harold Meyersons' criticism of the Pope -- and urged him to "reflect on the wise words of Sen. Barack Obama, a non-Catholic: 'What I am suggesting is this -- secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave religion at the door before entering into the public square." Well, Meyerson did no such thing. And no Democrat or liberal leader I am aware of is advocating what Obama claims. Conflating criticism of religious leaders and institutions with Obama's unwise and divisive declaration is precisely the kind of demagogic politics that is being unleashed by people who ought to know better. Criticism of religious leaders and institutions is healthy in a free society. Religious intolerance is not. Religious underpinning of an individuals values in public life is healthy as is their expression. Requirements and litmus tests and cheap pandering is not. Navigating all this is not always easy. Easy sounding solutions such as those proposed by Common Good Strategies are ultimately counter productive and very likely to backfire. It is worth noting that Mara Vanderslice is a former associate of Jim Wallis at Sojourners. But more importantly, her line of thinking does not remotely represent the mainstream of American historical understanding of the meaning of the constitution and the first amendment, and candidates who follow her advice are placing themselves on the wrong side of what Pat Buchanan called the "religious war" going on in America. In fairness it must be said that downplaying abortion and homosexuality or not using the phrase separation of church and state, is not necessarily the same thing as abandoning principles. It is also wrong to disingenuously claim that being opposed to abortion and gay rights is the equivalent of bringing "faith" into the public square. There are plenty of people whose faith informs their views on these subjects, and although the sets of issues are different, the same principle goes for matters of separation of church and state. The too glib conflation of opposition to these things as a hallmark of faith is precisely the game the religious right has played for a generation. But it is reasonable to expect to hear from leading Democrats who intend to downplay these things, just how they are championing reproductive rights; the rights of gay and lesbian Americans, and indeed the underlying principles of separation of church and state. This is no time for leading Democrats to be joining the religious right. We want leaders who will be effective in defending the rights of individual conscience against a rear guard action by the ideological descendants of those who didn't like the Constitution when it was written, and don't like it now.
It really should go without saying that becoming the religious right is not the best way to counter it. Update [2007-1-11 0:27:26 by Frederick Clarkson]: Mara Vanderslice replied to this post. Here is my rejoinder: The Consultantocracy Strikes Back!.
Abandoning Core Principles in the Interest of Political Expedience | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)
Abandoning Core Principles in the Interest of Political Expedience | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)
|
Left Behind: Eternal Forces: Installments of Jonathan Hutson's Talk To Action expose series
on the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game have been viewed by up to 1/2 million people. See our site section featuring Over 35 original articles covering the controversial "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game that has provoked a boycott by a coalition of religious groups and a letter writing campaign urging Walmart to stop selling the game. Media inquiries click here(image: detail from Francoise Dubois' rendition of the Bartholomew's Day Massacre reveals the actual nature of religious warfare)
Removal of Petraeus Endorsement from "Spiritual Handbook" Not Enough
As a result of the exposure by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) of endorsements by Gen. Petraeus and Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling on...... By Chris Rodda (0 comments)
Short Takes
Crooks & Liars: Ralph Reed has gone radioactive -- as a no-show at the fundraiser he was to host for McCain. McCain, who takes...... By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Are Nouveax Moderate Evangelicals, Actually Immoderate?
In light of the recent appearance by John McCain and Barack Obama on the Rick Warren Show, this recent post seems to be timely...... By Frederick Clarkson (2 comments)
A Really Stupid Idea
For decades I have heard 501c3 reminders about what is legal to do in a church. Groups like Americans United for Separation, the ACLU,...... By wilkyjr (0 comments)
Who Was the First Christian President?
Andrew Sullivan picked up on this post I did reacting to the recent forced display of Presidential piety. The bottom line is that evangelicals...... By Jonathan Rowe (0 comments)
Make Me Ralph: Former Christian Coalition Head Resurfaces -- Again
When we last caught up with Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition director and disgraced lobbyist, he was flogging his first novel, a political thriller...... By Rob Boston (1 comment)
Short Takes
BeliefNet: In the wake of his much ballyhooed Civic Forum with candidates McCain and Obama --Religious Right leader Rick Warren doesn't think Obama and...... By Frederick Clarkson (13 comments)
Militant Settler Group to Guide Huckabee and Hikind to Western Wall
From Arutz Sheva: Baptist preacher and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee soon will be accompanied by religious Jewish New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind...... By Richard Bartholomew (0 comments)
Petraeus Endorses "Spiritual Handbook," Betrays 21% of Our Troops
As is often the case here at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), while in the course of investigating one report of constitutionally questionable activity within...... By Chris Rodda (4 comments)
WND Puffs Bizarre Jerusalem Temple Theory
WorldNetDaily offers up one of its more absurd "exclusives": a puff-piece for a book entitled Temple at the Center of Time: Newton's Bible Codex...... By Richard Bartholomew (1 comment)
Texas Roots of the Religious Right
I am indebted to a late missions' director for a story about an East Texas lad who decides he wants to attend Texas A&M....... By wilkyjr (7 comments)
Shepard's All Wet: Rain Man Reined In At Focus On The Family
It's good to know that there are some members and supporters of Focus on the Family (FOF) who do not believe God is petty...... By Rob Boston (4 comments)
Short Takes
Street Prophets: Pastordan wonders why John McCain made such a big deal about Georgia being "one of the world's first nations to adopt Christianity...... By Frederick Clarkson (3 comments)
Short Takes
Buzzflash: Meg White analyzes the flap over John McCain's anti-Obama ad, "The One." Street Prophets: Pastordan discusses the implications of an NPR story about...... By Frederick Clarkson (4 comments)
When Opposites Attack
Two seemingly unrelated recent events have something important in common. The dust-up between the University of Minnesota's P.Z. Myers and the Catholic League's Bill...... By Frank Cocozzelli (29 comments)
"Yes on 8" RSVP? Need your advice.
Schubert Flint Public Affairs has been hired to run the Yes on Prop. 8 ("Protect Marriage") initiative. If you've happened to notice the names Jennifer Kerns, Frank Schubert, or Jeff Flint in media coverage...... By Chino Blanco (2 comments)
Alabama PSC Cantidate Matt Chancey: His Views on Suffrage, Women, Marriage, etc.
Promoted from the diaries -- FC Alabama voters should be made aware that Matt Chancey opposes"one person, one vote" suffrage, apparently on religious grounds. Matt Chancey, a Republican, is running for president of the...... By CynthiaGee (2 comments)
Jews and Christians Unite against the Empire of Neo-cons and 'Christian' Zionists
Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources...Everything is justified in...... By eileen fleming (1 comment)
Patriot Follows the Money and Exposes Foreign Agents
"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official."-Theodore Roosevelt ...... By eileen fleming (0 comments)
The Alleged "Church of Liberalism"
4th July, Independence Day. I was at a party in Paris. As usual, when one of the guests learned that he was speaking to an American the conversation turned to the election and Obama....... By TMurray (0 comments)
Hope Never Dies for Extremists
The extreme political Religious Right hasn't given up hope of getting something out of this election. Their latest ploy involves petitioning the parties for a "True Christian" in the vice-presidential slot. The Christian Anti-Defamation...... By John McKay (0 comments)
Catholic religious right wing: Legion of Christ
Frank L. Cocozzelli's weekly series of posts on "The Catholic Right" (listed here) includes quite a few posts about Opus Dei. There's another, similarly ultra-orthodox Catholic religious order he might want to examine in...... By Diane Vera (3 comments)
Prosyletization in Iraq: A threat to national security
As amazing as it sounds, dominionists may in fact be fomenting terrorism--not just the domestic terrorism like bombings of women's clinics we normally associate, but the very "Islamist terror bombings" that the GOP loves...... By dogemperor (0 comments)
Proselytization in Iraq: A minor history
The recent incident where a Marine was recently found distributing "Bible coins" promoted by a fundamentalist "Bible church" is, sad to say, far from the first incident of overt prosyletisation in Iraq. The truth...... By dogemperor (1 comment)
Source of "Bible coins" distributed by USMC in Iraq discovered
In what is--sadly--yet another case of the extent of which blatant prosyletisation is tolerated in the modern US military, a recent incident where members of the US Marine Corps were handing out coins to...... By dogemperor (0 comments)
What Does the Religious Right Fear the Most?
A poll that one of the giants on the right, Coral Ridge Ministries, sent to their members gives a revealing insight into their world view. ...... By John McKay (3 comments)
UK Abortion Limit Stays at 24 Weeks Despite Washington Think Tank's Tactics
IN GOD'S NAME is a revealing documentary about how the Alliance Defense Fund is using its tactics to try to restrict abortion in Europe as well as in America. Watch this trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeTfW8-dCNE ...... By TMurray (3 comments)
'Christians United For Israel' Joyfully Sing of Israel's Invasion and Destruction
An open letter, from Ray McGovern, a 27-year intelligence analyst with the CIA, to Admiral William J. Fallon, warns of an impending US attack on Iran. If such an event occurred, the resulting war...... By Bruce Wilson (3 comments)
The Petrification of John McCain
We are very pleased to welcome Frederick Lane as a guest front pager. He is the author of several books,most recently, The Court and the Cross: The Religious Right's Crusade to Reshape the Supreme...... By Frederick_Lane (3 comments)
More Biblical Precedent for Allowing Abortion
This is a follow up to my most recent diary entry. ...... By TMurray (3 comments)
John Hagee Says God Made AIDS and Bird Flu But Lord will Protect Him Personally
John Hagee claims 1) that he knows with absolute certainty the will of God (as he told a BBC interviewer in 2003), is 2) sure that he, John Hagee, has a place in heaven...... By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Biblical support for abortion, who knew?
It turns out that our present legal understanding of when a life is entitled to legal protection is consistent with the Old Testament Biblical understanding of when a fetus becomes a 'life' warranting legal...... By TMurray (2 comments)
2001 John Hagee Film Shows Gangsterish Rabbi, Foppish Catholic Priest In League With anti-Christ
The following somewhat satirical video is built around a brief excerpt from Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee's 2001 55-minute film "Vanished", which followed the prophetic, premillennial plot line of Tim LaHaye's and Jerry Jenkin's...... By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
PBS "Carrier": A Mixed Blessing
Watching the PBS miniseries "Carrier" was a revelation, but not always a pleasant one... ...... By bughouse square (0 comments)
Will We Ever Learn?
Ever looked at something or did something which at the time seemed good and beneficial only to learn that it was not what you thought? If we could all have the opportunity to live...... By truthngrace (0 comments)
McCain-Endorser's Church Casts Out "Demon of Anal Fissures", Teaches Vomiting Evil Spirits
[NOTE: for a related story, see Mai Tai Dogs: Pics Show Bush Administration, McCain-Endorser Hagee Schmoozing at Chinese Restaurant] I have to admit, on one level it sounds more entertaining than a church full...... By Bruce Wilson (3 comments)
Bush 41 salutes Sun Myung Moon's effort to subdue the planet.
Sun Myung Moon's end time political front, the Universal Peace Federation had a summit from April 28 to May 2 in Washington DC. The participants took a tour of the Moon owned Washington Times...... By Lou (2 comments)
Advancing The Kingdom
Over the past four years, I've researched the darkest regions of the Christian right for the non-fiction film Silhouette City. The film tracks the movement of apocalyptic Christian nationalism from the margins of American...... By MichaelWWilson (2 comments)
Newspaper Profiles Army of God Spokeman
We have written a great deal about the anti-abortion terror organization, Army of God. One recent post prompted God Tube to take down videos posted by the proprietor of the Army of God web...... By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Judicial Council Chief James Holsinger and $20 million of UMC Money
Dr. James Holsinger, a leader in the IRD-linked Methodist renewal movement has, until now, been best known for his crack-pot anti-gay views. - FC Dr. James Holsinger, the Bush nominee for Surgeon General and...... By AJWEAVER (0 comments)
No Constitution Party home for Keyes
Well, that didn't take long. All the speculation about Alan Keyes finding a home with the rabidly right-wing Constitution Party has quickly come to naught as the CP convention picks radio talk show host,...... By tacitus (0 comments)
Florida Christian License Plate
Well, Florida is at it again. They're considering a "Christian" license plate. It's supposed to have a cross and a stained glass window on it with the words "I Believe!" More below the break!...... By ArchaeoBob (3 comments)
The Alleged 'Atheist Delusion'
John Gray's ample Saturday Review column in the March 15th edition of London's Guardian newpaper diagnosed the current climate surrounding religion as one of `moral panic'. This is true only of the irrational fear...... By TMurray (0 comments)
A Real GI Bill of Rights
As much as I admire Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel for their efforts to reform the military, I respectfully submit that their proposed bill doesn't go far enough... ...... By bughouse square (2 comments)
Mikey's War
There comes a time when ordinary citizens need to step up and openly challenge the perverse Christianization of our national instutions, particularly the military. What follows is an introduction to someone who is doing...... By bughouse square (1 comment) More Diaries... |
BlogsBartholomew's Notes On ReligionChip BerletMax BlumenthalThe Panda's ThumbFrederick Clarkson Chuck Currie DefCon father Jake Stops The World John Gorenfeld Religion Clause Chris Mooney Religious Right Watch The Revealer Jesus Politics Majority Report Radio Blog Mainstream Baptist Orcinus Dispatches from the Culture Wars Ex-Gay Watch The Wall of Separation Blog From The Capital:a blog on religious liberty issues and the separation of church and stateOrganizationsAmerican Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of ExpressionACLUAnti-Defamation LeagueAmerican Library AssociationChristian Alliance for ProgressCitizens ProjectDefCon: Campaign to Defend The ConstitutionFaithful America People For the American wayInstitute For Democracy StudiesInterfaith AllianceJews On First: Defending the First AmendmentAmerican Fundamentalists Americans United for Separation of Church and StateBaptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty The Clergy and laity Network Political Research Associates Theocracy Watch Media Matters for AmericaMilitary Religious Freedom FoundationMontana Human Rights NetworkNational Center For Science EducationReligious Coalition for Reproductive ChoiceThe RevealerSouthern Poverty Law CenterTexas Freedom NetworkCrossLeft: Organizing the Christian LeftTheocracy WatchTruth Wins Out" |
|||||||||||||