Friday, July 14, 2006
A politician's faith
Driving in the morning is always made easier for my two, local public radio stations. I start with WXPN, which some of you may know as the producing station for the syndicated World Cafe Live show with David Dye (sp?). I feel quite blessed to live in the broadcast area of this fine station. The other station, WHYY, does the usual news-based format for most of the day (and again you may know it as the producing station of the very widely heard Fresh Air with Terry Gross, gods I love this town), and I listen to Morning Edition when the WXPN morning show music is not quite to my liking.
This morning they interviewed Senator Barak Obama. They asked him to clarify or expand some of his recent points concerning faith and politics. I'm very impressed with his rhetoric, and look forward to watching him move up on the national scene, but he said something (which I may mangle verbatim-wise) that really stuck and made me think (and guffaw ruefully).
He said concerning poverty that the conservatives -- you know, the ones who devoutly believe in salvation and forgiveness -- believe in personal responsibility and expect those under the poverty line to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, or better yet should consign their souls and consciences to the faith-based organizations who may soon be their only recourse for external help. He contrasted this with the liberal approach, which is to fund bigger and more widespread government-based programs -- which stikes me as being exactly what prayer to a merciful God might be expected to produce.
Is it just me, or should we be lambasting the right for outrageous hypocrisy, and at the same time reexamining the so-called loss of faith on the left?
I dunno. I just live here. :-\
This morning they interviewed Senator Barak Obama. They asked him to clarify or expand some of his recent points concerning faith and politics. I'm very impressed with his rhetoric, and look forward to watching him move up on the national scene, but he said something (which I may mangle verbatim-wise) that really stuck and made me think (and guffaw ruefully).
He said concerning poverty that the conservatives -- you know, the ones who devoutly believe in salvation and forgiveness -- believe in personal responsibility and expect those under the poverty line to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, or better yet should consign their souls and consciences to the faith-based organizations who may soon be their only recourse for external help. He contrasted this with the liberal approach, which is to fund bigger and more widespread government-based programs -- which stikes me as being exactly what prayer to a merciful God might be expected to produce.
Is it just me, or should we be lambasting the right for outrageous hypocrisy, and at the same time reexamining the so-called loss of faith on the left?
I dunno. I just live here. :-\
