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What’s in a Name?
Since the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate, I’ve heard people I know and people on blogs immediately pigeonhole the governor.
The governor has been pinned with the view that she is a card-carrying member of the religious right and that she is mean-spirited and nothing more than a Christian version of the Taliban wanting to teach creationism and banning books.
Of course, Newsweek has done some fact-checking that shows that the picture is a lot more complicated than that.
I’m not here to go after the media or liberals, per se, but I am interested as in why people were so quick to think they had Ms. Palin figured out.
I grew up as an evangelical. These days, I would probably be considered a liberal Protestant, but if you think I am running around making fun of my evangelical sisters and brothers, well, you are wrong. The fact is, conservative Christians are not so simple to classify. Yes, there are some like the late Jerry Falwell that make it an issue to go after those who are deemed different and try to use the government to impose their agenda. But there are also those who frankly aren’t into that. Yes, they might not support abortion, but they are trying to accept their gay sibling and her partner. They might believe in Creationism, but they aren’t trying to have it pushed through the Statehouse. They are involved in taking care of the poor, both locally and globally. They are interested in racial reconciliation or care for the earth.
The fact is, there are many evangelicals who share some of the views of the religious right but are not taking to the streets. They are our neighbors and our family. Most of all, they are people.
Palin seems to fall into that part of American evangelicalism. Of course, I could be all wet about this. The fact of the matter is, we don’t know. None of us. It would make more sense for everyone to allow time to reveal if Ms. Palin truly is a threat ala the James Dobson crowd than to assume the worst.
People on the Left have correctly told conservatives to not get hung up on labels: black/white, straight/gay, native/immigrant. It’s time that my friends on the Left not get so hung up on the label of “evangelical” and get to know what’s behind this name more instead of assuming. Because when you assume…
54 Responses to “What’s in a Name?”
Don, thanks for the links. So why not list the others?
(war-mongering) 2002 Iraq War Resolution, 81 Democratic Congress People voted for it
(short-sighted greed) 2005 Bankrupcy Bill, 18 Democratic Congress People voted for it (Joe Biden is in this list)
(evil & stupid) 2008 FISA Bill, 19 Democratic Congress People voted for it
In all cases the majority of the Democratic Party was in the Nay category–good for them. But what kind of account are you going to hold the others to, especially VP candidate Biden, who by your definition is shortsighted and greedy?
Look. I find it very beneficial to the country that a lot of the Repubs are going to get swept out. But replacing them with war-mongering, shortsighted, greedy, evil, and stupid folks who just happen to have a D behind their name isn't going to help us any.
Don, thanks for the links. So why not list the others?
(war-mongering) 2002 Iraq War Resolution, 81 Democratic Congress People voted for it
(short-sighted greed) 2005 Bankrupcy Bill, 18 Democratic Congress People voted for it (Joe Biden is in this list)
(evil & stupid) 2008 FISA Bill, 19 Democratic Congress People voted for it
In all cases the majority of the Democratic Party was in the Nay category–good for them. But what kind of account are you going to hold the others to, especially VP candidate Biden, who by your definition is shortsighted and greedy?
Look. I find it very beneficial to the country that a lot of the Repubs are going to get swept out. But replacing them with war-mongering, shortsighted, greedy, evil, and stupid folks who just happen to have a D behind their name isn't going to help us any.
jchem,
In all of the cases that I listed, 90% or more of the Republicans voted for them, no more than 50% of the Democrats voted for them, and generally the Democrats who did vote for those bills did not do so because they are an evil, greedy, shortsighted, racist, chicken-hawk, war-mongering idiots,( there are exceptions, Biden on Bankruptcy) but because they are spineless cowards who are afraid to stand up and fight.
Which of the democratic politicians have you told that?