Obama Roils Liberals on Religion and Politics
With disgust, she stated that she could "never" vote for John Kerry. And mere mention of Hillary Clinton sent chills of revulsion down her political spine. "What about Barack Obama" I asked. "Oh... " she paused and pondered. "Yeah... maybe!"
I understand why a moderate Republican might listen to Barack Obama: he genuinely desires to reach out and reconcile both sides of the political aisle.
As Obama increasingly speaks his mind, it's becoming clear that in this time of bitter partisanship, he's more of a healer than divider. And that makes some liberals very angry. (See here, here, and here. And this one is quite miffed.)
On June 28, Obama gave a controversial speech at a conference sponsored by Sojourners, the progressive Christian political-action organization. In it, he stated the obvious that in order to be elected and be effective in a democracy with many religions, liberals must set aside their biases and reach out to all people.
The statement that most riled some Democrats was: "... if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, then the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons and Alan Keyeses will continue to hold sway."
Senator Obama also chastised liberals to "acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people" and orated that "Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation."
The senator also spoke at length at steps evangelicals must also take to bridge the political gap within US democracy. And he eloquently pointed out that liberals must reach out to "evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike" as well as those who hold secular beliefs.
As a committed Christian and a liberal activist, I find Senator Obama's speech to be unquestionably on target. It's intelligent, fair and honest, and entirely honoring to Democratic party ideals. He's showing the way for Democrats to incorporate their authentic faith into the public arena... just as Martin Luther King, Jr, did 40 years ago.
Mind you, this speech is deeply thoughtful, and not crafted to fit into superficial sound-byte mantras. For your easy-reading, I've edited it down here at Senator Barack Obama Gives Controversial 2006 Speech on Religion and Politics.
Now only into his second year as a senator, Barack Obama was accused in 2005 of staying too safely silent on the big issues. That thankfully seems to have changed in 2006.
This speech likely signals one of Obama's core messages as he considers a future run for the presidency.
At this moment, he would have my vote over all other Democratic candidates. And he just might have the vote of my conservative daughter.
Now that's something for Democrats to ponder as they look toward 2008.
Related Reading
Profile of US Senator Barack Obama of Illinois
Sen Barack Obama on Voting Against Flag-Burning Amendment
Sen Barack Obama on the Paris Hilton Tax Break
The Barack Obama Archives: Unleashed & Unplugged
Comments
Obama holds the respect of many people. I’m not sure what he means by reaching out to evangelicals, but if it means incorporating their unscientific beliefs about stem cell research, allowing them to use the force of law to establish their religion over Buddhists or Muslims, women’s roles in society or trying to legitimize their hatred of gays and lesbians throught a misinterpretaion of scriptures and enacting discriminatory laws, Obama will go nowhere. Thank god we had political leaders in the ’50s and ’60s who had the moral courage to stand against the segregationist even when it was unpopular. Falwell was among their ranks. What the democrats need to do is remind people that the values we hold- peaceful resolution of foreign affair problems, compassion towards the poor and sick and fighting against discrimination ARE Christian values. In fact, they’re universal spiritual values that transcend cultures.