Religious pandering

The Washington Post carries a front page story this Thanksgiving morning on the difficulties the Democratic candidates are having figuring out how to talk about their faith. This is to be contrasted with the President, of course, who talks easily about what is by all accounts a deeply held and sincere faith. Voters like this, according to polls, but Democrats can't quite figure out what to do. Sharpton and Lieberman are candid about their faiths, but that actually angers the Democratic base, who are more concerned than Republicans about the blurring of church and state. Then we have Dean's generally dismissive attitude towards faith; despite claiming to have read the Bible and to pray "almost every day," he admits he only goes to church for campaign reasons and recently used this line at a rally: "We've got to stop voting on guns, gods, gays and school prayer."

I'll confess to a certain naivete: I wish politicians would talk about their faith only to the extent it is natural and honest for them to do so. Thus, Bush talks about it a lot, because he is a born-again evangelical who places faith at the center of his life. Dean, who seems to be contemptuous of faith as other than a set of platitudes mouthed by stupid people, should just shut up. I realize that's impossible - faith matters to Americans, and so candidates have to talk about it, even when it's dishonest or forced. Let me say this, though: More than any other issue, I think that people of faith can tell when candidates are lying or faking it.
- posted by Anonymous @ 8:41 AM