Hmmm.
Exhibit A. Please compare this
From http://www.politixgroup.com/comm243.htm
A couple of Sundays ago, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry visited a church in St. Louis. Sometime during the service, Kerry was invited to address the congregation. He spoke at length about how he and other Democrats will be tested during this election year. He also reminded the congregation that one passes such tests by focusing on doing good and by sticking to one's values. Kerry emphasized his point by speaking the following words from Scripture:
“What does it profit, my brother, if a man says he has faith but does not have works?”
That’s the Book of James, chapter 2, verse 14.
In full rapid response mode, the Bush campaign responded to Mr. Kerry’s apparent impertinence with a statement claiming that Kerry’s action “was beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse and a sad exploitation of Scripture for a political attack.”
[Hit the back button and skip to the next quote I cut, and read the rest later.]
The ingenuity of the Bush spin machine apparently knows no bounds.
This is, after all, the same candidate who put Jesus on the ticket in 2000 when he announced Him to be the most influential philosopher. The same candidate whose media team likes to frame photo opportunities around the crucifix. The same man who inserts
evangelical phrases into his speeches. The man who told Fox News in 2001 about how he prays and reads Scripture every day-even while sitting in the Oval Office.
It is amazing to read a Bush campaign statement attacking Kerry for improperly injecting religion into a political campaign. After all, President Bush has wasted no time over the past four years commingling affairs of state with affairs of faith. The Bush attack is all the more amazing because Kerry’s utterance was utterly appropriate.
Kerry didn’t gratuitously cite passage after passage in some Scripture-quoting frenzy. He cited a single verse. He didn’t challenge the sincerity of President Bush’s faith-in fact, Bush’s name wasn’t even mentioned. Kerry called on all of us to live out our faith-to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. That the Bush campaign was so offended by this seems to say more about Bush than it does about Kerry.
Certainly Kerry’s message could be construed as a veiled, indirect jab at Bush. After all, President Bush frequently talks about his faith; but when asked, he also refuses to identify specific deeds he has done to live out that faith.
Former Democratic presidential primary candidate Gen. Wesley Clark has made this same point. On the stump, Clark was fond of talking about how he attended Baptist revivals as a boy and that he could always discern “someone who could preach a revival but who didn't live it.” The obvious inference being that Clark saw Bush as among those who certainly talked the talk, but who did not walk the walk.
Perhaps the Bush team is so sensitive because it started the religious food fight and the Democrats are now firing back. It has been Bush who has consistently, and sometimes gratuitously, played the religion card. The rhetoric is a convenient means to mobilize the base and sell the “compassionate” side of the equation. It has been all the more attractive a strategy because many Democrats have been uncomfortable discussing such matters so openly.
That Republicans and conservatives so often mistake Democrats’ and liberals’ reluctance to speak on matters of faith as a lack of faith seems to have created something of a political blind spot. The discomfort discussing faith isn’t the result of faithlessness; it’s the result of seriousness.
Kerry raised a serious question for all of us-including President Bush and his conservative allies. He challenged us to do more than speak of faith-he asked us to live it out. That the Bush campaign feels vulnerable on that point is revealing.
If Bush was a man who kept his religious views to himself and Democrats had suggested his was an empty faith, the Bush campaign’s reaction would have been right. But President Bush started this discussion four years ago and he has continued it throughout his term. Kerry simply joined the discussion by suggesting that religious talk is insufficient. That the true test is to live out those convictions by doing deeds that favorably reflect on one’s faith.
How does President Bush reconcile his views on the death penalty with the teachings of Jesus? How does Kerry, a Roman Catholic, reconcile his views on abortion with those of his church?
Perhaps by getting past the religious rhetoric we could actually learn something about these two men. It is worthwhile to hear the candidates’ explanations of the gaps between their rhetoric and their actions on matters of faith. If that makes the Bush campaign queasy, then so much the better.
After all, it seems Bush has done a lot of talking, but not so much walking.
Le Evans -- Knoxville, TN -- Le Evans frequently writes commentary on politics and public policy. His columns regularly appear in PolitixGroup.com, the Daily Beacon, Metro Pulse and the Knoxville News-Sentinel, among other publications. Evans is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Tennessee Journal of Law & Policy, a quarterly publication exploring issues at the intersection of law and public policy. He holds a bachelors and a masters degree from The American University School of Public Affairs and is currently studying law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Before law school, he was an aide to former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. Contact him at le_evans@yahoo.com .
Please send any submissions, comments or reactions to: le_evans@yahoo.com or info@dc.politixgroup.com
With this:
http://www.scrappleface.com/MT/archives/001654.html
(2004-03-29) -- Without mentioning Democrat presidential hopeful John Forbes Kerry by name, President George Bush today responded to Mr. Kerry's use of the Bible to attack his "compassionate conservatism."
Speaking in a church service Sunday, Mr. Kerry criticized "our present national leadership" by quoting a passage from the New Testament book of James: "The Scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" Kerry said. "When we look at what is happening in America today, where are the works of compassion?"
When asked what the president thought of Mr. Kerry's comment, chief White House spokesman Scott McClellan released the following written statement:
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
-- James 1:5-8
I love it when politicians think we haven't been recording each and every hypocritical statement they've made since their last election.
To be fair, it's inappropriate to use a pulpit for politico-religious purposes for BOTH sides, and it's only appropriate to quote the Bible as a *philosophical* or literary work while in office or in running for an office, and I have yet to see that happen. The amusement for me is that Bush was probably searching for a flip-flopper-esque quote all day. Usually, such scripture (as I recall) describes the spiritual state of "lukewarm" Christians.
Best applied "lukewarm scripture" moment ever--leaving a comment card in Lowell dining hall on a particularly disgusting lunch day: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit thee out of my mouth." Rev. 3:16.
And as I head off to Pennsic Wars 33, I leave you with this quote of the week:
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful -- and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people -- and neither do we."
~GWB, Aug. 5, 2004
...Wow.
From http://www.politixgroup.com/comm243.htm
A couple of Sundays ago, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry visited a church in St. Louis. Sometime during the service, Kerry was invited to address the congregation. He spoke at length about how he and other Democrats will be tested during this election year. He also reminded the congregation that one passes such tests by focusing on doing good and by sticking to one's values. Kerry emphasized his point by speaking the following words from Scripture:
“What does it profit, my brother, if a man says he has faith but does not have works?”
That’s the Book of James, chapter 2, verse 14.
In full rapid response mode, the Bush campaign responded to Mr. Kerry’s apparent impertinence with a statement claiming that Kerry’s action “was beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse and a sad exploitation of Scripture for a political attack.”
[Hit the back button and skip to the next quote I cut, and read the rest later.]
The ingenuity of the Bush spin machine apparently knows no bounds.
This is, after all, the same candidate who put Jesus on the ticket in 2000 when he announced Him to be the most influential philosopher. The same candidate whose media team likes to frame photo opportunities around the crucifix. The same man who inserts
evangelical phrases into his speeches. The man who told Fox News in 2001 about how he prays and reads Scripture every day-even while sitting in the Oval Office.
It is amazing to read a Bush campaign statement attacking Kerry for improperly injecting religion into a political campaign. After all, President Bush has wasted no time over the past four years commingling affairs of state with affairs of faith. The Bush attack is all the more amazing because Kerry’s utterance was utterly appropriate.
Kerry didn’t gratuitously cite passage after passage in some Scripture-quoting frenzy. He cited a single verse. He didn’t challenge the sincerity of President Bush’s faith-in fact, Bush’s name wasn’t even mentioned. Kerry called on all of us to live out our faith-to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. That the Bush campaign was so offended by this seems to say more about Bush than it does about Kerry.
Certainly Kerry’s message could be construed as a veiled, indirect jab at Bush. After all, President Bush frequently talks about his faith; but when asked, he also refuses to identify specific deeds he has done to live out that faith.
Former Democratic presidential primary candidate Gen. Wesley Clark has made this same point. On the stump, Clark was fond of talking about how he attended Baptist revivals as a boy and that he could always discern “someone who could preach a revival but who didn't live it.” The obvious inference being that Clark saw Bush as among those who certainly talked the talk, but who did not walk the walk.
Perhaps the Bush team is so sensitive because it started the religious food fight and the Democrats are now firing back. It has been Bush who has consistently, and sometimes gratuitously, played the religion card. The rhetoric is a convenient means to mobilize the base and sell the “compassionate” side of the equation. It has been all the more attractive a strategy because many Democrats have been uncomfortable discussing such matters so openly.
That Republicans and conservatives so often mistake Democrats’ and liberals’ reluctance to speak on matters of faith as a lack of faith seems to have created something of a political blind spot. The discomfort discussing faith isn’t the result of faithlessness; it’s the result of seriousness.
Kerry raised a serious question for all of us-including President Bush and his conservative allies. He challenged us to do more than speak of faith-he asked us to live it out. That the Bush campaign feels vulnerable on that point is revealing.
If Bush was a man who kept his religious views to himself and Democrats had suggested his was an empty faith, the Bush campaign’s reaction would have been right. But President Bush started this discussion four years ago and he has continued it throughout his term. Kerry simply joined the discussion by suggesting that religious talk is insufficient. That the true test is to live out those convictions by doing deeds that favorably reflect on one’s faith.
How does President Bush reconcile his views on the death penalty with the teachings of Jesus? How does Kerry, a Roman Catholic, reconcile his views on abortion with those of his church?
Perhaps by getting past the religious rhetoric we could actually learn something about these two men. It is worthwhile to hear the candidates’ explanations of the gaps between their rhetoric and their actions on matters of faith. If that makes the Bush campaign queasy, then so much the better.
After all, it seems Bush has done a lot of talking, but not so much walking.
Le Evans -- Knoxville, TN -- Le Evans frequently writes commentary on politics and public policy. His columns regularly appear in PolitixGroup.com, the Daily Beacon, Metro Pulse and the Knoxville News-Sentinel, among other publications. Evans is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Tennessee Journal of Law & Policy, a quarterly publication exploring issues at the intersection of law and public policy. He holds a bachelors and a masters degree from The American University School of Public Affairs and is currently studying law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Before law school, he was an aide to former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. Contact him at le_evans@yahoo.com .
Please send any submissions, comments or reactions to: le_evans@yahoo.com or info@dc.politixgroup.com
With this:
http://www.scrappleface.com/MT/archives/001654.html
(2004-03-29) -- Without mentioning Democrat presidential hopeful John Forbes Kerry by name, President George Bush today responded to Mr. Kerry's use of the Bible to attack his "compassionate conservatism."
Speaking in a church service Sunday, Mr. Kerry criticized "our present national leadership" by quoting a passage from the New Testament book of James: "The Scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" Kerry said. "When we look at what is happening in America today, where are the works of compassion?"
When asked what the president thought of Mr. Kerry's comment, chief White House spokesman Scott McClellan released the following written statement:
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
-- James 1:5-8
I love it when politicians think we haven't been recording each and every hypocritical statement they've made since their last election.
To be fair, it's inappropriate to use a pulpit for politico-religious purposes for BOTH sides, and it's only appropriate to quote the Bible as a *philosophical* or literary work while in office or in running for an office, and I have yet to see that happen. The amusement for me is that Bush was probably searching for a flip-flopper-esque quote all day. Usually, such scripture (as I recall) describes the spiritual state of "lukewarm" Christians.
Best applied "lukewarm scripture" moment ever--leaving a comment card in Lowell dining hall on a particularly disgusting lunch day: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit thee out of my mouth." Rev. 3:16.
And as I head off to Pennsic Wars 33, I leave you with this quote of the week:
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful -- and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people -- and neither do we."
~GWB, Aug. 5, 2004
...Wow.