Thoughts from the NY Times
Here are a couple of recent New York Times pieces that I thought I'd point out (especially to folks who don't subscribe to the site).
First off, Timothy Egan says that the current field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls may finally work against the traditional Republican "gays, guns and God" motif. First off, the overwhelming majority of Americans think it's perfectly OK for gays and lesbians to serve in the military, and public opinion is trending toward marriage equality, not away from it. The incumbent president has not banned guns as hysterical right-wingers had feared, and the "traditional morality" candidates like Santorum, Bachmann and Perry are not exactly running rip-snorting campaigns. (Even the resurgent Gingrich has plenty of, um, marriage baggage.)
Second, the NYT Campaign Stops blog featured an entry called "The New Evangelicals," by the author of a recent book by the same name, Marcia Pally. She posits that some evangelical Christians have reexamined their values and ethics in the light of the ultra-rightward political lurch of the last few years. Instead of worrying about what people do in their bedrooms, these "new evangelicals" advocate for economic-justice issues such as help for the homeless, prison ministries and affordable housing -- in short, doing unto the least of their brothers and sisters. They are for church-state separation and speaking truth to power.
What do you think of this grassroots movement? Do you see it happen in your area?
First off, Timothy Egan says that the current field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls may finally work against the traditional Republican "gays, guns and God" motif. First off, the overwhelming majority of Americans think it's perfectly OK for gays and lesbians to serve in the military, and public opinion is trending toward marriage equality, not away from it. The incumbent president has not banned guns as hysterical right-wingers had feared, and the "traditional morality" candidates like Santorum, Bachmann and Perry are not exactly running rip-snorting campaigns. (Even the resurgent Gingrich has plenty of, um, marriage baggage.)
Second, the NYT Campaign Stops blog featured an entry called "The New Evangelicals," by the author of a recent book by the same name, Marcia Pally. She posits that some evangelical Christians have reexamined their values and ethics in the light of the ultra-rightward political lurch of the last few years. Instead of worrying about what people do in their bedrooms, these "new evangelicals" advocate for economic-justice issues such as help for the homeless, prison ministries and affordable housing -- in short, doing unto the least of their brothers and sisters. They are for church-state separation and speaking truth to power.
What do you think of this grassroots movement? Do you see it happen in your area?