We have somehow come to believe that the only way for us to elect a pater familias is for HIM to be a Christian. The corollary to this maxim is that of course "America is a Christian nation" - when of course it is NOT (and by the way was not intended to be). In case you hadn't noticed people of varying faiths and belief systems have been welcome and contributing here since the beginning. We used to welcome them - you know the "tired, the hungry, the poor." Those yearning masses yearning to be free. Free from what you ask? Well how about religious intolerance and tyranny of the state (remember our beloved Pilgrims)?
This deal was struck many years ago by our beloved leader, Ronald Wilson Reagan. RR was a great communicator and he had a great team of writers. He was not however a great Church goer. But he had writers who understood that the audience will fill in the blanks. So when RR (long may his name be praised) spoke of "the Almighty" we all would hear Christianity and it comforted us. When he spoke of right and wrong we heard - "Christian morality." No one since has had the stage presence to allow the audience, or his own team even to interpret his meaning.
We want everything spelled out for us. Every candidate must have a plan to govern the ungovernable. We want to know what the pray when they kneel at night. We want to know whom they pray to, what shape he/she takes and how often. we have a "right to know" we say, but do we really? Then when it's all spelled out we don't like it.
We want a business candidate believing that those skills are transferable - no real examples of that but we believe it nonetheless (see Salomon P. Chase). Yet when we get a very skilled business person like Meg Whitman or Ross Perot or Donald Trump or the recently sainted Steve Jobs we rediscover that to be successful in business you don't have to agree with an outside party. You don't take input on a great idea and you are sometimes a boor! Ok, so no business people for President. Romney was correct when he said "Corporations are people" because that's what we're taught in business school and in the law. How else do we make them liable for their actions? Every lawyer and MBA in the land understood that his answer was correct.
But it his faith not his business credentials that disqualifies Romney from the love of the American populous. We don't understand it and what we think we know comes from TV talk shows and HBO series. We think hegemony and demure dresses. Large families and business success. Secrecy and back room deals. Allegiance to someone other than the American ideals. We believe he might take orders and instructions from some one other - - wait - - are we talking about JFK or Mitt? Hmmmm....
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1 comment:
Very good points! It was a big deal when Kennedy ran because he was Catholic. It seems that religious beliefs are more imortant than political ideals. I would hate to see the resonse if an agnostic or athiest were to run. We are a diverse country, not a melting pot, but a alad with different beliefs, ideals, and cultures. Thanks for the post!
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