Obama Again

John Aravosis at AMERICAblog has an excellent post up about remarks made recently by Sen. Barack Obama in which the senator goes after his fellow Democrats for not reaching out enough to, let's face it, Christians.

I have an almost instinctive reaction to this sort of thing which is to point out that all the talk about how Democrats neglect Christian voters is bullcrap. I mean, when was the last time the Democratic Party supported an atheist candidate for a major office? But I'm going to resist that reaction and instead hit another point entirely.

Aravosis says that the Democrat must not mistake idiocy for outreach in their efforts to woo Christians. Adopting the hateful demogoguery of the right wing will accomplish nothing except to turn off moderates, liberals and rational conservatives. It's a point well-made. I'd just add that in their outreach efforts Democrats should also avoid (looking right at Obama here) adopting the script being used by the right-wing.

The very first quote from Obama in the Washington Post story reads: "Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation. Context matters," the Illinois Democrat said in remarks prepared for delivery to a conference of Call to Renewal, a faith-based movement to overcome poverty.

Well, duh.

Note how Obama eagerly picks up the strawman and just starts dancing with it. That's a right-wing talking point there, that people who oppose government imposed prayer want to make it illegal to even say "God" in public. The correct word for Obama at this point is "tool."

Look, I don't care if the people you're trying to reach believe a lie, playing to their ignorance only reinforces it. This is what Democrats do time and time again. They let the right define the debate. They try to make their arguments on the right's terms. They even adopt Republican talking points. By doing so they continually reinforce the lies that are being used to attack them.

It's mad really. What Obama is essentially saying to anyone in his audience who actually believes the right-wing spin is: Yes indeed, the Republicans are right about Democrats wanting to ban God, but I'm not like that. Really. Trust me.

Is it any wonder so many people believe the Democrats don't have a consistent message? Is it any wonder so many people believe there's no real difference between Democrats and Republicans.

And why is it so hard for Democrats to make a claim to their own arguments. Why can't they just say, Republicans are lying to you. No one wants to ban any and all mention of God from the public sphere. No one wants to ban voluntary prayer, in school or anywhere else. Everyone agrees that religion has it's place in the public sphere. All we're saying, and all the Constitution says, is no one should be forced by the government to profess or not profess religious beliefs.

It would be simple. It would be honest. It would expose the Republican arguments for the irrational mess they are. And it would be in line with what the majority of Americans say they want from their government.

Maybe Obama helps his own chances by pandering to the very people most brainwashed by right wing lies. Maybe he truly believes he is simply reinforcing his image as the candidate who can heal the divide between left and right. But whatever effect it might have on his career, it is bad for the Democratic Party because it gives credence to right-wing attack points.

Besides, repeating others' false talking points is no way to lead, it's no way to take back control of Congress and it's no way to move this country away from the insane policies of those currently running it.

Update: I am posting a link here to the full text of Obama's speech. I'll let you read it and decide if I've been fair or unfair to him in my remarks above. I'll just say that after reading it, I think I have been unfair to say Obama is pandering. Clearly, he believes the things he is saying. Furthermore, he is correct that if people could be brought to actually discuss these things, putting their biases aside, we could find common ground on which much of positive worth could be built.

That said, I think I was actually correct in stating that Obama wrongly accepts right-wing talking points as truth. This might be more a result of his own deeply held biases than any desire to court people of faith, but it's still harmful and reinforces the lies of the right-wing. Religion-hating secularists do not have any power within the Democratic Party. The tiny minority of people on the left who are actively hostile to religion are statistically non-existent. And people in the U.S., whatever their religion, are entirely free to hold their beliefs and live their lives according to them whenever and wherever they may be, in public or private.

Finally, I use the word "Christian" above. Some might think this unfair, since Obama makes reference to "people of faith." However, I used "Christian" deliberately and I think it's the correct word, since it is primarily Christians who complain about the separation of church and state and who hold a ridiculously strong persecution complex despite the fact that self-professed Christians control the entire U.S. government. Does anyone really believe that, if it were primarily Jews or Muslims complaining, our elected officials would be so concerned?