The Democrat's "Religion Problem"

Phil Dilon, a self described "prairie apologist, transplanted Bostonian and Kennedy Democrat who has found refuge in the Kansas Flint Hills," provides an excellent roundup of Democrat hand-wringing over Bush's victory, with a focus on their latest epiphany that in order to win the votes of Middle America, they must speak the language of Middle America. Unfortunately, says Mr. Dillon, In Order To Be Sincere, You Must First Really Be Sincere:

. . . the most common advice they are getting is to use "religious" language to frame the issues. They have a big problem there too. The "religious right" is not the unthinking, uncaring monolith they paint it out to be. While the Democrats are being advised to exploit the pocketbook issues, conservative Christians agree that pocketbook issues should be on the national agenda. That's what George Bush's faith-based initiatives are all about. And faith-based initiatives are unacceptable to the Democratic Party. Oh, they say they are for them, but what they propose is nothing more than a shell game. Churches can contribute to the common good, as the Democrats see it, as long as they don't act like churches. Their mission must be non-religious if it is to be supported by the Party.

. . . Democrats are terrified about one word - God! They want compassion; they just don't want any mention of God in the equation. They say it's because of First Amendment issues, the church-state thing. But the reality is subtler than that. They're worried because a successful faith-based program to minister to "the least of these" might mean the dismantling of a massive bureaucracy. They're worried because a successful faith-based program might get too close to Roe Versus Wade for comfort. They're worried because a successful faith-based program would mean a loss of constituents, constituents solely dependent on them for support. And, they're worried most of all because the language of compassion, morality, and religion is really foreign soil to them. . . .

In the end the Democrats have really lost the moral high ground. Now they're being advised to re-invent themselves. Just adopt the language of the religious right and they'll flock to you. Well it won't work. It won't work because in order to be sincere you first have to be sincere. If the interest of the Democratic Party is solely to adopt some language to gain power the people of the "red states" will see right through it. They'll be seen for what they are, hucksters or wolves in sheep's clothing.

A good post, and especially coming from a Democrat, one that they should heed.