First up from The God Machine this week is an item about George W. Bush’s renewed interest in his so-called “faith-based” initiative, one of the few policy priorities the president wanted but couldn’t get through a Republican Congress in his first term.
A few days ago, perhaps with an eye towards “legacy building,” Bush decided to re-emphasize the failed project.
An old friend made a surprise appearance at President Bush’s speech to a conference of faith-based groups this afternoon. Perhaps you remember him. He goes by “compassionate conservatism.”
The phrase was a staple of the then-Texas governor’s winning presidential campaign in 2000 before terrorism, war and a slumping American economy pushed it aside. Bush dusted it off today before an adoring crowd that celebrated his two-term effort to open the gates of government funding to religious groups working to combat homelessness, AIDS and other societal ailments.
In the process, he fondly recalled the early days of that first White House run, which, he noted, “seems like a long time ago.”
“You’ve helped revolutionize the way government addresses the greatest challenges facing our society,” Bush told the crowd. “I truly believe the Faith-Based Initiative is one of the most important initiatives of this administration.”
That his legislation never passed seemed largely irrelevant.
What’s especially curious, though, is the timing of Bush’s renewed interest. The president’s faith-based scheme, which was largely implemented through executive orders and administration agencies, has actually been the subject of multiple scandals recently, including reports that grants were directed to undeserving, but politically connected, groups. And these scandals come a few years after former White House staffer David Kuo explained that the White House faith-based office was used in 2002 primarily to help elect Republican candidates in tight races.
So what it is, exactly, the president is so proud of?
There were plenty of other great items from The God Machine this week.
* This is a pretty big hire: “Shaun Casey, who teaches religion and politics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., has been hired by the Obama campaign to focus on outreach to evangelical voters. Casey, who has been informally advising the Obama campaign on faith issues for a year, next month will become a formal part of the faith outreach staff, Casey said today. His title will be senior adviser for religious affairs.”
* On a related note, Beliefnet.com president Steven Waldman points to the latest Pew Forum report to suggest the “God gap” between the parties is shrinking: “In past elections, voters who were the most religious clearly broke for the Republicans, and Democrats were increasingly seen as hostile to religion. Even now, 43% of those who attend church weekly or more identify themselves as Republicans compared with 40% who call themselves Democrats, and it’s still the case that the more religious you are, the more likely you are to prefer Republicans.”
* South Carolina’s new license plates — which feature the phrase “I Believe” alongside a Christian cross — have already sparked a federal lawsuit. This week, State Rep. Bill Sandifer (R), who helped pass the measure, defended the plate policy, saying, “I think this bill simply allows people the opportunity to give a visible indication of their religious beliefs.” Asked if he would support allowing minority faiths, including Islam, to also have an opportunity to give a visible indication of their religious beliefs, Sandifer said, “Absolutely and positively no.” It proves, once again, that when right-wing Republicans talk about more religion in the public square, they’re only referring to their faith.
* Incremental progress: “Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) overturned a long-standing ban on the ordination of gays and lesbians Friday, providing yet the latest example of a religious denomination struggling with how, and whether, to incorporate homosexuality into church life. At the same time, the church’s national governing body, meeting in San Jose, refused to alter its definition of marriage, calling it a ‘covenant between a woman and a man.'”
* A federal court ruled yesterday that an anti-gay religious group cannot be excluded from handing out fliers at a gay-pride festival in St. Louis. At issue was a provision in the city code that says “no person shall parade, exhibit or distribute any advertisement, circular or handbill in or adjoining any public park, place or square.” The AP explained, “U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey ruled June 24 that the group has the right to distribute literature and discuss its religious viewpoint at PrideFest.”
* And finally, if you’re injured during an involuntary exorcism in Texas, you won’t be able to sue for damages, at least according to the conservative court majority on the Texas Supreme Court.