John Kerry’s appearance yesterday at the New North Side Baptist Church in St. Louis seemed to go well. While his campaign rhetoric tends to deal far more with policy than piety, Kerry did what most candidates do when they appear in a house of worship — he laid out his principles in a religious context.
The scriptures say: “It is not enough, my brother, to say you have faith, when there are no deeds.”
We look at what is happening in America today and we say: “Where are the deeds?”
[…]
This is our time to start building up America again. Time to build up the material things that matter– from our schools to health centers to depressed communities that can thrive again. But even more, time to build up the things of the spirit that lift us up — the sense that no matter where we come from, what we have or what we lack — we are all God’s children, linked together by the dignity of each and the shared destiny of all.
So let us pray. Let us move our feet. Let us march together and let us lead America in a new direction — toward that mountain top which has always been our destination. We won’t get there in one year or one election. But this year is our time to take another giant step toward the country we can and should become.
This is a strong and persuasive message. While I’ve never been fond of excessive religious rhetoric in a political campaign — faith should never be exploited for votes — Kerry’s comments seemed both poignant and sincere.
And if Amy Sullivan is right, and Dems can make gains with the vote of the “swing faithful,” this is the kind of message Kerry should be sharing frequently with people of faith all over the country.
Maybe that’s why the Bush campaign got so freaked out about Kerry’s choice of words.
Considering Bush’s near-constant embrace of public religiosity, it was bizarre, to say the least, to hear his campaign criticize Kerry’s remarks.
“[A] spokesman for President Bush, Steve Schmidt, said Kerry’s comments were “beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse and a sad exploitation of scripture for political attack.” Kerry never mentioned Bush by name and targeted his call for more compassion and spiritual resolve only at “our present national leadership.”
Wait, Kerry is “exploiting” religion? Bush ran for office citing Jesus as his favorite political philosopher. During the campaign, he declared June 10 “Jesus Day” in the state of Texas. He sought to placate his religious right base by announcing his support for posting the “standard version” of the Ten Commandments in government buildings. Bush continues to cite his religiosity in speeches, public appearances, and his daily White House schedule.
But when Kerry cites scripture and tells a church audience that the nation should match its words and deeds, it’s “beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse.” The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
I suspect the Bush campaign and the GOP in general would prefer it if Republicans were allowed to maintain an unchallenged monopoly on “faith talk.” Based on yesterday’s reaction, it sounds as if BC04 would like to intimidate Kerry, discouraging him from ever into broaching the GOP’s “territory” again.
This means, of course, that Kerry should do the exact opposite and give this speech in every church that will have him.