In my initial post What the Democrats need to win in 2006, one item engendered more discussion than any other - the need to embrace faith. One of the best questions of my point was raised by The Command T.O.C. (good article).
I may have not expressed this as well as I could. Personally I am agnostic so I may not know the right words to use. In one sense, I am representative of the problem the Democrats have on this issue.
My point is not that decisions should be made based on a politicians faith. At a minimum it gives us the disaster of Bush who clearly does base a lot of his decisions on faith rather than a rational appraisal of the facts and the various studies of what each approach will accomplish. And at worst, we have Iran.
I also think most people understand that it is in the interests of religion even more than of the political sphere to keep these two separate. Politics is the art of the compromise. Religion holds absolute tenets. When they get mixed it not only harms the political sphere (see previous para) but it harms religion too as the religious sphere needs to make compromises (gay marriage no, adultery well...).
What I think people do require of candidates is that they are a person of faith. That that person does have a relationship with his or her God. They do not need to wear it on their sleeve like Bush does. But it does have to be visible. And candidates need to clearly be comfortable in their relationship with God.
Bill Clinton has this. I think no one doubts that he is a religious man. (He may sin a lot, but clearly he then prays for forgiveness.) Al Gore also. He may be stiff (although he is loosening up a lot) and very academic, but at the same time he clearly is comfortable with God.
Now compare that with John Kerry. I know he's a practicing Catholic but in my case at least I saw someone who approached life in a secular manner. Maybe personally he is very devout - but that is not the impression he gives.
An even bigger problem is the Democratic party and it's image in the eyes of the electorate. It comes across as a collection of secular technocrats at the top. And this will not sell. (Yes in Europe it sells, but this is not Europe.)
We truly live in a representative democracy. People vote for someone they are comfortable with as individuals are not going to research most issues and they want someone who they feel will handle things as they would. A large part of that is having elected officials that they are comfortable with.
So... Don't mix church and state. Don't push your own God. But be a party that embraces and enjoys faith. Gives us candidates that do the same. Give us Martin Luther King and the inclusive welcoming gospel embrace of faith and it's power to change the world.
That is what the Democratic party needs to win. And that is why it is incredibly unlikely that a winning presidential candidate will come out of the North East (sorry Hillary).
Trackbacks: The Command T.O.C.
