Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
This, from Peter Beinart, doesn't work for me:
The GOP’s basic problem is that many Republicans equate Christianity, or at least Judeo-Christianity, with Americanism. They do not believe it’s possible to truly uphold American ideals unless you identify with the religious traditions that supposedly underlie those ideals. In a country with a growing Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Mormon, and atheist population, that’s a significant source of political bigotry. Is it good that the South Carolina GOP has embraced a South Asian woman? Of course. When that woman can practice whatever religion she wants, without fear that it will wreck her political career, then Republicans will truly deserve to crow.
That's a fraught paragraph (The Jewish and Christian traditions "supposedly" underlie American ideals?), but a fatal closing sentence. The day that Americans merrily elect Satanists, or believers in a genius race of lizards living inside the Earth, or supplicants before a giant Chee-to, will be a dark day indeed in the history of whichever party runs such candidates. Beinart's interest here comes off as pretty cheap: raising the bar on Republicans the minute they start hitting polite culture's diversity benchmarks without resorting to affirmative action.
It's so ungenerous an attack that its culmination in a glib reductio ad absurdum at least offers the consolation of poetic justice. What else could explain the way Beinart's accusation of a Republican "Jesus Litmus Test" collapses into self-parody of itself? For what but a Devil-Worshipping Litmus Test could ever prove that our candidates are impervious to judgments about the compatibility of their faith with the obligations of public office...
Of course, Beinart himself can hardly believe this. He's really just out to claim that Republicans only think good Christians (and maybe Jews) deserve to be elected. But that sounds too much like political bigotry -- which I, of course, stand shoulder to shoulder with Beinart against.
- Comment (12)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments :
May '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
The overwhelming majority of Republicans are concerned with a candidate's church or religion only insofar as it indicates whether or not the candidate holds mainstream American values. Nothing outrageous about that. In the past election (including primaries), for example, there was only one candidate whose choice of church indicated that he might not hold those values--Obama and his Trinity United--and it cost him some support. That particular prejudice is looking rather wise right now.
May '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Since departing TNR, Beinart has gotten more and more 1) histrionically leftist, and 2) logically and factually sloppy; fits with his move to the academic job, sad to say.
If you are going to argue this way (first know who the Dem chairman- "Tom Caine"- is if you are gpoing to cite him, Peter), it is useful to refer to some, you know, data, facts, surveys, etc. And don't cherry-pick it.
Jul '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Duane Oyen: Since departing TNR, Beinart has gotten more and more 1) histrionically leftist, and 2) logically and factually sloppy; fits with his move to the academic job, sad to say.
If you are going to argue this way (first know who the Dem chairman- "Tom Caine"- is if you are gpoing to cite him, Peter), it is useful to refer to some, you know, data, facts, surveys, etc. And don't cherry-pick it. · Jul 18 at 2:06pm
But that is, indeed, exactly how the left argues. Were they to consider data, or any serious validation process to any of their positions or "visions", it would fall apart in a heartbeat. Thomas Sowell in his recent Intellectuals and Society chronicles this beautifully.
Jun '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
What Republicans might get upset over is the atheist groups that feel it's their duty to cleanse the nation of all public religious symbolism, starting with the cross. I haven't seen much evidence that Republicans get upset over non-traditional religion, just because it's non-traditional, but Democrats do from time to time:
Photo: Prop 8 Protest Turns Confrontational at Mormon Church in Westwood
http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/prop-8-protest-turns-confrontational-at-mormon-church-in-westwood-11-6-08-182487/8/
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Worse, of course, is that he categorically dismisses the faith that Nikki Haley (and, for that matter, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal) claim as theirs. Let's be honest: what he's accusing these two Indian-American Republicans of is, basically, acting white. He's assuming that Jindal's Catholicism and Haley's conversion from the Sikh faith are somehow inauthentic. Without a shred of evidence except, you know, that in Beinart's Universe, brown people from India should be more exotic.
And he forgets, conveniently, that Mitt Romney -- by any measure a major Republican figure -- is a Mormon, which for a lot of Christians (especially Evangelicals) is pretty much as weird and objectionable as it gets.
May '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Beinart is also trying to slick one by us by using the word "Christian" as if you can just slip every religion that says "Yeah, Jesus sure is important" into it comfortably. He forgets (at least I hope it's forgetfulness and not deceit) that for a few centuries, the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism usually resulted in mass bloodshed. It wasn't that long ago when folks on the British Isles were killing each other over those differences and there are still some places in America where a Protestant or Catholic needs to tread lightly or get a punch in the face.
It took us about 400 years to get from the Thirty Years' War to Peter Beinart's all-inclusive "Christianity". We can perhaps be forgiven if we occasionally slip up while running Beinart's mad dash to the Utopia of Tolerance.
May '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
What's so depressing is that you can actually see his mind working.
You know, the Republicans are nominating and electing quite a few women and racial minorities. Gosh, this sure makes the Race Narrative even harder to sustain. But I'll give it a try. See, beneath all this supposed tolerance and diversity lurks something disagreeable and ugly, so stick with me for a few hundred words while I try to tease it out.
May '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Mesquito, that's so right on. The minorities we elect aren't really minorities, the women not really women, blah, blah, blah, yawn.
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
mesquito: What's so depressing is that you can actually see his mind working.
You know, the Republicans are nominating and electing quite a few women and racial minorities. Gosh, this sure makes the Race Narrative even harder to sustain. But I'll give it a try. See, beneath all this supposed tolerance and diversity lurks something disagreeable and ugly, so stick with me for a few hundred words while I try to tease it out. · Jul 18 at 3:14pm
Perfectly put.
May '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
To inject some levity, that reminds me of an old Red Skelton joke: A cardinal goes to the Pope and he says, "Your Holiness, I've got some good news and some bad news. The Good News is that Jesus has come back to Earth and he's on the phone for you."
"And the bad news?" asks the Pope.
"He's calling from Salt Lake City!"
That'll put me on the Glenn Beck short list...
Jul '10
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Somebody should probably point out that the premise that Beinert starts with - that the Republican Party is based on Judeo-Christian cultural and religious princinples - is exactly correct. Add Aristotle in there and you have the essential definition of Conservatism. Why does anybody need to shy from this?
It is very easy to see how Hindus, Buddhists and moderate Muslims could come to influence this with their traditions in a very positive way. Even a solid athiest could bring value to the party. But the foundation is undeniably built on the vision of man, society and God that has been passed down to us by our Judeo-Christian tradition. This is most certainly true :--)
Let us not buy into the vision of diversity as posited by the left.
Re: Republicans? Bigots! Until They Elect Devil Worshippers
Devereaux
Thomas Sowell in his recent Intellectuals and Society ...
Fantastic book! If I were an autocrat for a day, I would require all college students, especially those in elite institutions, to read this book before I'd allow them to graduate.