Anne Lamott, call your agent

August 6, 2004 By

anne_lamottThe Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is now two-for-two in the Democratic National Committee’s Director of Religious Outreach Sweepstakes.

As a nonpartisan public service, GetReligion offers this list of possible replacements (serious and otherwise) for the Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson, who resigned Thursday:

Anne Lamott — Isn’t it time to give a real writer a shot at this?

James Meeks — If only because he would drive the more extreme church-state separationists crazy.

Oprah — As penance for her 2000 campaign interview with George W. Bush.

Tony Campolo — He’s been a loyal foot soldier for the party. Hasn’t he earned this by now?

Rosemary Radford Ruether — One thing is sure: she would slap down any patriarchalism in sight.

Jeremiah Wright — If you think Barack Obama is a powerful speaker, catch one of Wright’s sermons in a live webcast from Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago (Sundays at 7:30 & 11 a.m. & 6 p.m. Central).

Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon — Because she never stops spreading the love and the joy, as this photo testifies.

Arlo Guthrie — Unlike his music publisher, Guthrie found JibJab’s “This Land” parody hilarious.

Meryl Streep — She an actress and a theologian, and she does so “read the whole book.”

Jim Wallis — To prove beyond the shadow of a theological doubt that real evangelicals need never vote Republican.

Other nominations are welcome, of course, in our Comments section.

Print Friendly

Filed Under: Politics
  • http://www.getreligion.org tmatt

    Ah, concerning Wallis. Can one be a universalist and an evangelical?

  • Ed Jordan

    Why not Rev. Al Sharpton? According to Democrats, apparently, he is above reproach.

  • Harris

    A better person would be Amy Sullivan, who just finished covering the Dem convention for Washington Monthly (and took a lot of slack on the Political Animal blog for highlighting the religious language in the speeches). She also writes at Gadflyer.com.

  • Annoyed

    Contrary to Wallis’s proclamation, “overcoming poverty” is not a value issue — at least not in the sense of the other things. Sure, nobody wants poverty, but the insinuation that you have to be a good little socialist to truly care about poverty is annoying. Even the Campolo inteview gave me a little cringe when he was questioned about the social issue of poverty.

    “But when it comes to addressing the structural problems that create poverty — the role of large corporations, the role of the world economy — they are not about to take a stand on those issues.” *cringe* Can I not be both moral and think that maybe it is over-regulation of capital flows and lack of trade (also known as the boogey man or globalization) that prevents people from rising up out of poverty?

    It’s a continual attack on people who have the same goal of reducing poverty in mind, but just happen ot think a different plan of action is needed. Somehow, those of us who see business as the creator of wealth and jobs gets labeled as not wanting to do anything, or worse when we do try to push for more liberalized economies are called traitors to the poor.

    Factory work at a dollar a day may suck ass, but time repeatedly shows that when you push jobs out of the country the alternatives of picking through the trash heap, dangerous farm work, and prostitution are far worse.

    Is it no longer possible to disagree with method without being accused of ignoring the poor?

  • Stolzi

    I just loved the Rev. Peterson’s phrase “leading faith leaders.”

  • sharon

    Kinky Friedman! The Joe Lieberman for the People.

    “Political correctness: It’s just not the Texan way.” -Kinky

    http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/gifs/kinkygovtoon.jpg

  • DJP

    I nominate Sister Joan Chisstler, from Erie, AP, who writes for the liberal National Catholic Reporter, as the DNC religious’ spokesperson. This nun has done more in her columns to advance Kerry as an answer to the problems in the United States. She is a hard core peace activits/radical feminist who supports abortion-rights. She favors same sex unions and believes that in a decentralized church authority. She quotes “Catholics for a Free Choice” as St. Paul quoted the Old Testament. And most of all, she protrays the Pope as the “antiquated icon” who victimizes women and progressives, and sometimes you get the impression that her ancestors were members of the KKK. She really believes that the Pope has enough power to influence George Bush.

    She shares John Kerry’s pain; she just doesn’t understand how educated Catholics would vote Republican, and like Kerry, beleives that Catholic Republicans are stupid icons of the “Pope John XXVI” pre-Vatican II church.She places democratic politcs above her Catholic faith, and in all things she gives glory to herself.She is so angry that more Catholics are voting pro-life and Republican and that bishops are denying communion to her idol, John Kerry. For her, it seems like Kerry and the democratic party, are Jesus and Mary – perfect and without any sin.

  • http://www.therevealer.org Jeff Sharlet @ The Revealer

    My nominees:

    Helen Prejean

    Daniel Berrigan

    Bruce Springsteen

    Lenny Bruce (in absentia)

    Of course, the Dems couldn’t accomodate any of these — so they’ll just have to scrap all that mealy mouthed corporate crap if they want to get the God vote.

  • http://religiousliberal.blogspot.com/ Dwight

    Here’s my concern about this incident

    1. The evangelical right has largely defined in the public imagination what real religion constitutes

    2. Rev. Brenda Peterson, a Disciples of Christ minister, represented adeptly mainline protestant and jewish stances on a wide range of issues. And yet because most folks including secular ones, assume that number 1 is so, when her actions and views had become open, she became untouchable

    3. This is one factor in why mainline protestant views are not allowed to be part of the public discussion, thus the right is the only group which is allowed to form the picture of religion for society. A pretty good situation for some folks, thus…

    4. Any person the DNC picks will receive the same “whirlwind” of opposition, they ought to get used to it, instead of panic. Maybe even adopt a backbone and stand behind their pick. Because no Christian who embraces the message of Kerry or Edwards will be embraced by the right, the Catholic League, etc. That seems to be self-evident.