{"id":1717,"date":"2012-11-20T16:37:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-20T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/11\/political-religion-mangles-politics-and-religion.html"},"modified":"2012-11-20T16:37:00","modified_gmt":"2012-11-20T16:37:00","slug":"political-religion-mangles-politics-and-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/11\/political-religion-mangles-politics-and-religion.html","title":{"rendered":"Political Religion Mangles Politics and Religion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I\u2019m all for harmony and understanding \u2014 and I hope dreams of genuine good-faith dialogues are fulfilled. Maybe humbled Republicans and gracious Democrats will embrace; maybe they\u2019ll hear the call to \u201cget things done\u201d and steer us from fiscal and environmental cliffs; maybe they\u2019ll even walk hand-in-hand through meadows, whispering sweet nothings about how our revered founders abhorred political parties. But I wouldn\u2019t bet on it.\u00a0Charles Krauthammer<\/a>\u00a0is already speculating on new conspiracies and\u00a0Senator Lindsey Graham<\/a>\u00a0has been downright churlish \u2014 and then there\u2019s\u00a0Franklin Graham<\/a>. Let\u2019s all make sure we sling some mud before Turkey Day.<\/div>\n
There is a failure here, and it is not just to communicate. Our breakdown runs even deeper than this year\u2019s campaign oratory, which evoked memories of Herbert Hoover\u2019s 1936 Republican Convention speech. The former president drilled the New Deal with the subtlety of a spinal tap: \u201cThe march of Socialist or Fascist dictatorships and their destruction of liberty did not set out with guns and armies. Dictators (in Central Europe) began their ascent to the seats of power through the elections provided by liberal institutions. They flung the poison of class hatred.\u201d<\/div>\n
Hokay, Mr. I\u2019m-not-resentful-because-FDR-drubbed-me-four-years-ago\u2026<\/div>\n
We\u2019re beyond the mere need for civil discourse. Our minds are askew. We actually believe our own rhetoric as an article of faith. We no longer know how to talk because we no longer know how to think. We\u2019re thrusting religious categories onto politics, and that\u2019s true of both pious and secular fundamentalists. Classical politicians are pragmatists in their heart of hearts. They\u2019ve wended their way through local and state governments, where the grand debates center around zoning regulations, potholes, sewer lines, schools and budgets. Old school city pols made sure Mrs. O\u2019Leary got her groceries and medicine. It was practical vs. impractical and useful vs. unworkable, all under the umbrella of the law and agreed-upon values. We\u2019ll compromise with our opposing \u201cfriends\u201d because the people elected them as well. Sure we have ideals, and we\u2019ll salute Old Glory with relish, but that\u2019s because Old Glory symbolizes our practical approach. Political ideals serve people, not vice versa.<\/div>\n
Read the rest here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I\u2019m all for harmony and understanding \u2014 and I hope dreams of genuine good-faith dialogues are fulfilled. Maybe humbled Republicans and gracious Democrats will embrace; maybe they\u2019ll hear the call to \u201cget things done\u201d and steer us from fiscal and environmental cliffs; maybe they\u2019ll even walk hand-in-hand through meadows, whispering sweet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2251,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPolitical Religion Mangles Politics and Religion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don't get me wrong. I'm all for harmony and understanding -- and I hope dreams of genuine good-faith dialogues are fulfilled. 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