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{"id":2698,"date":"2012-11-05T07:17:26","date_gmt":"2012-11-05T12:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tmatt.net\/?p=2698"},"modified":"2012-11-05T07:17:26","modified_gmt":"2012-11-05T12:17:26","slug":"serious-words-at-al-smith-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/11\/serious-words-at-al-smith-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Serious words at funny Al Smith dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Political insiders know that the Alfred E. Smith Dinner strives to honor decades of civic and religious traditions.<\/p>\n

In election years, it\u2019s a tradition that the presidential candidates appear \u2014 wearing formal, white-tie attire \u2014 and satirize their own public images, while also aiming a few gentle shots at their opponent and the ranks of elite journalists in attendance.<\/p>\n

Thus, Republican standard-bearer Mitt Romney, with a nod to his Mormon fuddy-duddy reputation, reminded the audience of wine-sipping socialites that, \u201cUsually when I get invited to gatherings like this, it\u2019s just to be the designated driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noting that this campaign has not, journalistically speaking, unfolded on a level playing field, he added: \u201cI\u2019ve already seen early reports from tonight\u2019s dinner, headline \u2014 \u2018Obama Embraced by Catholics. Romney Dines with Rich People.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

In response, the president poked fun at his own complex and, for some, controversial religious and family background by noting that, like Romney, he has a rather unusual name. \u201cActually, Mitt is his middle name. I wish I could use my middle name,\u201d said Barack Hussein Obama.<\/p>\n

But, yes, there is the issue of the Romney family\u2019s wealth. \u201cEarlier today, I went shopping at some stores in Midtown,\u201d quipped Obama. \u201cI understand Governor Romney went shopping FOR some stores in Midtown.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a tradition, of course, that the jokes grab the headlines after this unique, YouTube-friendly scene<\/a> at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue. <\/p>\n

But it is also a tradition that this dinner has, throughout its 67-year history, been a crucial fundraiser for charities linked to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, netting about $5 million this year. Thus, the Catholic shepherd of New York City speaks last and, literally, offers his benediction on this salute to lighthearted, generous public discourse in the tense battlefield that is national politics. <\/p>\n

The stakes were especially high this year since Cardinal Timothy Dolan faced withering criticism from Catholic conservatives for extending the traditional invitation to the president \u2014 because Obama has repeatedly clashed with the church over issues related to abortion, same-sex marriage and religious freedom.<\/p>\n

The cardinal joined in the humorous repartee \u2014 at one point noting that he couldn\u2019t read the greeting sent by Pope Benedict XVI because it was written in Latin \u2014 but turned serious in his final prayer. He reminded the audience that the dinner honored Smith as the first Catholic selected as the presidential nominee of a major party, but also as the \u201chappy warrior\u201d who tirelessly fought to help the poor, the powerless and other forgotten Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere we are, in an atmosphere of civility and humor \u2026 loving a country which considers religious liberty our first and most cherished freedom, convinced that faith is not just limited to an hour of Sabbath worship, but affects everything we do and dream,\u201d said Dolan, who also serves as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.<\/p>\n

The purpose of the event, he added, was to \u201creverently\u201d recall a \u201cman of deep Catholic faith and ringing patriotism, who had a tear in his Irish eyes for what we would call, the \u2018uns\u2019 \u2014 the un-employed, the un-insured, the un-wanted, the un-wed mother and her innocent, fragile un-born baby in her womb, the un-documented, the un-housed, the un-healthy, the un-fed, the under-educated.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment, Al Smith believed, should be on the side of these \u2018uns,\u2019 but a government partnering with family, church, parish, neighborhood, organizations and community, never intruding or opposing, since, when all is said and done, it\u2019s in God we trust, not, ultimately, in government or politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Dolan is known for his boisterous wit, this final litany was clearly the big idea he wanted to communicate to both candidates and to all who were present, said Father James Martin, author of \u201c Between Heaven and Mirth<\/a>: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very moving, and very Catholic, because he refused to narrow the Gospel down to one or two issues,\u201d said Martin, who attended the dinner. \u201cHe reminded everyone of the sacred dignity of all human life, not just in the womb, but also not just in the slums. \u2026 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are Catholics these days, on the left and on the right, who don\u2019t want to be reminded of both sides of that equation. What the cardinal did was honor our Catholic tradition \u2014 all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"