Street Prophets

Compassion (Forum) And Candidates

by pastordan

Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 12:20:36 PM PDT

David Brody's got a point. Speaking of John McCain's ducking the Compassion Forum at Messiah College, he says:

You have to hand it to the Democrats. Anytime there’s a chance to talk about faith as it relates to the social justice issues (poverty, Darfur, AIDS, human rights) they are ready to go and willing to talk about how the Bible speaks to those issues. Good for them.
 
On the flip side, just wondering but where’s the talk about the life and marriage issues? Where’s the talk in these forums about embryonic stem cell research or Terri Schiavo and other very important issues to faith voters? I’ll tell you exactly where they are: remember the Value Voters debate in the fall of last year? That debate addressed those issues. Guess what? Only the most die-hard social conservatives showed up. (Alan Keyes, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, etc) No McCain, no Romney, definitely no Giuliani.
 
So let me get this straight: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton show up to talk faith and the Bible in a “social justice setting” like The Compassion Forum while McCain, Romney and Giuliani run away from faith and Bible talk when it comes to a frank discussion of issues that are deeply important to social conservatives?

I don't particularly care for the implication that "faith voters" all think abortion or other "life issues" are important. In fact, most voters don't think those issues are very important at all. Nevertheless, where is McCain? This doesn't seem like the kind of event a candidate would want to skip, especially not one needing to make nice with independents and religious voters in his own party.

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Tags: John McCain, 2008 Presidential (all tags)

Permalink | 7 comments

  • Cookie Jar (9+ / 0-)

    Recommended by:
    Aunt Em, vgranucci, carpenterale, Marko, rosel, colloquial, slksfca, karenh, Icelander

    Pee Ess: look down at the bottom of the page, and you'll see this notice:

    Faith in Public Life, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit resource and communication center for faith leaders based in Washington, D.C., is coordinating The Compassion Forum. Other organizational sponsors of the event include the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, the ONE campaign, and Oxfam America.

    Kudos to our cronies at FiPL.

    by pastordan on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 12:23:37 PM PDT

  • McCain's being the (1+ / 0-)

    Recommended by:
    vgranucci

    "unifier."  He'll avoid controversy like I avoid raw beef and onions.
    Clinton and Obama have to show strength.

    Don Niederfrank [i]Podemos sueguir Las Abejas en la Luz. [/i]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acteal_massacre

    by Don Niederfrank on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 01:50:33 PM PDT

  • Why would McCain? (0 / 0)

    There is no reason for McCain to pander to social conservatives. They may talk a tough line, calling him a liberal, and all that, however, that lasted about all of two weeks.

     Neo-Conservatives know that social conservatism is dead. They managed to monger there hate-speech through the voices of Hannity, and Limbaugh and Beck and others for over ten years. People are beginning to wake up, and see it for what it was. A religous wedge used to divide the American people, and allow the corporate powers to take away even more power from the people.

     If McCain is to continue the oppression of the American people, he realizes that alienating those that support pro-choice will not work. If you look at the money trail, he's getting whipped by both canidates on the Democratic side.

     His only chance to win is to bank on social conservatives as the party base, and to pander to progressive values.

     And thats a perfectly legitimate strategy for neo-conservatism. It's only nihilistic end is to secure and to perpetuate its own power. It could care less about the pro-life/choice debate as anything other than an means to an end.

    27 and 42 = 69, six and nine equal 15 which subtracted from 42 = 27 42(27)=1134 1+1=2, and 3+4=7, taking us back to 27

    by Kozzmo on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 03:13:31 PM PDT

  • Not to question (0 / 0)

    the wisdom of the dean and all, but wtf.

    Broder writes:

    or Terri Schiavo and other very important issues to faith voters?

    Nope. In fact, Schiavo was exactly the opposite. Very unimportant. So much so, in fact, that GOP ministers like Sen. Danforth mark it as their turning away point.

    Six Pulitzers and they can't make this guy, like emeritus, or something.

    by carpenterale on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:56:40 PM PDT

  • Not to respond to my (0 / 0)

    own comment, but I see that Dan just posted this video on the Compassion Forum, via WaPo.

    http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/

    by carpenterale on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:21:42 PM PDT

  • Thanks! (0 / 0)

    Thanks for the kudos, PD. We are feeling rather excited and working rather hard at FPL right now. We're still holding a melting candle of hope that McCain will reconsider his decline and come to the Forum. As for why he wouldn't want to attend, I can't even guess.

    by The Other Dan on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 08:27:40 AM PDT

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