Morality and Politics

The majority of American voters are actually moderate progressive Christians.

According to a new poll co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Res Publica and Pax Christi, there actually is a new silent majority in America: a coalition of religious moderates, progressives and other non-traditional religious voters. "This bloc of religious voters constitutes 54 percent of the electorate and holds very similar moderate-to-progressive views on domestic and national security issues" such as economic justice and the war in Iraq. By comparison, religious conservatives make up less than a quarter of the national electorate. GAY MARRIAGE: Exit polls on Nov. 2 showed 22 percent of voters claimed their votes were influenced by "moral values." The same survey, however, showed "nearly three times as many Americans approve of some form of legal status for gay couples."

CONSERVATIVES DISPARAGED BELIEF BEFORE THE ELECTION: Republicans spent a lot of effort before the election trying to paint Democrats as the anti-God party by disparaging their religious beliefs. During the 2004 campaign, the New York Times reported that mailings by Republicans warned voters that liberals wanted to ban the Bible. The GOP also distributed flyers in church parking lots saying John Kerry favored "'anti-Christian, anti-God, antifamily' judges, same-sex marriage and abortion." Jerry Falwell told CNN Democrats were on an "anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-religion kick."

CONSERVATIVES STILL AT IT AFTER THE ELECTION: After the election, gloating Republicans continued to attack the religious beliefs of many Americans. Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh charged Democrats "don't like God." Evangelical leader Bob Jones charged the reelection of George Bush was a "reprieve from the agenda of paganism," stating, "You owe liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ." And conservative television host Joe Scarborough accused Democrats of "taking solace" in "bigoted anti-Christian screeds."

I also consider it immoral and following in Stalin's footsteps that the biggest intelligence priority of this administration is a political purge of the CIA. Bush and Cheney are backing a purge of intelligence analysts and administrators who are not Republican enough.

And still talking about morality, I can't forget Tom DeLay whose aide now can't pay the teachers at his private school because of his involvement in illegal and corrupt practices such as extortion of money from Indian tribes and diverting money from supposed charities to political campaigns.

Bill Moyers writes about morality, religion, and democracy in America for Sojourners Magazine.

The class war was declared a generation ago, in a powerful polemic by a wealthy right-winger, William Simon, who was soon to be Secretary of the Treasury. By the end of the '70s, corporate America had begun a stealthy assault on the rest of our society and the principles of our democracy. Looking backward, it all seems so clear that we wonder how we could have ignored the warning signs at the time.

What has been happening to the middle and working classes is not the result of Adam Smith's invisible hand but the direct consequence of corporate activism, intellectual collusion, the rise of a religious orthodoxy that has made an idol of wealth and power, and a host of political decisions favoring the powerful monied interests who were determined to get back the privileges they had lost with the Depression and the New Deal. They set out to trash the social contract; to cut workforces and their wages; to scour the globe in search of cheap labor; and to shred the social safety net that was supposed to protect people from hardships beyond their control. Business Week put it bluntly: "Some people will obviously have to do with less….It will be a bitter pill for many Americans to swallow the idea of doing with less so that big business can have more."

Locally, the GOP members of the Pasadena City Council deprived elected council members of the right to speak to prevent criticism of their actions. I know that this action is being investigated as a possible violation of Robert's Rules of Order that may invalidate the vote to deprive some low-income citizens of their homes. As the headline in the Pasadena Citizen says "it is a sad day for Pasadena."

MORAL HYPOCRISY AND SELF-LOATHING Soon several of the top GOP officials will be gay.

Internationally, Juan Cole has the best roundup of the chaos in Iraq. Iraq continues to head down the wrong track -- away from peace, away from morality, and toward Civil War.

Hope for the future - a new candidate to replace a local GOP state Representative has tossed her hat in the ring early. Way to go Janette.