It’s the Principle

Why God vs. Man? Why even the question? The image of a snooty, joint puffing, gay, socialist intellectual from Brooklyn (wait, that’s from Annie Hall!) has been mocked by both sides. Thinking in general, has not been considered a virtue here for a while. Getting back… God vs. Man… what in the hell does it have to do with… and insert the issue you’re particularly keen on discussing. Abortion or gay rights? - Easy. Centralized healthcare? Not so much (effective laying of the hands would come in useful though).
- Let’s look at what everyone seems to agree upon, lack of a cohesive, powerful message on the Dems side, that we as a people, could rally behind. In a nutshell, responses include, “Bullshit!..” followed by the list of reasonable stands on important issues, reframing of the issues, “Down with the establishment!” and “Let’s form a party of the reasonable middle.” Calls to “return to our core values!” etc. All these only call attention to the symptoms. Applying rouge to a gangrenous leg is not going to address the “it doesn’t look so good” problem.

Say what you will, but faith, God, and the Bible have at least one great thing going for them: they provide structural cohesion that is centering, unifying, and self-supporting. That alone enables the Right to speak with one voice (more or less). Rallying around a principle is infinitely more effective than rallying around its implications. Focusing on implications automatically fractures the view. It’s only natural that we all have different ‘hot buttons’ and see some issues differently. The principle. If we can define, find, articulate, whatever, that principle, we at least have a chance to be united, be driven, and be passionate. It’s easier to overlook some of the differences if theres’s a common core, a shared vision, in light of which, the differences matter less. Issues?.. They matter. The ideas for their proper resolutions however, will never give us the intellectual and moral integrity necessary to take on the Divine Ordinance crew.