The Washington Monthly

August 11, 2009

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL PUSH.... In recent years, when there are reports about religious leaders getting organized to launch a public policy initiative, they tend to be conservative. Pastors and ministers, for example, routinely enter the fray in opposition to gay civil rights or reproductive rights.

With that in mind, I like to see religious/political activism coming from the other direction for a change.

President Barack Obama plans to tap into a national religious network to advance his health care agenda with a telephone appearance on Aug. 19.
A coalition of interfaith religious groups backing health care reform has launched a 40-day campaign targeting 100 Members of Congress with a variety of local faith-based events and landed Obama as the headliner for a telephone call-in event next week.

The campaign also features a low-budget TV ad showing Christians advocating for reform and asking Members to do so as well. The ad says special interests are spending millions to block reform so they can keep their profits.

Sponsoring the campaign are the PICO National Network, Faith in Public Life, Faithful America, Sojourners, and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. The message is pretty straightforward -- as the Rev. Jim Wallis put it, "All of God's children [have] got to be covered now. This is not a partisan political move. You are going to hear the moral drumbeat throughout this debate."

It's a fairly comprehensive campaign, which will include President Obama participating in a nationwide call-in discussion and audio webcast with faith leaders on August 19. Throughout the month, there are also a series of pro-reform, in-district "prayer rallies," intended to reach 100 lawmakers.

As we talked about over the weekend, I tend to think this is a worthwhile effort, and at this point, the more organized support there is for reform, the better the legislation's chances are. Besides, it sets up an interesting dynamic -- right-wing mobs screaming about Hitler and "death panels" on the side, doctors, nurses, and religious leaders committed to improved health care for all on the other.

—Steve Benen 9:45 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (11)

Comments

jim wallis and all those "wild and crazy" christian liberals do look sharp as tacks in comparison to the dodsons, falwells, et al. they always have.

but the media always want clown car religion -- so sharing that good ol' gospel pie of love jest hasn't been as good as hate, fear and anger.

wonder if it will this time around? i bet no.

Posted by: neill on August 11, 2009 at 9:57 AM | PERMALINK

Yeah, well, just wait until they start asking about covering abortions.

Posted by: Matt on August 11, 2009 at 10:26 AM | PERMALINK

yer right, matt, all christian males claim ownership of the sacred vaginas of the world... part of the not-so-hidden implicit misogyny of the religion.

Posted by: neill on August 11, 2009 at 10:31 AM | PERMALINK

Neill - your comment is insulting!

Only old, white Christian males can claim ownership to the sacred vaginas of the world.

Just remember, the Reich-wing does not want the government interferring in your medical decisions, unless you are a female.

Posted by: AmusedOldVet on August 11, 2009 at 10:38 AM | PERMALINK

Fly in that Ratzinger guy. He's a nut himself, but he sure doesn't support Wild West style healthcare.

Posted by: Vokoban on August 11, 2009 at 10:41 AM | PERMALINK

"Fly in that Ratzinger guy." At least he believes in the value of the individual human being. Germans have universal health care.

Posted by: impartial on August 11, 2009 at 10:46 AM | PERMALINK

What do you want to bet the MSM largely ignores these religious leaders since they will be calm nd rational? The MSM has fully bought into "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" as a substitute for "If it bleed, it leads" because of ratings and the resulting advertising dollars. YeeHah!

Posted by: E L on August 11, 2009 at 10:48 AM | PERMALINK

interesting piece at
www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Health/Rising_Health_Costs.html

says because of our profit-based health care, Americans "pop more pills" than any nation on earth.

says that insured with little out of pay forces people into empty medical beds to help profits.

People, example, men are asked for prostate exams, which, in most cases causes more health problems.

talks about how smokers in Japan are still in better health and live longer than Americans.

comparison of our health care to other countries!

Posted by: annjell on August 11, 2009 at 10:59 AM | PERMALINK

I'd applaud this as another effort to get more people behind the push for health-care reform, except for one thing: Most of the groups Obama's working with here will most certainly want to continue the status quo discrimination against same-sex couples in limited availability of partner benefits, additional taxation on those benefits, and on and on and on.

Oh, and will they support coverage for ALL legal medical procedures?

Posted by: K in VA on August 11, 2009 at 11:44 AM | PERMALINK

Matt (@10:26) and K in VA (@11:44)

At this point, I wouldn't look too closely at this horse; not its mouth and not its legs. So, maybe, it's a tad spavined and, maybe, its teeth had seen a better day... It still could help us pull the cart a bit farther down the road.

Posted by: exlibra on August 11, 2009 at 11:59 AM | PERMALINK

"Pastors and ministers, for example, routinely enter the fray in opposition to gay civil rights"

OTOH a couple of years ago many mainline pastors (incl mine) in my town came together to announce their support for gay rights, including civil unions and marriage. They did so as individuals, not representing their various denominations (since the official denominational positions vary).

Posted by: Hannah on August 11, 2009 at 1:47 PM | PERMALINK