Obama's Error--and What It Would Really Take to Rectify It By Rabbi Michael Lerner

[Demeter]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rabbi_mi_080416_obama_s_error__and_w.htm



A continuing irony of American politics is that the candidates of the ruling elites have been able to convince many Americans that the candidates who seek to redistribute wealth to the less fortunate, provide health care for all, and provide jobs and housing for the poor are the real elitists. They've been able to get away with that not only by demeaning the "Hollywood limousine liberals" (never explaining why those wealthy who support tax increases on their own wealth to feed, house and care for the hungry are not deserving of more praise than those who horde their wealth for themselves), but also by portraying liberals as hostile to the religious concerns of the American people.

Unfortunately, on that latter point Right-wingers are often accurate. The religio-phobia Americans encounter in many sections of the liberal and progressive world often push them away and into the hands of the Right. Deeply suspicious of the slippery slope from some right wing religious beliefs to religious coercion, homophobia, sexism, and racism, people on the Left have created a cultural assumption that anyone who is into religion or spiritual life is probably a little less intellectually or psychologically developed than the secularists, perhaps seeking mystery or a father-figure God to compensate for some lack in their lives.

The message that most Americans receive from the Left is an elitist and demeaning put-down: "We need your votes, so you are welcome into our ranks, but we hope that by hanging out with us secular leftists you will eventually give up your pathological need for religious beliefs and evolve to a higher level of rationality that us secularists have been developing as the only possible way to think clearly about the nature of reality." Often unconscious, this religio-phobic message has done much to push away the majority of Americans whose religious beliefs are extremely important to them, even though on purely economic grounds they'd feel more aligned with the Left's agenda than that of the Right....

MORE AT LINK


Authors Website: http://www.tikkun.org

Authors Bio: Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun and national chair of the Tikkun Community/ Network of Spiritual Progressives. People are invited to subscribe to Tikkun magazine or join the interfaith organization the Network of Spiritual Progressives-- "both of which can be done by going to www.tikkun.org

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Not that it means anything, but I have a hard time believing anything from Michael Lerner.

At least when it's about Obama.

And it isn't really anything against him, however, he's far from being an unbias source. Of course he's going to say Obama will have issues in this regard, he's a big Clinton supporter. I wouldn't expect him to think this will blow over, just as I doubt many Obama supporters believe Clinton's Bosnia issue will go away in the future.

Interesting article, but I don't believe Obama has to rectify anything. Most Americans seem to actually understand what he meant.

[Warren DeMontague]

2. Michael Lerner always serves up the same steaming plate of crap. Every time.

Liberals are mean ol' intolerant religion-mockers, and "Secular Whackjobs" are making fun of the religious and forcing them out of the ranks of progressive movements... (eh. how, precisely, Mike?)

Really, what it invariably boils down to, according to Lerner- is that people who don't believe in God or Gods should stop their whining about separation of church and state, and shut their pie-holes so that they don't "alienate the values voter".

...

Remember, every time you question organized religion, you're ALIENATING THE VALUES VOTER.

Every time you insist that women should have the right to choose, you're ALIENATING THE VALUES VOTER.

Every time you gays make your pesky demands for equal rights, you're ALIENATING THE VALUES VOTER.

Every time you say, um, you folks can believe whatever you want but the Earth is NOT 6,000 years old, Dinosaurs were NOT on "Noah's Ark", 'Intelligent Design' is NOT science, and you need to keep that crappo away from my kid's public school SCIENCE class, you're... wait for it!... ALIENATING THE VALUES VOTER.

Every time you question whether big-hair televangelists really ought to be the ones deciding which forms of birth control should be legal or what sort of options terminally ill people should have.. you're ALIENATING THE VALUES VOTER.

Put a darwin fish on your car, ya god-hatin' librul weenie? Yep. ALIENATING THE VALUES VOTER.

Every time you masturbate, not only does God kill a kitten, but you ALIENATE THE VALUES VOTER, too.

[jobycom]

3. I don't like it

He's lumping all liberals together, as right wing pundits do, and implying that the Republican label of elite is earned, and that Obama somewhat proves it. At least, that's what he's doing in the snippet above--I couldn't find the article at the link, and am running out of steam tonight to keep looking. :)

Obama acted elitist not by acting like other Democrats, but by acting like other elites. In his comments, the issues small town folk care about are just psychological reactions to a bad economy. His words were dehumanizing and belittling, and not at all related to liberal ideology. But the elitism was only in Obama's comments (and I'd like to believe not in him, or at least that he learned from his gaffe if this was a personal shortcoming--he certainly seemed to mean no evil when he made his comments).

Anyone of any ideology sounds "elitist" or "arrogant" when telling someone of a different ideology that they are wrong. Republicans sound elitist telling us that, as we sound it telling them that--at least to the people we or they are criticizing.

But that's not the same as saying our ideology is elitist. Our ideology is empowering. Our ideology recognizes all as equals, deserving equal representation and opportunity. Our ideology says that all believers have the right to their beliefs, free from government pressures, and the only time we criticize religion (or should) is when someone is trying to force it on us. And then, we only criticize the efforts, not the belief itself.

We don't all achieve this in daily conversation. It's easy for an atheist like myself to offhandedly label religion in bad terms. To condemn another's religion is elitist. But that elitism is a human failing, not a failure of our ideals. Intellectually, ideally, we (most of us) acknowledge that all are entitled to their beliefs, and none are more or less deserving than any other. Our ideals only protest when religion is forced on others, or a person is persecuted for their beliefs.

Republican ideology is the opposite. Only one brand of religion is acceptable, and government should force it on others for the good of all.

So while liberals, like any idealists sure of their own ideals, can be individually elitist when believing we are right and they are wrong, our ideology is egalitarian, not just in religion, but in economics, social issues, foreign affairs (usually), and every other endeavor. Egalitarianism, equality, is the cornerstone of all of our beliefs.

That's not elitist, even when we or our candidates sometimes are.