Kaine, Christianity, and "Progressive Traditionalism"
By: Lowell
Published On: 3/8/2005 2:00:00 AM
There's a very interesting post over at the centrist Democratic, DLC-sponsored blog "Bull Moose" (named after Teddy Roosevelt's Progressive Party of 1912). The piece is entitled "Progressive Traditionalists," and basically argues that the Democrats need to "find a way to forcefully and visibly be seen on the side of religious folks" if they are to have any chance of winning consistently. Specifically, "Bull Moose" warns that "should the GOP be successful in making inroads among 'progressive traditionalists'" (the pre-1968 "mainstream of the Democratic Party"), then "Democrats will only be visiting the Oval Office as tourists for the foreseeable future."
This is an important point, and I wholeheartedly agree with it. There is no doubt, for instance, that many religious people view the Democratic Party as overwhelmingly "secular," possibly even hostile to religion. Whether this is correct or not, the impression has definitely taken root since the 1960s. As a result, Democrats now have their work cut out for them in winning back people of faith to consider voting for them.
This task will be difficult, but not impossible by any means. For starters, being religious does not mean that ones' views are irretrievably locked into right wing Republicanism. No doubt, there are millions of religious folks who fall into the "conservative" camp on issues like abortion and gay marriage. However, these people have many other important interests and concerns -- jobs, crime, education, health care, the war in Iraq, terrorism -- as well. There is no reason that the Democrats should cede ground to the Republicans on any of these issues. Frankly, progressives have a strong case to make that they are better than conservatives on pretty much all of them. Now they just need to get out there and make that case.
Aside from religious conservatives, there are many millions more religious folks out there whose understanding of Jesus, Moses, or Muhammed pulls them in a "progressive" direction. For these people, the focus tends to be less on abortion and gay marriage and more on compassion for the poor and downtrodden, on caring for the environment ("God's creation"), on resolving disputes without war if possible, and on seeking social justice. Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, these progressive people of faith tend to be less organized politically than their conservative equivalents.
For that, we must grant the Republican Party a degree of credit while redoubling our own efforts as Democrats. At the same time, we must hone our appeal to conservative religious people: a) by making it clear that we respect them and their faith; b) by emphasizing (and demonstrating) that we are not a stereotypical bunch of counterculture, bra-burning, ultra-secular, unpatriotic hippies, but instead are mainly moderate, reasonable people who love our families and our country; and c) by trying to find common ground -- without, of course, compromising core principles -- on "hot button" issues like abortion, gay marriage, and church/state separation.
This is where Democratic politicians like Mark Warner, Wesley Clark and Tim Kaine come in. Kaine, for instance, is a deeply religious Roman Catholic, with personal and political views that in many ways reflect the teachings of his church. Yet Kaine, in the end, is not a social conservative, although he undoubtedly holds certain views that are normally considered conservative (i.e., his personal views on abortion). Overall, however, it is obvious that Kaine's religious beliefs and life experiences pull him strongly in a progressive direction in the areas of community, service to others, compassion for the poor and less fortunate, environmental protection, and social justice.
In other words, Kaine's Christianity, at least as it is expressed in the political realm, appears to fit far more closely with the Jim Wallises, Jimmy Carters, and Reinhold Neibuhrs of the world than with the Pat Robertsons, Jerry Falwells and Jerry Kilgores. For those of you who haven't heard of him, Jim Wallis is the author of the current bestseller, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, in which he argues that the true mission of Christianity is working for peace and righting societal wrongs. Wallis further argues that the right wing has hijacked the language of faith to push their own pro-rich, pro-war, pro-gun, pro-big-business and anti-environment political agenda.
Where in the Koran, for instance, does it speak of helping the rich and the privileged? Where in the Torah does it urge us to chop down the forests, foul the air and pave over the prairies? And where in the Gospels does it urge us to cast the first stone? Obviously, the sacred texts of Islam, Judaism and Christianity don't encourage these things -- quite the contrary, in fact. And, increasingly, leaders and laypersons in the faith community, such as those attending the the important meeting of Christian Evangelicals this week in Washington DC, are arriving at the same conclusion.
It is important to note in this context the oversimplifying mistake of conflating religious citizens -- as Bull Moose seems to do in the article cited above -- with economically liberal and socially conservative "progressive traditionalists." These people are not one and the same. Tim Kaine, for instance, is a fiscal conservative and economic centrist in the Mark Warner/Bill Clinton mold. On social issues, as we've mentioned already, Kaine's religious beliefs point him in the direction of seeking social justice, of helping the poor and downtrodden, and of respecting all life. This is in stark contrast to the harsh, punitive, even wrathful attitudes held by right-wing Republicans like Jerry Kilgore.
Significantly, Tim Kaine is a religious person who doesn't believe in forcing his religious beliefs on other people -- or in having THEM force their beliefs on HIM. Although his Catholic value system is of great importance to him, Kaine is a fairminded person, respectful of the law and of the constitution, and fully aware of what matters pertain to "Caesar" and what matters pertain to God. Although Tim Kaine is not a "traditionalist" per se, he is certainly not hostile to traditional values. Most significantly, Tim Kaine is his own man: a Democrat who is not perfectly aligned with his party on moral issues like the death penalty and abortion; a progressive in some ways, a moderate pragmatist in others, and a conservative in still others. All this is not to say that Tim Kaine is a perfect human being, but it does make him a highly attractive politician and future governor of Virginia.
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