I recently read a most interesting article by Franklin Foer in the 12/29/03 issue of The New Republic, entitled Beyond Belief. It deals with a fascinating premise: Howard Dean's lack of public display of religious belief may make him unelectable... regardless of his stands on political issues.
Since the entire text of the article is only available to online subscribers, I will provide you with the following excerpt:
The problem is that, no matter how much he talks about these authentically centrist impulses, Dean will still have a hard time selling himself as a moderate. It's not just his opposition to the war--though that may pose more of a problem now that Saddam Hussein has been captured. No, the real reason Dean will not be able to escape a liberal caricature has little to do with policy and everything to do with a warning flag that will mark him as culturally alien to much of the country: Howard Dean is one of the most secular candidates to run for president in modern history.
My gut instincts tell me that this is a sound argument. Despite all of the information and facts available to us about the issues, and despite all of the time spent debating the issues of the day, it very often boils down to the intangibles about a candidate that make us vote for him/her.
I mention this argument to some of my friends who respond with: "Well, yes, but remember 1960. Everyone said that a Catholic was unelectable." That is a logical response; but I think it misses the point. In Kennedy's case, the debate was whether Kennedy would look to the Pope or the U.S. Constitution for advice on issues. That is a debate about how a specific set of religious beliefs could affect a president (the "my religion is better than your religion" debate). In Dean's case, however, the argument is more all-encompassing. It is a debate about whether we should elect George W. Bush, a man whose policy decisions have often been shown to rely upon his strong public commitment to religious belief; or whether we should choose Howard Dean, a man whose religious beliefs, if any, are private, and who approaches policy decisions from a secular perspective.
If this is how the election plays out (presuming that Howard Dean gets the Democratice nomination), it seems to me that Howard Dean has already lost the election. The American public seems to want its leaders to publicly profess their religious and spiritual commitment. Anyone who does not follow that rule in playing the game of politics is working with a major handicap.
I highly recommend this article to all of you who are interested in the upcoming election, regardless of your political persuasion.
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