From the very start, we were told to believe. Believe in what? Change.
If one could sum up Barack Obama’s campaign in a single word, “change” would probably come to mind. But this country is so far gone—with ongoing abuse at the gas pump, an economy that swallows our paychecks whole, a war that won’t quit, and health care . . . what health care?—the arrival of change is a long ways away. At this point, we can only believe in the possibility of change.
And so, one may argue that the word “believe” is even more important to this campaign than the change it advocates. We’ve seen the term silk-screened across t-shirts, stamped on yard signs, and just this week, we’ve seen it put into play at the DNC—and in more ways than one.
We’ve heard Dem after Dem (and a Republican to boot!) tout Obama as the one and only presidential candidate we can believe in. But we’ve also seen an unprecedented emphasis on the other kind of believing; that is, the organized religion kind. AP reports that the DNC officially kicked off its festivities with an inter-faith service this year. With a Bible here, a Torah there, along with some headscarves and church-going hats too, the Colorado Convention Center became a gathering place for folks of all faiths this Sunday.
In fact, every day of the convention will open and close with a prayer. The aim is to loosen the Republican party’s clench on this country’s religious base by muddying the notion that the Dems are anti-religion or anti-values. The separation of church and donkey has proved to be a losing tactic in the past, so this year marks the rise of the religious Left.
Given the Reverend Wright debacle, which did Obama some serious damage during the primaries, not to mention the false Muslim label (which shouldn’t be a negative, but is at this time in this country), one would think the Dems would try to sidestep the whole religion speed bump and focus on other strengths instead.
But as they say: When you can’t beat them, join them . . . and maybe, just maybe, they’ll start believing in you too. (How ’bout that for a change?)
