The Importance of Stuff

The latest news on the God beat for the Kerry campaign is that they have sidelined its new religion adviser Mara Vanderslice and are closing journalists' access to her. The outcry seems to have had some effect, yet the consequences aren't much better. Now that the Rev. Robert Drinan is advising the campaign to "keep cool" on the subject of Communion and to clamp down on the use of any religious rhetoric. Rev. Drinan says he is part of a "kitchen cabinet" advising the Senator on religious matters. With those kind of adviser's shouldn't it be "Hell's kitchen cabinet?" Drinan, a Jesuit, is the only Catholic priest to be elected to Congress and was responsible for advising Catholic politicians with the "personally opposed, but.." excuse. Now I really can't blame the Kerry campaign for having to rely on a socialist activists/Act Up Communion protester and now the dissident Rev. Drinan. The pool of religious advisor's that have no problem with abortion/same-sex marriage/embryonic stem-cell research/etc is not exactly filled with faithful Christians.

I can understand the advise of Rev. Drinan to Kerry to not talk about the Communion controversy. I wonder if he was also advising the Bishops during their retreat this week since they seem to have come to the same conclusion. Kerry has nothing to worry about from the Bishops as a whole. Unfortunately as a group they are a den of Teddy Bears unwilling to come to a more forceful consensus that is more in-line with theology and canon law.

I found this paragraph to be informative.

The campaign source also said former Clinton aides Paul Begala, John Podesta and Mike McCurry have tutored campaign operatives on more aggressively using religion to appeal to voters.

"Why the campaign is not listening to any of them, I don't know," the source said. "Conservatives are about 20 years ahead of us on this stuff."

Stuff? We must appeal to the believers of stuff. This attitude in the Democratic Party I think explains it all. What I find most annoying is not the fact of these poor choices for religious advisers, but the fact that they need religious advisers. This is just an attempt to pander to religious believers. There is no solidarity with religious beliefs and concerns but just an attempt to gain a vote. Mr. Kerry when it comes to his faith does not have a vision but is willing to settle for a revision or anything that helps him to come out on top.