I recall a conversation I had with a pastor on why, after feeling a call to ministry at a young age, I subsequently left the church.
"Why did you leave?" she asked me.
"Because the Church had become something different than what was in my heart," I confessed, "and I didn't feel qualified to stand in its pulpit."
"That," she told me, "is exactly why we need your voice."'
In our current political times, there is a message here that applies to how we as progressives are engaging those around us from the pulpit of our personal and political beliefs. There is nothing wrong with our beliefs – they are a reflection of who we are and what is dear to us, and they tend to work for the benefit of the many over the few. Our message is fantastic.
So what is our problem? Why does it seem that the most ridiculous, radical ideas from such a small fringe of the far right of society can have so much power over our ideas of trying to make government work for the common good? Is it the corporate media? Is it the gazillions of dollars the Koch brothers are pouring into campaigns? Is it gerrymandered legislative districts? Is it a vast right wing conspiracy which is putting mind-control drugs in fast food?
No. The problem is that we are terrible evangelists. (More below)
What the fringe Right does and gets away with is sort of the "Eric Cartman" effect. They make ridiculously selfish demands on those around them, and then condemn, berate, and attack anyone who disagrees with them. They surround themselves with thinly-veiled justifications from political or religious or cultural ideology, and then claim the moral high ground for their narrow agendas. They are simultaneously demanding that you serve their individual secular interests, yet holding a crucifix in your face. It is so depraved that we are temporarily immobilized by disbelief.
"After all", we tell ourselves, trying to make sense of it, "people aren't evil - they're good. Right?"
It doesn't register, because it's not who we are, and it challenges our core belief that people are good. We stand there flabbergasted, wondering what combination of parenting, or religious manipulation, or other victimization by their environment would lead inherently good people to behave in such evil ways. We can’t believe that such evil could possibly exist in humanity, and/or we feel powerless against it.
Meanwhile, while we try to reconcile these behaviors with our world views, they walk right into our churches and political arenas and social arenas and walk away with everything that's near and dear to us. They claim the moral high ground, and the political message, and the attention of those thirsting for answers to problems in their life. These self-serving, destructive forces have gotten so used to elbowing their way to the front of the room and claiming the message for themselves that they now truly believe that they are right and entitled to those positions at the pulpits of our society. They are acting, while we are trying to react, and feel that since they spoke first and loudest then they get to be right.
But they are not right. We know they are not right. We speak to our friends and loved ones in exasperated tones saying – “how the hell do they get away with that?!?”
And yet, how often do we sit in conclaves far from the pulpits of politics? How empty do we leave the editorial pages, and local election campaigns, and other outlets of democracy? Do we imagine ourselves and our ideas as victims even as our adversaries march down the middle of public discourse looting our government and our precious values? Or do we stand up and say – “No. I think you’re wrong and I’m going to do everything in my power to stop you and your ideas”
Yes. We need to be better evangelists. We need to act boldly to confront the immorality in our midst. Too often, we give up our power to these bullies, these monsters, these demons, these depraved and evil forces, because part of us can’t believe that people can really be so evil and depraved.
What we need to continue to show is bold conviction and unblinking faith that what we stand for is something the world desperately needs to become a better place. We need to speak the truths we know without equivalency, regardless of what others do or say. We are right about governance, and about what governments should do for the people they represent. It's not the stupidity of the masses or the depravity of the self chosen few that should rule U.S. politics. It is the passionate and moral voice of an informed electorate thirsting to be heard.
I haven’t mentioned a single policy issue in this diary, and that is by design. I don’t know many people that would oppose a pluralistic approach to governance where a balanced political system provided the greatest good to the greatest number. As long as we felt government was responding to core values that are important to us, we would not care if someone with different values got something they wanted too.
However, what is evil is that we currently live in a county where the needs of the very, very few have co-opted our government at the expense of the overall public interest. It is no coincidence that virtually everyone has lost faith in government to respond to their personal values. This is wrong, and we all know it.
It is our job to speak up, reclaim the moral high ground, and restore function to our government. If we do this with enough evangelistic, self-possessed conviction, the people will follow.
UPDATE:
A well-put comment asked for practical examples of how to put this in practice, so I am providing some good ways for people to take action.
1. Join/start a Democracy for America group.
DFA is committed to uniting people behind the shared values of community, security and liberty and fighting to realize a fairer, more progressive America.
2. If you don't join groups,
buy a copy of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals and learn how to know:
The difference between being a realistic radical and being a rhetorical one
The bible, ironically, for many of the current conservative movements (i.e. Glen Beck), not surprisingly, is a co-opted from the liberals. Kind of to my point.
Others, please feel free to add in the comments.