Democrats elevate faith 鈥� and forgiveness 鈥� on campaign trail
Democrats like South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg are talking openly about their religious beliefs, often emphasizing inclusiveness over rebukes.
Democrats like South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg are talking openly about their religious beliefs, often emphasizing inclusiveness over rebukes.
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Our top story today looks at how some of the Democratic presidential candidates are trying to听reclaim religion听from the far right, by openly discussing their faith on the campaign trail.
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Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has been at the forefront of this trend. At a forum last month, the openly gay mayor took on the religious right鈥檚 opposition to gay marriage, saying he wishes the 鈥淢ike Pences of the world鈥� would understand 鈥渢hat if you鈥檝e got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me 鈥� your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.鈥�
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Yet some of Mr. Buttigieg鈥檚 most powerful rhetoric may be found in simple expressions of grace and non-condemnation.
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In a recent Time Magazine profile, he says this about former colleagues in the military who 鈥減robably still鈥� tell gay jokes: 鈥淏ad habits and bad instincts is not the same as people being bad people.鈥澨鼿aving seen 鈥渙nce disapproving parents dance at their gay son鈥檚 wedding,鈥� Time鈥檚 Charlotte Alter听writes, 鈥渉e believes in the power of redemption and forgiveness.鈥澨�
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In this, Mr. Buttigieg is somewhat reminiscent of another Democratic politician 鈥� former President Barack Obama. During the 2008 primary campaign, when then-Sen. Joe Biden called him 鈥渢he first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean,鈥� then-Senator Obama gently shrugged it off. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 take it personally and I don't think he intended to offend,鈥� he said.
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Later, when he put Mr. Biden on the ticket with him, it sent an unmistakable message to 鈥渨hite voters who might at some point have spoken or thought the sort of casual racism that had come out of Joe Biden鈥檚 mouth,鈥� BuzzFeed鈥檚 Ben Smith听writes. Mr. Obama was telegraphing that, as the nation鈥檚 first African American president, he would be 鈥渢he kind who didn鈥檛 mind the occasional screw-up, who knew you meant well.鈥�
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Modern politics, particularly as it plays out on social media and cable news, often seems to be all about finger-pointing. But the best politicians understand that it鈥檚 easier to build a winning coalition with a spirit of forgiveness than with harsh rebukes.
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Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at听csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.