"Don't Talk About Religion and Politics"

In my Intro to Mass Media class, the topic of politics came up frequently, mainly because our first group project focused on the presidential campaign. One day, our professor mentioned something about church-going liberals. A guy in the front of the class snorted in disbelief. "There are church-going liberals?" he scoffed. "I didn't think those existed."

I wanted to raise my hand and say, "Here's one! Take a good look!" His comment touched a nerve. More importantly, it reminded me of one of the many things in my life that seem (to others) to be contradictions - I am an art-loving, Harry Potter-reading, liberal-leaning moderate who also goes to church and tries to follow the morals taught to me by the Bible. Others - like the guy in my class - seem to think these things are irreconcilable. I don't believe that.

The reason I'm thinking about this is because I saw a piece on CNN about religion and how the two parties are trying to connect to religious voters. Which party relates better to church-goers? It really depends on your view of religion. My roommate is a dedicated liberal as well as a devout Lutheran. My aunt and uncle are also very devout Christians, though they are confirmed conservatives.

In my personal opinion, a lot of the values on the liberal side of the coin coincide with those taught by Christ. He tells us to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves - liberals have a history of pushing for inclusion. He tells us to care for the poor - liberals are known for working to set up programs that help the poor and get universal health care for those who can't afford it. We are called to be stewards of the earth - the Democratic party has a good record on environmental issues.

These are just my opinions. I know there are many ways in which the Republicans also embody Christian values. And I haven't included the ways in which the different political parties relate to other religions, mostly because I don't know enough about other religions to give an opinion. I welcome any other comments/ideas/opinions on this topic.

Clinton or Obama? The Question Continues...

As most know by now, Hillary won Pennsylvania by a considerable margin, despite being majorly outspent in that state by Obama.

What does this mean? Well, it means we get to keep doing what we've been doing for a while now - watch Clinton and Obama duke it out in an increasingly heated race for the nomination. Obama still leads in delegates, the popular vote, and states won. However, the loss in PA called into question his ability to win large states and his chances in a general election against McCain. Next up we have Indiana, which is up in the air, and North Carolina, which is (I believe) leaning towards Clinton. None of these states will be enough to give either candidate a clear lead, so the nomination will likely be up to the superdelegates.

So, my take on all of this?

I've been leaning toward Obama for a while now. He seems like a fairly straightforward man (for a politician) who really has goals he wants to accomplish to make our nation better. I also believe his experience in a global community will help him change the image of the U.S. from an arrogant loner cowboy country to a partner for global cooperation.

That said, there are plenty of good points about Clinton too. Of course, I would love to see a woman occupy our nation's highest office, and the fact that I helped get her there would be something to tell my grandchildren. In addition, I think her health care plan is the best out of all the plans the candidates have put forth. Clinton has proposed making health care mandatory for all, with government subsidies for those who cannot afford health care. I think it makes sense, and it would work within the system we already have in place.

Political pundits say this race for the nomination is hurting the Democrats, and on some level, I agree. However, there is a school of thought that says there is no such thing as bad publicity. The Democrats are now directly in the public eye, getting their issues out to the people, while McCain is only occasionally mentioned in the news. Maybe that's a good thing?

I don't know. All I know is that I watched both Clinton and Obama speak the other night after PA primary, and I am still undecided.

Some political satire with your coffee?

Its an election year, the campaigns are heating up, and serious issues are dominating the airwaves. So what better time could there be to add some levity to the proceedings?

Enter "The Capitol Steps," the finest in musical political humor.

This spoofing singing group specializes in satirizing the crazy world of American politics - as the group's motto says, "We put the MOCK in Democracy." The best part is that no one is safe from the these satirical singers. They mock all aspects of the political spectrum equally - left, right, and center.

Check out "The Capitol Steps" and their latest straight-from-the-headlines satirical songs here at their home page.

And here is one of my favorite songs that the group wrote/performed:

The Edge of the Storm

I try to be a well-informed person, but lets face it... there usually just aren't enough hours in the day. However, as the presidential campaign heats up and the stances the various candidates become front page news, I feel as though I should make a point of being aware of the issues.

I don't consider myself much of a political person. I grew up in a house with a Republican and a Democrat, and I like to think of myself as a moderate - a balanced combination of the two ideologies.

Here is the political compass test I took on Facebook:
My score was more or less what I expected, though perhaps a little more liberal that I thought it would be.

So the question seems to be this: Hillary, Obama, or McCain?

Stay tuned.