The Rest of Monday

The Charlotte Convention Center is about the size of, say, Oneonta.  The city, not the town.  For all it's voluminous size, it's easy to get around and easy to find the room you're looking for.  I was looking for Room 203, where the Faith Council was to meet.

Back in the day, delegates to party conventions had a hand in creating the party's platform (as well as, in many cases, actually choosing which aspirant would be the party's presidential candidate).  Today, that's all done well before the convention.  Now we meet in interest groups, and listen to the folks from the national party, who have been working on the issue for a long time, speak with intelligence and passion about the importance of the issue to the party, the campaign and the country.

Well, I don't know if that's the case all the time, but it was the case at the Faith Council.  About a dozen speakers filled two hours with insight into the faith foundations of the Democratic Party.  The speakers often came back to the strange and unfortunate habit of the media, the public, and Democrats themselves to cede the faith issues to the other side.  "Since when is faith only about abortion and homosexuality?" asked one speaker.  "Why isn't the faith conversation about homelessness and injustice?"  Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver of Missouri talked about the difference between "nine months" and "cradle to grave," and suggested that there was those who would choose those first nine months and then lose interest after that.  As a Democrat who feels strongly that abortion is the wrong choice most of the time, I worry much more about our lack of commitment to children once they are born.

There were a number of really good five minute sermons at the Faith Council, and a couple of stories of personal experience of Barack Obama not only knowing and speaking intelligently about Scripture, but acting with the grace and compassion that Scripture requires of us. 

I have always believed that if Jesus' teaching were translated into political terms, he would be a progressive Democrat.  I was thrilled to hear speaker after speaker reflecting and magnifying that belief.  From immigration to healthcare to voter suppression to racism, the preachers and rabbis and political professionals made it clear that they stood where they stood because of their faith.

Or, in at least one case, because of their faith but in spite of their religion.  Congressman Cleaver drew our attention to a letter sent by the Catholic church to his Catholic constituents saying, in effect, that anyone who voted Democratic would go to hell.   Robert Johnson, a black Catholic campaign worker, reminded us that Paul Ryan, whose budget plans are the centerpiece of the Republican economic plan, is a Catholic - and that the Catholic bishops have called the Ryan budget "immoral" because of the detrimental effect is has on God's people.

Johnson also reminded us of something St. Augustine wrote:  "Charity is no substitute for justice not served."  I think I'll just leave it there.

After the Faith Council, I went over to Wild Buffalo Wings, where NY delegates will be eating for free all week.  They had a small buffet set up for us - wings, sliders, fries.  Really tasty, unhealthy food.  Then it was off to Carolina Fest, a downtown street fair (which was strangely reminiscent of a county fair) set out just for DNC delegates.  At the center of town, I watched Jeff Bridges and his band and, after a rain delay, James Taylor.  Then back to the bus, soaking wet, and the bus ride from hell.  But I'm not going to talk about that.

Tomorrow the general sessions begin.  The real work.  See you soon.