I was really impressed with the candidate forum put together by Rev. Rick Warren, held at his ginormous Saddleback Church last Saturday night. I wanted to think about it a little more before I wrote anything. (Like chicken and dumplings, pinto beans and my mom’s spaghetti sauce, some things are just better when they’ve had a chance to sit awhile.)
First of all, I really don’t get the sturm and drang from some of my fellow progressives, who seem to object on principle to any candidate appearing in a house of worship, especially a largely conservative evangelical Christian church. I didn’t really see this as Obama “pandering” to people who won’t vote for him (which seems kind of condescending toward evangelical Christians…), and I didn’t see this as a sort of religious test that must be passed for one to be eligible for the presidency (which is, you know, un-Constitutional and all). I saw it as I believe Warren intended – a chance for each presidential candidate to talk more about his values. People vote on their values – in some cases, against their own economic interests. You might think it’s illogical, but it’s a reality for millions of people in this country.
Obviously, I’m biased, but I think Obama did a good job explaining his thoughts on several issues. We definitely got a look at each man’s thinking style, for better or for worse. Whereas Obama talked through the nuances of each answer, McCain answered with short, one- and two-word sound bites. Me, I like leaders who think through things, rather than blurting out a bullet point that’s calibrated to work back around toward our nation’s burning need to bomb random brown people…but like I said, I knew about that particular bias going in.
On the whole, I thought Warren was fair to each candidate, asking mostly the same questions (McCain got more, because of his shorter answers). With the glaring exception of asking when “babies” can have human rights (um, Pastor Rick? “Babies” already do), Warren kept his personal views out of it. I do wish Warren had pushed McCain to elaborate on his, er, efficient answers a bit. I’m not as interested in the “what” as I am the reason for the “what.”
For example, McCain assured Warren that his administration’s policies would be “pro-life.” [SNARK ON] I am so incredibly happy to hear that! McCain is going to establish public health care, stop indiscriminately bombing random brown people, end capital punishment, double what we’re spending on food stamps/free lunches, etc., and all sorts of wonderful things! Best of all, he’s going to end the global gag rule that prevents the U.S. from funding family planning efforts in other countries. Yay! I’m so glad we finally have a REAL pro-life president! [SNARK OFF]
Seriously, I want to know what McCain means when he says he’s pro-life, and that his administration will be pro-life. Does he just want to outlaw surgical abortion (even though this does nothing to reduce the number of abortions)? Will he increase funding for comprehensive sex-ed and other programs that keep unplanned pregnancies from happening in the first place? Is he coming after my Ortho-TriCyclen? I need specifics here. A few weeks ago, McCain didn’t even know that he’d voted against requiring health insurance providers to cover birth control, and why this might be an issue for some people. If he’s going to presume to legislate on the subject, then someone sure as hell needs to make him think about it.
Another thing…Warren asked each man which Supreme Court justices he would not have appointed. Obama put Clarence Thomas out there, explaining that he didn’t feel Thomas was qualified at the time of his nomination. He went on to say that, while he admired Justice Scalia’s intellect, he disagreed with him on several interpretations of the Constitution. McCain just named the four most liberal justices, with no explanation. See, I like the idea of a president who grasps the difference between “disagrees with me” and “Wrong! EEEEEvil! Must be BANISHED FROM THE FACE OF THE EEEEEEEEERTH!!!” You know?
For me, the forum already confirmed my support for Obama, and the reasons for that support. It also confirmed that, while I still admire and like McCain, he’s pretty much the polar opposite of what I want in a president. But I agree with both of them on one thing – that kind of relatively un-contentious dialogue, designed to educate votes, is something of which we sorely need more.
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