Thom Hartmann: Can the RNC & DNC just leave God alone?

[thomhartmann]

Bill Clinton's speech at the DNC on Wednesday night did more than just make the case for why President Obama should get a second term and why Republicans are bad for our nation. The speech also overshadowed a very embarassing moment for Democrats earlier in the day - when they compromised not only their party's prinicples - but also the principles on which this nation was founded. You see - on Tuesday - the offical Democratic Party Platform for 2012 was adopted by delegates. And the vast right-wing echo chamber was quick to pounce on a slight change in the party's official platform from 2008. The word "God" had been removed from the platform. Now of course - to Republicans - who've made a deal with the religious far right in America - this ommission was tantamount to a mortal sin.

But to Democrats - the ommission made sense. After all, Democrats are the Party of all faiths - and of both believers and non-believers. The Democratic Party was founded by Thomas Jefferson, who knew our nation was founded with a strict separation between Church and State - meaning government doesn't get involved in religion - and those politicians in our government don't get involved in religion when they're crafting their parties' official platforms. Besides, when you insert God into a political platform - a lot of questions get raised - mainly - which God are you referring to? Is it the Christian God? The Jewish God? Is it Allah? Is it the Nordic God Thor? Is it the Flying Spaghetti Monser?

There's a reason why our founders fought so hard to get religion out of the government - and vica-versa. Republicans have forgotten this principle - and unfortunately, so too have Democrats. Because right after the platform was approved on Tuesday - President Obama pushed for it to be changed - and that the word "God" be inserted back into the platform. This was strictly political - the President's team didn't want their convention overshadowed by Republican critcisms that Democrats are god-less. So on Wednesday - this happened - as Democrats went about amending their platform to include God.

So in trying to defend against a cynical partisan political attack - Democrats handed Republicans a perfect sound byte of convention goers boo'ing God - which will likely be made into a campaign commercial and played endlessly until November. Mission not accomplished. But moving beyond politics - Democrats blew an opportunity to take a stand for one of our nation's founding principles by omitting "God" from their platform. From the get-go - our Founding Fathers made sure there was a separation between Church and State - referring to the issue twice in the Constitution: once in the First Amendment - and another in Article 6, which states that no religious test should ever be required for any office under the United States.

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison worked tirelessly to undo the Church's influence in government. In 1779 - Jefferson authored the "Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom" - which ensured that the state would have no established religion whatsoever. He was so proud of his work - that he made sure to include on his tombstone that he was the author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom over the fact that he was the third President of the United States. James Madison - the father of our Constitution - which, by the way, does not contain the word "God" - wrote extensively on the issue of separating church and state. As he said in an 1822 letter: "An alliance or coalition between Government and religion cannot be too carefully guarded against...Every new and successful example therefore of a PERFECT SEPARATION between ecclesiastical and civil matters is of importance...religion and government will exist in greater purity, without (rather) than with the aid of government."

And Madison's very first veto as President was against legislation that gave federal funds to an Episcopal Church to assist the poor. In his veto statement - Madison wrote: "Because the Bill vests in the said incorporated Church, an authority to provide for the support of the poor, and the education of poor children of the same, an authority, which being altogether superfluous if the provision is to be the result of pious charity, would be a precident for giving to religious Societies as such, a legal agency in carrying into effect a public and civil duty." In other words - support for the poor is a "public and civil duty" - a job for government - which should not be doing it through churches.Our Founding Fathers were very clear on the issue - despite the recent historical re-writes by those on the Right who argue that America was foudned as a Christian nation. It wasn't. Which brings us back to what happened on Wednesday at the DNC.

As I said - Democrats had an opportunity to stand up for one of our nation's founding principles - and keep the word "God" out of their party platform. But they squandered that opportunity - and caved to the never-ending political pressure coming from the religious far right. And so today - Jefferson and Madison are rolling in their graves. We must have a political party in America willing to stand up for our nation's secular founding - and Democrats have historically shown a willingness to be that political Party. They need to be that Party again today - especially at a time when religious discrimination against Muslims, Seiks, and atheists is reaching a tipping point - and tearing our nation apart.

So Democrats - find a backbone - respect the intentions of our Founding Fathers - and work to rebuild that wall that stands between our democratic government and the institutions of religion across America. It's not only the right thing to do, it's the American thing to do!

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV & FSTV "live" 9pm and 11pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[indepat]

1. Amazing how God seems to have gotten along just fine for some 13.7 billions years

without incessant praise from humans on a tiny planet.

[freedom fighter jh]

2. Thom is concerned that the Democrats' reaction will come across as booing God.

But it is also of concern that they had a real reason to boo. Did you hear the voice vote? How could Villaraigosa, who took the vote, hear that 2/3 of those present were in favor? The yeas and nos sounded about equal to me.

The way the platform was changed was undemocratic. The vote on the platform change was only a pretense.

[azureblue]

3. What is really amazing

is how pointedly the GOP ignores what Jesus tells his followers to do. Look at all of their ranting, and you will not find a single mention of that, much less the name of Jesus, anywhere. Compare that to the Democratic platform -- it's practically a line by line response to Jesus' teachings to take care of the sick, the elderly, the poor and misfortunate, to let God judge, not you. That the rich cannot enter heaven. That those who pray in public are posers. Want to short circuit a GOPer when they rant about hating gays or abortion, etc.? Just ask them, "well, what did Jesus tell you to do?"