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Democratic Icon: Liberty Is Rooted in Religious Principles
Townhall.com ^ | February 12, 2020 | Terry Jeffrey

Posted on 02/12/2020 5:14:57 AM PST by Kaslin

Only a month before, the top local newspaper had been promoting the fact that one of the 10 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in an urban northeastern congressional district was also "one of the few women vet candidates for political office in the country."

Even so, she lost the primary.

Now, on the Fourth of July, the man who had defeated her was the principal speaker at the city's historic town hall.

He was preceded by the mayor and introduced by his grandfather.

He did not deliver the typical Democratic message.

"Throughout the years, down to the present, a devotion to fundamental religious principles has characterized American thought and action," he said.

He wanted the crowd to know that he believed in God-given rights and the autonomy of the individual -- not collectivism and the dominance of the state.

"Our government was founded on the essential religious idea of integrity of the individual," he said. "It was this religious sense which inspired the authors of the Declaration of Independence."

In our greatest leaders and our greatest historical moments, this Democrat argued, it was the "essential religious idea" of our founding that triumphed.

"Our earliest legislation was inspired by this deep religious sense," he said.

"Our first leader, Washington, was inspired by this deep religious sense," he added.

"Lincoln was inspired by this deep religious sense," he continued.

"Thus," he said, "we see that this nation has ever been inspired by essential religious ideas."

But now, he argued, the very principles on which our nation had been founded were being attacked not only by foreign adversaries but also by forces within America.

"Today," he said, "these basic religious ideas are challenged by atheism and materialism: at home in the cynical philosophy of many of our intellectuals, abroad in the doctrine of collectivism, which sets up the twin pillars of atheism and materialism as the official philosophical establishment of the State."

This northeastern urban Democrat believed that American idealism was rooted in our combined traditions of property ownership and religious devotion -- both of which could be traced back to the first colonists who settled on this continent. He argued that secular materialists -- seeking to control America's future -- denied the greatness of our past.

"In recent years, the existence of this element in the American character has been challenged by those who seek to give an economic interpretation to American history," he said.

"They seek to destroy our faith in our past so that they may guide our future," he said. "These cynics are wrong, for, while there may be some truth in their interpretation, it does remain a fact, and a most important one, that the motivating force of the American people has been their belief that they have always stood at the barricades by the side of God."

"The right of the individual against the State has ever been one of our most cherished political principles," he said.

"The American Constitution has set down for all men to see the essentially Christian and American principle that there are certain rights held by every man which no government and no majority, however powerful, can deny," he said.

He was not certain which side would win: Would it be the secularists and statists or the religious individualists?

But he was certain that battles were coming.

"We cannot assume that the struggle is ended," he said. "It is never-ending. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. It was the price yesterday. It is the price today, and it will ever be the price."

"The characteristics of the American people have ever been a deep sense of religion, a deep sense of idealism, a deep sense of patriotism and a deep sense of individualism," he said.

"Let us not blink (at) the fact that the days which lie ahead of us are bitter ones," he warned.

"May God grant," he said, "that, at some distant date, on this day, and on this platform, the orator may be able to say that these are still the great qualities of the American character and that they have prevailed."

But did this northeastern urban Democrat prevail? Did his party support him and his vision? Was he ever elected to anything?

Four months later -- in November 1946 -- he was elected to the United States Congress. Fourteen years after that, he was elected president of the United States.

His name was John F. Kennedy.

Would Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg stand by him today?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christianheritage; jfk; ushistory

1 posted on 02/12/2020 5:14:57 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Democrats would not nominate JFK today. They’re way to the left of much of the country.


2 posted on 02/12/2020 5:17:01 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop
"Ask not what your country can do for you..."

Yeah, JFK would be banned from the DEM party with that stance today.

3 posted on 02/12/2020 5:20:42 AM PST by CatOwner
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To: Kaslin

He would have seen the Rats boo God and turn Republican.


4 posted on 02/12/2020 5:27:26 AM PST by Theophilous Meatyard III
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To: goldstategop
I wonder how much of what he (JFK) said was due to the looming red menace?

Seems to me, that he’s another dem that said whatever it takes to elected; “is this where I get a huntin license?”

5 posted on 02/12/2020 5:35:38 AM PST by NativeSon ( What Would Virginia Do? #WWVD)
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To: Kaslin
That's a nice speech, but I doubt that he really believed it. Just words to get the Midwest vote. I was alive and a mature adult that knew what he was doing from 1961 to 1963, almost three years. Look who he permitted to be his vice president. He's the one who got us into the Vietnam mudpit, and LBJ turned it into a sinking-sand morass.

I remember all this quite well. His mode of death did not ever turn him into a hallowed icon for me, is it did for millions of credulous other Americans.

Here's where following the Democratic version of "individual rights" takes you:

Bloomberg Says The Midwest Isn't Intelligent Enough To Understand Trans Rights (click here)

True Conservatives believe in individual rights, not the Democratic platform of radical feminism, radical egalitarianism, radical transgenerism, radical immigrationism.

6 posted on 02/12/2020 6:02:06 AM PST by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: CatOwner

Nevertheless, this ius where his line of reasoning devolves into. Nixon would have seen that, but was helpless to prevent it then. Nixon did assist in a brief return to sanity, and was reelected for it, but enough of the people didn’t like it and turned to Carter instead. Our fibal gasp was the hope in Reagan, turning from whom has pretty much been irrecoverable, even with Trump.


7 posted on 02/12/2020 6:09:51 AM PST by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: Kaslin

The Democrats are not Democrats anymore. They’re communists. They’ve been socialists since FDR. All through the years they have been slouching to the far left and presto change o, Commies are Us! I can’t see anything but three outcomes for this state of affairs. The commies will take full control. There will be a civil war to oust them permanently or Jesus Christ will return and save us all which will eventually happen anyway. In the meantime it’s gonna get ugly.


8 posted on 02/12/2020 6:17:27 AM PST by HighSierra5
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To: Kaslin

Liberty means killing babies...right?? Insane!!


9 posted on 02/12/2020 7:38:14 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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