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Jesus would vote Democratic
Left Wing Seattle Times ^ | Thursday, August 18, 2005 | LINDA VALDEZ

Posted on 08/18/2005 7:34:07 AM PDT by against_kerry

The Democrats turn their lonely eyes to Hillary: Give us a message. Lead us home.

Even for the Wonder Woman of the Party of JFK, this is no easy task. How to decry the excesses of the Bush administration and the GOP Congress without validating the label "The Party of No"?

How to lure enough GOP votes to win elections at a time when Democrat means liberal and liberal is a term of derision?

A Web site set up by a minister and his daughter (www.liveliberal.com) has an answer you can wear on a T-shirt: "Liberal is not a dirty word."

Retired Lutheran minister Daniel Bruch of Live Liberal gets right to the point: "I don't know if Jesus was the first liberal, but he was an important one."

Jesus taught love, tolerance, forgiveness, charity and humility. Don't take my word for it. Read the New Testament. It's not that long. And it's not about fire-and-brimstone fundamentalism, judging one another or dominating the Earth. It outlines a philosophy based on a really radical idea: Love your creator, love yourself, love your neighbor as yourself.

When it comes to following this lesson, the current administration "is walking 180 degrees opposite of the person they call their savior," Bruch said in a phone interview.

On their Web site, Bruch and daughter Sarah offer quotes and essays on liberalism that Hillary Rodham Clinton should work into her speeches. For example, "liberals support changes that increase personal freedom and tolerance, and exercise the liberty to empower government to the extent necessary to achieve those ends."

Instead of trying to make their best candidate, Clinton, into a vanilla-flavored, inoffensive centrist, Democrats ought to boldly point out that liberals provided the impetus to move society toward acceptance of civil rights, women's rights, children's rights, consumers' rights, etc.

Liberals also deserve "family values" mantle because the 40-hour workweek, laws against child labor and other protections for workingmen and women were liberal ideas of old. High-quality childcare is a liberal idea for today's working families.

They should be "for" better wages.

They should be "for" national health care.

They should be "for" being liberals. They should point out that Jesus was a liberal, too.

Somehow, Democrats let others define them as elitist snobs. That label, not the liberal label, is the one Democrats have to shake.

Can Hillary help them do it?

She has the charisma and the intelligence -- and she has infinite patience, or Bill would be toast. She needs the guts to take a proud left turn and loudly proclaim that the United States is not a "Christian nation" in any pinched or exclusionary way. It's a nation that honors the individual rights of pagans, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and others, as well as Christians.

It is also nation that acts for the common good in ways that were meticulously outlined by a radical liberal named Jesus. Linda Valdez is an editorial writer at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached at linda.valdez@arizonarepublic.com


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christianvote
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To: against_kerry
Wonder what "Jesus" would think about abortion..
The sacro-sanct democrat party plank..

Would take a buttload of propaganda to clean abortion up..

41 posted on 08/18/2005 7:57:14 AM PDT by hosepipe (This Propaganda has been edited to include not a small amount of Hyperbole..)
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To: cripplecreek
Personally I think Jesus would be an independent

I think he was a Libertarian. He never forced anyone into proper behavior.

42 posted on 08/18/2005 7:58:06 AM PDT by A Ruckus of Dogs
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To: BureaucratusMaximus

a nuclear barf alert.....nice...


43 posted on 08/18/2005 7:58:33 AM PDT by PigRigger (Send donations to http://www.AdoptAPlatoon.org)
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To: cripplecreek

Well Jesus told Peter to fish out of the "RIGHT" side of the boat and Peter was not fishing for fish.


44 posted on 08/18/2005 7:59:21 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: against_kerry

Jesus would vote Democrat???

Jesus was a capitalist...parable of the three sons, the productive one was the honored one.

Since when are compassion, charity, tolerance, etc. symptoms of Democrats.

Abortion?

This pastor must be smoking some really good stuff.


45 posted on 08/18/2005 7:59:33 AM PDT by WillMalven (It don't matter where you are when "the bomb" goes off, as long as you can say "What was that?")
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To: A Ruckus of Dogs

I am sure Jesus would vote for the party that supports his mother on a painting splattered with dung and himself in a bottle of piss. Right.


46 posted on 08/18/2005 8:00:05 AM PDT by chris1 ("Make the other guy die for his country" - George S. Patton, Jr.)
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To: against_kerry
that person only read the parts of the New Testament that they wanted...

There is a lot in there about 'bringing a sword...' & the big one: 'Judgement Day' that the dem/stealth-commies like to leave out!

47 posted on 08/18/2005 8:00:48 AM PDT by NoClones
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To: against_kerry
Although her premise is wrong, I wish that Hillary would folllow her advice and stand up and be proud to be a liberal.

Imagine, Hillary, Boxer, Pelosi, Kennedy, Daschle, Dean, Kerry all standing arm and arm at the podium of the DNC, proudly proclaiming:

"We are Liberals and we want take back the country"

Yes, I can see it now.......................

R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N L-A-N-D-S-L-I-D-E

48 posted on 08/18/2005 8:01:59 AM PDT by Michael.SF. ('That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy Sheehan")
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To: against_kerry
Jesus wouldn't vote at all.
49 posted on 08/18/2005 8:02:00 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: DouglasKC
Jesus wouldn't vote at all

I suspect he is a monarchist.

50 posted on 08/18/2005 8:04:10 AM PDT by Bear_Slayer (Montani semper liberi !)
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To: KarlInOhio
A liberal is a socialist who isn't quite willing to get blood on his hands yet.

Great line.
51 posted on 08/18/2005 8:05:40 AM PDT by Cyclopean Squid (Performing at a level just a hair above incompetence.)
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To: against_kerry

AS THE ELECTION NEARS THE LIBERALS ARE RESORTING TO
(*GASP*)SPIRITUALITY??

Wonders never cease! Its the Lord's first step in converting them into Conservatives!




Prayer for Liberals

Oh Lord, our God, please give us the courage to unceasingly pester
the government into getting our troops out of Iraq soon
whether they like being there or not
and not sit by and criticize it without doing anything.
Give us the courage to call upon our cable companies
and demand that they take Fox News off our television.
Give us the impetus to travel from all corners of the land
and march on Washington by the millions before inauguration day.
Give us the strength to say no to buying goods that we don't really need.
Especially me, dear Lord, I beseach you.
Help us to truly live in peace and fight all the injustices in the world
with perseverence and little regard for our creature comforts.
May we always practice what we preach.

If you're out there, please help.
Amen

P.S. Help us all drive Priuses and raise the price of gasoline!Condemn the drivers of full sized pick-ups and SUV's.

http://blondesense.blogspot.com/2004/11/thanksgiving-prayers.html


52 posted on 08/18/2005 8:07:51 AM PDT by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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To: against_kerry; DaveLoneRanger
DaveLoneRanger debunks this trash here: Refutation of "That Nazareth fellow would be Dem today" editorial
53 posted on 08/18/2005 8:23:38 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: against_kerry

"Jesus taught love, tolerance, forgiveness, charity and humility."


Yes HE did! But .. he also saw corruption and greed and evil and he didn't run from it or excuse it .. instead, HE strode into the temple and THREW OUT THE MONEY CHANGERS, TURNING OVER TABLES AND CHAIRS.

READ THAT PART and then tell me Jesus would ever support anything democrats do.


54 posted on 08/18/2005 8:32:02 AM PDT by CyberAnt (America has the greatest military on the face of the earth.)
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To: against_kerry

Jesus would chase the demons out of retired Lutheran minister Daniel Bruch . . .


55 posted on 08/18/2005 8:36:39 AM PDT by trebb ("I am the way... no one comes to the Father, but by me..." - Jesus in John 14:6 (RSV))
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Comment #56 Removed by Moderator

To: Bear_Slayer

Not unless God is King.

God tried to pursuade Israel NOT to demand a King, but they didn't listen.


57 posted on 08/18/2005 9:04:21 AM PDT by Politicalmom (Just one more reason to hate the government....)
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To: CyberAnt
And I'm supposed to believe that the same people throwing him out of public places and government institutions are his preferred party.
58 posted on 08/18/2005 9:07:12 AM PDT by gbaker
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To: Bear_Slayer
I suspect he is a monarchist

Exactly. The King does not vote, he appoints.

59 posted on 08/18/2005 9:11:57 AM PDT by normy (Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.)
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To: gbaker

Exactly!


60 posted on 08/18/2005 9:33:03 AM PDT by CyberAnt (America has the greatest military on the face of the earth.)
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