Above God

Probably more than anything, the Democratic Party’s insistence that the President of the United States, or any member of government (especially a Republican one), is not God infuriates the GOP like no other. But it’s the Democratic hopeful’s answer to Religious Right voter Rick Warren’s question about abortion that makes me proud to be a Democratic voter.

“Now, let’s deal with abortion,” the Rev. Rick Warren said. “Forty million abortions since Roe v. Wade. You know, as a pastor, I have to deal with this all of the time. All of the pain and all of the conflicts. I know this is a very complex issue. Forty million abortions. At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?”

“Well, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade. But let me just speak more generally about the issue of abortion because this is something obviously the country wrestles with. One thing that I’m absolutely convinced of is there is a moral and ethical content to this issue….”

I think many on the right see Obama’s answer as a dodge to the question. But I don’t. I see it as the way I would want the person I’m going to vote for to respond. The question presented to Obama is when does life begin. And his answer is that’s a decision left to someone greater than me. But the GOP doesn’t see the president as someone who is beneath God. They see HIM as being someone who sits at the Right Hand of God. But even that has its limits. I seriously doubt any Christian Right Republican would consider a Democratic president on equal anointed footing as Reagan or Bush.