Obama, the Rock
From President Obama’s speech today, regarding the economy:
Now we’ve got a lot of work to do. There is a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells the story of two men. The first built his house on a pile of sand, and it was soon destroyed when the storm hit. But the second is known as the wise man, for when "…the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house…it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." It was founded upon a rock.
We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity – a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest; where we consume less at home and send more exports abroad.
(Hat tip: Erick Erickson) So just as Christ is the rock to build our house on, Obama creates an analogy with his economic policies. This is not a case of appealing to our religious beliefs or our consciences; many a President has done that. Foreign, domestic and even economic policy, may be justified by a President because of our moral values.
This, however, is different. This is drawing a parallel between the sureness of what we build on Christ with the artificial sureness of what we build on government. He’s not saying that these policies are right by appealing to religion. He’s saying that they are a rock to hold firm to. They are not.
(And what irony that he talks about moving away from borrow and spend right after setting world records in that field.)
Y’know, maybe all those folks have a Messiah complex about Barack Obama because he had one first.
Filed under: Christianity • Democrats • Doug • Economics & Taxes • Politics • Religion
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I have to say I was a bit troubled with some of what he had to say. I didn’t see it all and haven’t had time to read the whole thing but, I was in part tired of hearing the same old saw horse about health care and social security. Nothing new there. I did find his allusions to religious language…um interesting. The talk about building upon the rock and not the sand and the need for 5 pillars. The first of course is like you point out an allusion to the Christian metaphor, but that last part is an allusion to the Islamic ideology. Kind of odd to me.
I noticed that the markets didn’t particularly like what he had to say. Dow fell during and big time afterward. Of course gold and silver took a cue from it all and started to climb. I’ve been watching it with the tracking widget ExactPrice and during the speech gold turned around and went up. Guess a lot of folk are feeling the need to protect their earnings in the shiny metal stuff.
When it comes down to it, I get the impression the President is trying to be everything to everyone. Or at least trying to give that impression. So the speech was pretty but empty of true direction to get us out of this mess.
I will say that I don’t really take the minute-by-minute, or even the day-by-day, reactions of the stock market as any real political measuring stick. There’s so much that figures into it, and even if it’s an indicator, it’s an emotional one, which is no way to gauge policy.
Other than that, I agree with you.
This is drawing a parallel between the sureness of what we build on Christ with the artificial sureness of what we build on government.
I don’t see that at all in these words. It is an analogy. Obama is not Jesus nor is there any indication he thinks he’s God. It is a true statement that we need to have solid, sound fiscal policies, I’m sure we can all agree upon that. I hear Obama saying reminding us of the parable of Jesus and then saying, “Just like those who follow Jesus need to base their faith on a strong foundation, so to, we need to base our economic policies on a solid foundation.”
This is akin to saying, “In Aesop’s Fables, we hear of the hard working ant who worked and saved and prepared for harder days ahead. Likewise, we need to work hard and store up…” If he had said that, would you have thought that he was endorsing animal worship or something? It’s an analogy, naught else. What would cause you to think that it’s something other than an analogy?
Political leaders have, for years, used religious imagery. Did you object when Bush used these sorts of analogies?
And I’m not sure why you’re objecting: The Sound Policies he is referencing is the notion of borrowing and spending. This IS sound economic policy, is it not?
It really seems that many conservatives are just itching to find stuff to which to object.
This is akin to saying, “In Aesop’s Fables, we hear of the hard working ant who worked and saved and prepared for harder days ahead. Likewise, we need to work hard and store up…” If he had said that, would you have thought that he was endorsing animal worship or something?
Aesop’s Fables is not, as far as I know, a religious text. The Bible, in fact, is. The hard-working ant fable is not a call to put your faith in ants. This is just silly, and doesn’t speak to my point.
Political leaders have, for years, used religious imagery.
I agree. In fact, I actually said as much in the post.
The Sound Policies he is referencing is the notion of borrowing and spending. This IS sound economic policy, is it not?
Not according to Obama himself. Again, from the post:
Emphasis added. He is repudiating what he just finished doing. Irony meter: pegged.
It really seems that many conservatives are just itching to find stuff to which to object.
And we’re in a target-rich environment.
Emphasis added. He is repudiating what he just finished doing. Irony meter: pegged.
His quote “FROM an era… TO one where we…” is, I believe, speaking about the Bush years and our own private spending habits. That’s what I hear, in context. You think he’s criticizing himself? I don’t think so.
The point is, Obama may well be egotistical, nearly all politicians are. But there is no evidence he has a messiah complex. This is just a fiction that the Nutty Right (as opposed to more reasonable conservatives) are striving to foist to try to undermine a brand new administration before it’s even got out of the gate. The more that the Gingriches and Limbaughs and regular bloggers of the world go this route, the more they will isolate themselves and undermine the conservative cause.
We NEED true conservatives to act rationally and be a true alternative to the Dems. I’m not opposed to conservatism at all (in theory). But there is a strain of paranoia and generally fruitiness amongst a certain portion of the GOP/conservatives and they’re going to kill of the party if they keep it up.
Disagree with policies reasonably. Don’t go all “he’s a nazi! He’s a socialist! He’s the antiChrist who thinks he is the Messiah!” on us.
His quote “FROM an era… TO one where we…” is, I believe, speaking about the Bush years and our own private spending habits. That’s what I hear, in context. You think he’s criticizing himself? I don’t think so.
He himself, and the Congress of his party, borrowed, printed, and then spent the biggest budget-buster ever. He may not in fact be criticizing himself, and hence the irony meter malfunction. But his own words repudiate what he and they just finished doing.
My reference to the whole Messiah thing was a bit tongue in cheek. And yet this religious allegory, for the reasons I mentioned, is a little disturbing.
If I call him a Nazi, the anti-Christ or a socialist, call me on it. However, for the latter, I think that the policies of his I’ve pointed out that move us in that direction have been presented in a sober, reasonable fashion. No name calling, just a reality check on what he’s doing. When the government fires a CEO (i.e. Wagoner) or forces a merger (i.e. Chrysler), I think that’s a very reasonable objection to call. The conservatives are indeed trying to reign in this consolidation of economic power into Washington.
If you want to caricature and cherry-pick comments from guys like Gingrich and Limbaugh, have at it. The mainstream media will focus in like a laser beam on that. In the meantime, tea parties, tax protests and other people and events that can’t be so easily sneered at will get ignored, at your own peril. Reasonable conservatives are taking a stand. The Left isn’t listening.
To the degree that reasonable conservatives are taking a stand, they are being drowned out by the Gingriches, Palins and Limbaughs.
They are not being drowned out. They are being purposely ignored.
I’ve heard plenty about the Tea Partiers. Let’s see, who did I hear that from? Oh yes, the media.
I suspect I’ve heard more from them than their importance or numbers warrant, in fact.
According to the tea party website, they expect:
Today we’ll be protesting nationwide in almost 800 cities. Many of these protests will see thousands of Americans pour into the streets, some will see tens of thousands.
TENS of thousands? I sorta doubt it, but time will tell. Maybe I’m wrong.
And this quote, from a USA Today article is interesting:
“It’s not your hippie protesters,” she says. “It’s people who are working hard for their families and they don’t want their money taken away from them to be given to people who aren’t working hard.”
It’s so wrong on so many levels, this is the sort of ignorant and angry pseudo-conservatism that is undoing your support.
But don’t take my word for it, no sweat off my back.
I’m just saying that I’d like a reasonable and responsible conservative movement to emerge from this, shed of the crazies and the radicals, so that there is balance in our gov’t. I fear it may take a while, though, if idiots like this represent the face of conservatism.
According to our local paper:
Wendy Caswell, a 24-year-old restaurant worker who is organizing the tea party downtown at Jefferson Square, said it could attract 1,500 people. “That’s a rough estimate,” she said. “It could be 5,000, it could be less (than 1,500). But I don’t think it’s going to be less.”
This is around the corner from where I work. I’ll hike over there today and take a peek. I suspect that old Wendy will be way off.
The same ignorant and angry conservatives that give more than liberals to charitable causes. Gotcha.
I sorta doubt it, if you factor out the charitable causes that include their own churches, which are generally meeting their own needs, not actual needy people, by and large.
And I’m not sure how that’s a “gotcha” for the topic at hand? I’m saying that these folk like the “hippie” quote above and as represented by folk like Limbaugh and Gingrich are doing more harm to the conservative cause than good, because they’re helping to isolate y’all as marginal wackos.
I’m not saying AT ALL that most conservatives are wackos or mean-spirited or ungenerous. I know too many (and was one myself) to know that to not be true. I’m saying that the concentration on demonizing Obama and liberals – especially in the ludicrous way that I see in places – is only going to reduce your support.
Comments suggesting that hippies and liberals or the poor in general are dirty, lazy welfare queens who only want to steal money from the rich make those conservatives look just a bit nutty.
Seems to me.
Why are liberals all a twitter over the people having Tea Parties? What does it matter to them?
Hey, I FULLY support people getting out and getting involved. Make their voices heard.
AND I fully support a strong conservative alternative to our slightly liberal Dems. I think we need all voices heard.
What I don’t think is healthy is the sort of demonizations and false charges that fly from a certain portion of the loudest conservatives. Obama is not a fascist, a socialist, the antiChrist or Satan himself. He’s just another failed, flawed leader in a difficult job.
But please, by all means, be involved, care about our beloved nation, make your voice heard. You’ll find that many liberals will agree with you if you make a reasoned case that too much spending can be a bad thing. That’s what we’ve been saying for years, now. We’re glad you’re stepping up to agree with us at least in part.
Well, I think Hal is referring to the many liberal bloggers (Kos, TalkLeft, TPM, etc.) that are denigrating the whole idea. They’re calling it, among other things, “astroturfing” because one Senator’s PAC jumped on the bandwagon. (The irony of MoveOn and George Soros bankrolling protests for the Left is apparently lost on them.)