December 21, 2003
Can a Secular Democrat Become President?
Just as my trial subscription has run out again, TNR has stepped up its attacks on Howard Dean, casting away any pretension of objectivity by publishing an anti-Dean blog written by the estimable Jonathan Chait. Morever, I learn via Matthew Yglesias that Franklin Foer has published an article suggesting that Dean's secular views could very well be his greatest weakness.
Unlike Chait's "Dean-o-phobe" ramblings, Foer is pretty damn convincing. His point supports my worst fear about Dean--that in a 1-1 matchup against Bush, a majority will like Bush better personally and seek excuses to rationalize this preference in the voting booth. Religion provides a convienient and easy way to do this. It is not that most Americans believe a president has to be religious in order to be competent. Rather, people want a president that represents their worldview.
However, Clark is not a particuarly religious man himself(Clark is Catholic but goes to an Episcopalian Church, last I heard), although, like Clinton, he is temperamentally better positioned to act as if he were religious. Foer is careful to notice this and puts in a (moderately convincing) plug towards the end of his article.
Indeed, a case can be made that the Democrats' recent presidential success with Southern candidates is only secondarily connected to their geographic roots. Candidates who grow up in the South come from a world steeped in Jesus. Even if they don't buy the theology themselves, they intuitively understand the role that faith plays in people's lives; they have absorbed enough of the lingo to plausibly pass for religious or at least avoid offending the faithful.
Dean, on the other hand, utterly lacks this gift.
What do you'all think? I am interested not only in the opinions of those of you who are religious, but also in those of you who have religious families.
As a non-religious person, I don't care that Dean isn't either. In fact, after finding out that Bush thinks he gets orders from God, it's reassuring. However, the Republicans could make a big issue of it, if they wished to, which would sink Dean. I don't think any candidate that doesn't at least pay lip service to Jebus can win if the public is made aware of that fact.