"Fighting for the Soul of America"

[wivabef]

I know there is a Howard Dean thread, but I was reading a Boston Globe editorial (further proof that I am leaning more left than I ever have in my life ) that had Dean say this:

When Dean was campaigning for the Democratic chairmanship, he proclaimed, ''I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for." He has also defined the political landscape as ''a struggle between good and evil."

Last month on NBC's ''Meet the Press" he tried to back down a bit by again explaining that he was referring only to GOP national policy. But then he told host Tim Russert: ''This is a fight for the soul of America between the Republicans and Democrats." (emphasis mine)

My intention in this post is not to again yack on and on about Howard Dean or George Bush or anything but to point out that last phrase and respond:

"My soul is just fine without you, thank you very much"

I don't think the job of either party is to "Save America". In fact, I'd like politicians to stop considering "the soul of America" in their legislative duties. You can't legislate "soul".

The job of politicans representing we the people is quite clear:

Establish justice.
Ensure domestic tranquility.
Provide for the common defense.
Promote the general welfare.
Secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity.

And though they are each perhaps an element of our nation's "soul" they are not ambiguous.

Great documents of government do not discuss a nation's soul.

With this editorial and with Jeff's piece on the religious divide, I see we are a nation who has forgotten that we ran from government ages ago to get away from preconceived notions of how our "souls" are supposed to behave.

Mr. Dean. Mr. Frist. Mr. Bush...leave my soul the hell alone, thank you.

[theworm[$]]

Elyzabeth, I agree with what you've said. I don't want the government tinkering with my soul. That's something for me to work on as I see appropriate - with G-d, with humanity - whatever.
I also agree that our forefathers ran to this country for religious freedom, and that we need to maintain a divide between politics and religion. I'm not really thrilled with Dean's comment, however.....

I do think that the concept of the "soul" of a nation is valid and not necessarily religous. I'm tired so I'll probably have an even harder time expressing myself on this than usual. Maybe soul is the wrong word - maybe its more of a national identity. Who or what are we as a nation. What, as a community, do we stand for and represent? One thing should be religious freedom and each of our right to practice (or not practice) whatever religion we choose. How do we as a nation want to be perceived by the rest of the world? I think years ago other nations admired the USA and what we stood for (well, not all nations, but many), and now there is a lot of distrust and outright hostility towards us as a nation, and that our actions as a nation have caused this change.
While I totally agree with what you said, I think that this, perhaps, is how I define the soul of a nation. It's not religious, and from that perspective, while I may not like Mr. Deans wording, and while I don't think its a partisan fight or a religious fight, I think its an important and valid one.
I hope that makes a bit of sense.
Good topic!

[Redlass]

(As a side, not-so-serious note, I now have the Schoolhouse Rock Live song going through my head... "Provide for the common defense; promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. To ordain and establish this constitution of-ah-of the United States of America....")

I would agree that I don't want the government determining the condition of my soul or my individual character. I do, though, think the government--as elected representatives--has a role in determining the character of the nation. What is the general welfare? What are the blessings of liberty? How are those defined? Those aren't definitions that are static or can be set in stone for all time. Rather they are issues that have to be re-debated with each new generation/era/issue.