Perfection Pending

I don’t think I ever mentioned this, even to my friends, but I went on a “walking interview” with a grassroots organization called “Working America” last year. After my first interview with the team leader, I got to go canvassing with their group. We drove down to Tacoma, just as a huge storm began. We knocked on doors for two hours. It was pouring rain about half of the time. But I was my usual, stubborn self. I didn’t let the weather or the walking phase me.
One thing that did phase me, however, was the offhand remarks other team members made about “religious folks”. Imagine their surprise when at the end, after offering me a position, I declined for religious reasons. (I refused to work on Sundays.) They had been bashing religious folks, and there was one in their midst all along! Mwahaha…

I’ve often been bothered by the dichotomy that has been constructed between democrats and republicans. This notion that democrats = atheists and republicans = religious is totally false. That’s a major reason I find Obama’s rhetoric so refreshing.
Obama gave an eloquent discourse on faith in his famous “Call to Renewal” speech back in 2006. I was pretty stoked about that, because I felt it was long overdue to hear a democrat address the issue.
Today, Obama and Mccain shared a stage for the first time since each has won their party’s nomination. The venue was the Saddleback church in Lake Forest, CA. And of course, a good portion of the discourse threaded faith together with politics.
It was interesting to observe the different discourse styles between Obama and McCain. Obama used a lot of personal stories to relate his message. McCain delivered quick, acerbic statements. This, however, was my favorite part:

Rick Warren: What would you tell the American public if you knew there would be no repercussions?
Barack Obama: “There is going to be a price to pay in transitioning to a more energy efficient economy” and “if we pretend everything is going to be free…we are betraying” the sense of America.

The future of America’s economy is strongly tied to this energy crisis. Make no mistake about it. And even if it’s just “hot air”- at least Obama is honestly addressing the issue. I have yet to hear a genuine, accurate assessment of this energy crisis from McCain…