Tread lightly on the things of earth

Just finished watching this final night’s Democratic Convention coverage on C-SPAN, unsullied by any trace of nutty network commentary. So what happened tonight? Big John took my expectations, multiplied ‘em by 100 then knocked ‘em out of the park, closed the sale, and left me speechless (video, alt video, QT/WMP/audio, transcript).

I finally see this Kerry campaign has integrity: what they do tends to dovetail with what they say. This is a new thing, the necessary foundation stone; anything less means a house — or a presidency — built on sand. For by their fruits we recognize anyone, not by their words alone.

Further, my take is these words aren’t just for effect; they’re meant words, humble words, a check-and-balance against our becoming faith-based monsters. I think they reveal the heart of a Democratic worldview:

“I don’t want to claim that God is on our side;
I want to pray humbly that we are on God’s side.”

—JFK quoting Lincoln, July 29, 2004

My prayer is answered: Tonight I became a full-speed-ahead Kerry supporter. Doubts, reluctance, lukewarm outlook — gone. I’m now convinced this is God’s blessing for America we keep asking for: this is the man, these are the people, this is the time, this is the movement, this is the mission, this is the answer.

I think ABB now pales as a reason to vote for Kerry. What’s been awakened here is an audacious hope for our country and our world, and it’s motivating a bumper crop of diverse, talented, and passionate people willing to step up to the plate to serve our country, heal our land, bless this world. They’ve been on parade all week in Boston, and they are but the tip of the iceberg. I did not see this glory comin’.

Hope transcends. I don’t forget for a minute that exercising this hope and implementing these plans depends on fallible human beings, and that as a result these plans gang aft agley. But hope always works through fallible human beings. When it thrives, it thrives despite our foibles. What it accomplishes, it accomplishes beyond our everyday abilities. I think its origins are divine. The ends to which hope leads are left largely up to us.

Mark my words:
This is divine intervention, a lifeline to bring us back from the brink.

How we respond is up to us.

Hours later …

I find myself as hopeful this new day as I was last night when I wrote the first draft of this entry. Sustainable hope, ahhh, this is different.

More impressions:

Wesley Clark. Brilliant, well-spoken, man’s man, soldier’s soldier. What military person can diss Gen. Clark? What military person can discount what Gen. Clark has to say? What military person wouldn’t listen? (video, transcript)

Power quote:

This soldier has news for you: Anyone who tells you that one political party has a monopoly on the defense of our nation is committing a fraud on the American people. Franklin Roosevelt said it best: “Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth.”

Vanessa and Alex Kerry. Photogenic, bright, articulate, loving. Who could not want to know these Kerry daughters better? And you know what? The story of their dad’s saving a hamster tells me more about his character than 10,000 words almost anywhere else; it’s a tiny little hologram of deep meaning (transcript).

Max Cleland. The man was beaming. Seeing the bonds of brotherhood on display during Max’s speech, the web of humanity that binds us one to another, moved me deeply. War is a machine that cranks out death and destruction, but it is also a crucible in which humanity’s dross sometimes burns away leaving pure character. And that, I think I see, is the case with Max (video, transcript).

Power quote:

Tonight, I’d like to let you know, that even before I met John Kerry, he was my brother. Even before I knew John Kerry, he was my friend. Even before I spoke with John Kerry, he gave me hope.

The Bible tells me that no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends. John Kerry’s fellow crewmates — the men I am honored to share the stage with — are living testimony to his leadership, his courage under fire, and his willingness to risk his life for his fellow Americans. There is no greater act of patriotism than that.

My hope today: The choice before us has been made so clear, the differences so vivid, the affirming blessings of wisdom, intelligence, and character so inexplicably distributed, the “fruits by which we know them” so ripe before our senses, that even for lifelong Republican voters, even for hell-or-high-water Bush supporters up to now, the downside to voting for Kerry has become so small, the upside so great, that there is now no discomfort, dishonor, or shame in changing one’s position and doing an honest and hopeful and powerful thing: in the privacy of the voting booth, choose the candidate — and the worldview — you really want.

Update: Josh points to William Saletan’s strong Rove’s Blunder. Don’t miss it for insight into what’s happening here.

2004-07-31 update:
For an actual detailed analysis of Kerry and his speech, nobody does it like Steve G. Thanks, Steve.

[Yes, I’ve rewritten this entry ten times in varying degrees of grandiloquence; it’s eventually going to say what I mean. :-) ]

The Revs Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton moved me most among the parade of Wednesday’s mostly-fascinating speakers.

Jesse Jackson. Jesse spoke in vivid biblical imagery of darkness and light — we’re in darkness now, but we can and must choose in this election to move toward the light.

Al Sharpton. Al referred to casting out “the vile spirit that inhabits our body politic” (unconfirmed recollection). Of course I respond to this as I see our present post-2000 predicament in this very imagery: I think that this many otherwise decent people this deluded for this long can only be accounted for by supernatural forces of darkness.

Whether this is literally true or metaphorically true I’m not sure even matters. The point is we’ve not been ourselves for at least four years now, and the time is upon us to cast off these forces that bind us.

Al’s further imagery that African Americans’ votes are soaked in the blood of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney, and in the blood of four little girls in Birmingham, and are therefore (answering Mr. Bush) not for sale, I found particular powerful.

Sharpton video accessible here. Like him or not, the man can preach, and preach with power.

Elizabeth Edwards. I didn’t know what to expect. What I saw was depth within depth, joy and hope bubbling up from a deep place. I think she’s the kind of person I’d treasure as a friend.

John Edwards. John made me proud as a Southerner and as an American, no surprise (video and transcript). And I don’t think he was at 100%; he’s got even better in him. Delivered some complex content while sustaining audience interest (no small feat). I’m not keen on the emphasis put on defeating terrorism militarily — “You cannot run, you cannot hide, we will destroy you” — as I don’t think that even makes much sense, but I realize it’s a necessary emphasis to help those who think otherwise turn their trust to Kerry.

More important to me is this, and yes, I’m persuaded Sunny John really means it. I think his commitment to “the least of these” (all us non-elites, we working folk, the teeming multitude of us) is completely genuine:

We choose hope over despair; possibilities over problems, optimism over cynicism. We choose to do what’s right even when those around us say “You can’t do that.” We choose to be inspired because we know that we can do better — because this is America where everything is still possible.

What we believe — what John Kerry and I believe — is that you should never look down on anybody, that we should lift people up. We don’t believe in tearing people apart. We believe in bringing people together. What we believe — what I believe — is that the family you’re born into and the color of your skin in our America should never control your destiny.

Of course it’s a dream, but it’s a dream undergirded by the whole arc of scripture and (IMO) common sense, sufficient reasons, I think, to dream it wholeheartedly, too.

Finally, I’m struck by how Kerry doesn’t need to be the charismatic center of attention to win this and effect change. He brings his own formidable strengths, yes, but more important he is surrounded by, and complemented by, talented, smart, caring, and passionately determined people the gifted likes of which I don’t remember ever seeing assembled in one place before. This is a movement, baby, a healthy one whose words and deeds align, one that’s drawing more of us all the time. There’s no single point of failure; it depends on no one man. I’m thinking this is excellent news.

Teresa Heinz Kerry. I sense great power in Teresa (video, transcript). Not because she’s a particularly dazzling speaker, or only because she’s deeply knowledgeable and passionate about her interests. I find great power, much-needed power, in Teresa’s linguistic prowess (she’s fluent in five languages). Speaking another’s language empowers one to understand others, individually and culturally, in ways that monolinguistic people like me can only imagine.

IOW, Teresa has through years of study wired her brain to comprehend other cultures at a deep level.

Hence, when Teresa greeted attendees near and far in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, I instantly knew this is a person I want representing my country to the world. Because I as an American want to understand my brothers and sisters who live elsewhere — and I want to be understood.

Barack Obama. I had read bits here and there about Barack Obama, upcoming Senator from Illinois, even saw him on Meet the Press Sunday. But I’d never heard him address a crowd. Until tonight.

Barack Obama is one of the most powerful speakers I’ve ever heard.

Slow, steady buildup for several minutes. Then liftoff. …

I am stunned. I am wiping away tears. Hope wells up. “The audacity of hope.” Yes.

If you’ve ever wondered what “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” looks like, I think here’s your answer. This is what it looks like, and this is the effect it has on others.

Just watch it (Real video or QT/WMP). Or read it (transcript, alt).

A few hours later I realize that what Barack is doing is smashing the negative “liberal Democrat” stereotype. He exemplifies what liberal really means, and surprise, it’s not what endless right-wing repetition says it is. The man talks frickin’, compassionate sense of the kind that nearly all open, honest, thinking people identify with and aspire to, regardless of their political affiliation. Conservative extremism would have us believe otherwise, that “conservatives” and “liberals” are hopelessly and irredeemably divided, but the truth is it’s all us, by and large, living, loving, hoping, seeking as humans do.

It’s genius, I tell you. And it happens to be the truth.

Sunglasses at night. My friend Martin points out Time’s cover story this week, Inside the Mind of John Kerry. Ah, even its subtitle tells me positive things:

The Democratic candidate deals in shades of gray, which means reaching a decision can be a long and winding road.

I like John Kerry’s dealing in shades of gray because (1) that’s how my mind works, and (2) that’s how the world mostly is. Very little in the world shakes out as black or white. In fact, I observe that its Creator nearly always transcends even shades of gray: God thinks, moves, and is a full spectrum of radiant color.

IOW, I just don’t see much warrant for black/white thinking.

Night One. Watching Night One of the Democratic Convention last night, I was — to my surprise — dazzled. I never thought I’d care this much.

The PBS coverage I saw started with BeBe Winans’ unusually phrased but profoundly moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. By its end, my tears were flowing.

Then the speakers delivered one truth-telling, nondelusional, embracing speech after another — Al Gore, then Jimmy Carter, then Bill Clinton (among others). What a refreshing change of pace! Say what you will about them, these guys can speak, and speak well. Made me realize how hungry I’ve been for articulate, reasoned, hope-filled words from my leaders (C-SPAN video links).

Al Gore. Like/respect/appreciate Al or not, there’s little doubt the world would be different now if 2000 had turned out differently. Why would the world be different? Because electing a president is only somewhat about the person of the officeholder; it’s more about putting power and money behind a worldview, which is enacted by many, encompasses more, and in this interconnected world, affects all. As skillfully conveyed by these speakers, there’s a world of difference in the U.S. political parties’ worldviews before us.

Jimmy Carter. That Jimmy was the evening’s bulldog fascinates me. He has military cred, has earned the world’s respect over decades, and at 81 has little to lose by challenging the Powers That Be. The man is unassailable in his decades of service to humanity, his commitment to making the world a better, more peaceful place. Perfect? Of course not. But he and Rosalyn have done more to make the world a better place than most of us ever have, especially me. I yack on and pontificate; they act.

Jumped off the TV screen at me: Jimmy’s repeated use of the word extremist to describe this administration’s policies and actions, which I think — as much as we hate to admit it — aptly and honestly captures their underlying similarity to Islamic extremist ones. Then the observation that “This election decision affects America’s soul.” Indeed it does; every cell and sinew of my body knows this. Something about these days reminds me of the county-fair livestock goat- and sheep-judgin’ contests of my youth, except in this contest we’re judging ourselves. (Carter quote from memory: I’ll find the exact quote and update this.)

Bill Clinton. Bill used self-deprecation well to make his points; for example, pointing out that for the first time in his life, he is in the wealthiest 1%, and as a result Republicans have never treated him so well. Comparing each of several benefits he’s enjoyed as a wealthy American under a Republican congress and administration (tax cuts, etc.) with the cost to us as a people, I think he effectively conveys the unfairness of a worldview that sees wealthy folk as the blessed ones and rewards them at the expense of others. (Ancient Israel made this mistake repeatedly, and God repeatedly disabused them of the notion. The temptation to interpret wealth as blessing continues to this day.)

Bill’s standout quote for me? “For their system to work, Republicans need a divided America, but we don’t. And about things that matter most, we aren’t.” (Again from memory, will update.)

A king with clothes. Which worldview serves us best? Which serves God’s interests best? For me, it’s no contest:

I look at the rich variety of people at the Democratic Convention — colors and genders and socioeconomic variety and ideas and inclusivity — and I see the Kingdom. I used to wonder what it looks like, and now I think I know: in this rich panoply of peoples, ideas, hopes, and dreams, the Spirit dwells.

2004-07-29 update:
I watched the first night on PBS television, thinking its coverage would be relatively free of obnoxious commentary. What happened? I kept yelling at the commentators to please shut the hell up. Succeeding nights: I switched to the C-SPAN cable channel. Ah, C-SPAN: all content, no commentary. It’s wonderful.

I think I know when the thief is coming …

Judgment Day? Yes, it’s coming, but judgment by whom? I have long perceived the judgment involved as largely one’s own, as beautifully pictured near the end of C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, one of the most meaning-full books I’ve ever read:

As the land of Narnia comes to an end, its inhabitants stream out through the stable door past Aslan the Lion’s gaze. Some choose to go “further in and higher up” into the bright light of Aslan’s country, God-ward, we are given to infer. Others choose to turn aside and go into outer darkness. The most striking thing to me about this two-pronged parade is it’s not Aslan who’s doing the judging; it’s each one leaving who chooses the direction to take (193).

Lewis summarizes this understanding of judgment elsewhere saying, “Either you say to God, ‘thy will be done,’ or God must say to you, ‘thy will be done’” (The Great Divorce, 72).

Some in Narnia are caught in a dilemma, unable to cleanly choose — the circle of dwarfs sitting inside the exit door. They keep telling themselves they’re in a dark stable where things are at least familiar; meanwhile those around them see they’re sitting in broad daylight. Aslan says of them that they are in a prison of their minds’ own making, “so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out” (186).

It’ll be a surprise. As in unexpected. Paul says an interesting thing: “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety’” [as in “The American people are safer, safer, safer” (GWB)] “destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:2-3).

Matthew reports Jesus’ similar comments on this timing, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. … Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24:36-44).

Here’s my hunch. The unexpected surprise is that judgment has descended from the lofty theological realm with its talk of salvation, heaven, and hellfire, and been made concrete, even mundane: U.S. election day is judgment day. (It will certainly be a judgment day.)

On that day, will we lose our shackles of fear and choose to go “further in and higher up” to a future committed to justice and to bringing all our will to bear on being blessed peacemakers, as Jesus commends?

Or will we choose to continue down this road of endless war [as in “I’m a war president … with war on my mind” (GWB)] with its accompanying inattention to God’s concerns: poverty, injustice, and hypocrisy?

Might I be overstating the gravity of the situation? Maybe.
Do I think I am? No — I think this is a pivotal moment in human salvation-history.

Let’s keep watch. WWAD?

2004-07-20 update:
I like to hope this Judgment Day choice is as evident to a resounding majority of us in the U.S. as it is to me. I mean, if we’re unencumbered by ideology, paying attention, and thinking, how much more clear-cut could the choice be, even for those of us who don’t habitually think in theological terms?

Yet today in my workplace breakroom I heard a colleague wet his lips and exclaim at the TV, “I don’t have to listen to a word that guy says to know he’s a liberal dipshit.” Personally, I don’t think any Bush supporter who stares open-mouthed at Fox News for minutes on end needs to be calling anyone else a dipshit.

I’m not sure why this silly-ass Federal Marriage Amendment being debated in the Senate today bugs me so; I think its presence on the national screen just shouts to me how far our national discourse has degenerated.

The whole damn thing is — or ought to be — unthinkable in the United States: Amend the U.S. Constitution, the foundation of our republic, to deny marriage equality to same-sex couples? IOW, amend the very document that guarantees rights for all citizens to take away some citizens’ rights?

All animals are created equal.
But some animals are more equal than others.
—George Orwell, Animal Farm

I don’t give a flying Cheney what my government representatives think about homosexuality and same-sex marriage — they can think anything they want but they can’t be allowed to start legislating state-sanctioned discrimination. If they’re willing to start discriminating against some of us now, at some point we’ll be the ones being discriminated against, for nearly any eventual definition of we.

Dear God, how much foresight does it take to see this? This amendment (obviously) brought to us by the same foresighted geniuses who dreamed up the Bush Doctrine of Preemption, which would be better called “Massive Motivator for Other Nations to Arm to the Hilt.”

I’ve just about given up on my Republican representative and senators — one of whom is the (in)famous Sen. Frist — to act sanely and foresightedly, but I wrote them today anyway using the MoveOn petition form that also sends an email to “the President, signer’s Senators, Representative in Congress, and other political leaders.” I wrote —

Despite all rhetoric to the contrary, this proposed Constitutional amendment is the moral equivalent of Jim Crow.

I am a heterosexual Christian committed to social justice and civil rights for all of us.

Whether I agree, or you agree, with any particular group is not relevant: your job is to uphold the U.S. Constitution for all U.S. citizens.

I believe any government official who seeks to alter the Constitution to legislate discrimination is derelict in his or her duty — and must be fired.

Please reconsider your position and reject this proposed amendment.

[several expletives deleted]

What’s the upside to enduring this unadulterated, literally un-American crap? Hmmm … Well, after all this, the return of rational, thoughtful national discourse about things that matter — a return that’s at least possible if not certain under a Kerry/Edwards Administration — ah, it will be sweeter than honey, will it not?