Thursday, January 11, 2007

Mike Huckabee, Jon Stewart, and Hope for America

...well, one reason why I have hope for America, anyway, and not an overwhelming amount at that: On last night's The Daily Show, Jon Stewart interviewed former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, an admitted conservative, evangelical Republican. ("I'm a conservative, but I'm not mad at everybody over it," Huckabee quipped at one point.) Here are some more snippets from Huckabee:
We do what I call...horizontal politics, which is where America is in trouble, people wanting everything to be left or right. The truth is, the average American doesn't think in the ideological terms of left and right. They think in the vertical terms of are you going to lift us up or are you going to take us down.

I'm pro-life, and I think life begins at conception, but I don’t think it ends at birth. We have to be concerned about a a child's education, and healthcare, safe neighborhoods, clean water, the access to a college education, a child's whole life—that is pro-life.

So here's why I'm hopeful: Finally, finally, reasonable political discourse is being heard. Part of Jon Stewart's genius lies in his ability to transcend partisan politics and give common-sense politics a voice. What a contrast to the insanity that fills the airwaves on Sunday morning! (No, not the preaching from televised pulpits but the political rhetoric coming out of D.C. television studios.)

The Huckabee segment wasn't unusual for Stewart; it was representative. Weird, isn't it? It took a Comedy Central show to find someone—a comedian, no less—willing to look beyond labels so we can actually start talking to each other, and maybe, just maybe, start to deal with our problems.

3 comments:

Margaret Feinberg said...

great quote..I love the vertical over horizontal perspective.

Anonymous said...

I really appreciate the comment that life doesn't end at birth. I never thought I'd agree so strongly with a self-proclaimed "conservative, evangelical Republican".

And I share your love for Jon Stewart.

Marcia Ford said...

That's the problem with labels, isn't it? Sometimes I think labels not only mislead others, but they also subconsciously make a person feel forced to conform to the label. ("Gee, I was elected to Congress as a conservative Republican, so I have to vote no on this issue...")