Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Obama, Abortion, and Race Relations

Michael Gerson has a thoughtful article in the Washington Post on Obama and abortion.

And Richard John Neuhaus has a provocative (and contrarian) response to Obama's speech on race. Here's an excerpt:
Conceding to him the best of intentions, Senator Obama has inadvertently launched an exercise in the demeaning of black America that is, in consequence, very ugly. . . . By reviving historic stereotypes, Senator Obama’s speech and the uses to which it is being put has dealt a severe blow to race relations in America. It is giving a big boost to what someone has rightly called the soft bigotry of low expectations.
If you want to discuss, please read the entire pieces and then seek to exercise civility and charity, offering arguments instead of just feelings. (I.e., if you're first response is that all evangelical conservatives or all liberals or all Roman Catholics are stupid and backward, it's best to go take a walk first before pounding on the keyboard!)