Until recently, I'd thought of Sam Brownback a hard-core religious-right guy obsessed with abortion and patriorism.
But lately the U.S. Senator from Kansas has taken some stances and pushed some issues that don't fit neatly into that label.
He's been out front on more U.S action in stopping the genoicde in Darfur, Sudan. He's pushing for more aid to African countries. "It's both good and right" he told the Wichita Eagle. He supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, according to his Web site. "America is great because of its goodness and its compassion," he says when discussing the immigration debate.
Is this a Republican talking?
And today the Wichita Eagle reported that Brownback will push for an official apology of the United States for slavery and segregation. He will team up with a Democrat to do so. "The only way for us to move forward .. is at the end of the day acknowledging (racist federal policies), taking ownership for it, and asking for forgiveness," he told the Eagle.
Brownback's "culture of life" motto widens the traditional religious conservative focus, which revolves so obsessively around abortion and gay marriage. Brownback also has questioned the morality of the death penalty, acknowledging —at least tacitly — a hypocracy between pro-life advocates who don't also speak against the death penalty.
Some people think this is Brownback trying to appeal to moderates as his presidential campaign lags. Could be, but political necessity opens the door to new thinking ...
Could Brownback's more expansive "culture of life" be a model for a new religous political movement?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Well, I guess you don't have to worry about Brownback. I just saw a headline that he is dropping out of the race.
Post a Comment