The Hightower Report

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GEORGE W.'S CHICKEN MANURE

Why does reality continue to be such a stranger to George W.? After five years as president, you'd think he would've at least brushed up against some of life's real experiences – even if by accident.

But, no, he seems securely sealed in his political bubble, kept perfectly pure of any intrusion by the hardships that regular folks face. Take the economic climate. Bush is reported to be befuddled by the fact that he's not getting credit – kudos, even! – for what his economists and political puffers tell him is a booming economy. America's economic growth is up, says George excitedly, corporate profits are through the roof, and look, I created 215,000 jobs last month alone.

George, meet Mr. Reality. Yes, there's a boom ... but for whom? You held a Rose Garden press conference to pat yourself on the back about 215,000 jobs. But, one, that barely keeps up with the number of young Americans who entered the job market for the first time in November. And, two, it's not the job, George ... but the wage. Replacing a $35,000 job at General Motors with a $15,000 Wal-Mart job is not counted as progress in middle America.

Here's some more reality for you. While the overall U.S. economy grew last year, middle-class Americans saw their incomes fall for the fifth year in a row. Yes, George, those are the five years of your presidency.

And, while the salaries of high-level executives have risen splendidly on your watch, the average earnings of hourly workers (who make up the vast majority of the American people) are now lower than when you took the helm. Also, did I mention that the number of Americans who find themselves with no health coverage has risen steadily while you've been president?

This is the reality, George, that keeps people from erupting into applause over your handling of our nation's economic fortunes. After all, people know the difference between chicken salad ... and chicken manure.

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IT'S ABOUT MINISTERING, NOT PREACHING

All of the pundits and consultants are unanimous these days about what Democratic Party candidates must do to gain political favor: emulate Republicans by wearing religion (specifically Christianity) on their sleeves, make alliances with evangelical churches, and openly engage in "faith politics!" The pundits and consultants are, of course, wrong.

Yes, professing one's heartfelt spiritual beliefs can be a positive thing to share with voters, and Democrats will be on particularly strong turf by expressing their political vision and goals in terms of Jesus' own values of economic and social justice. But it's totally wrong to think that faith talk and photo-ops with evangelicals will be enough to convert people to the Democratic cause.

Such shallow, quick-fix thinking misunderstands what goes on inside those megachurches that are home to millions of evangelical Christians – including millions of lower-income working-class folks who logically should be Democrats. While pundits and consultants focus on the preaching inside such churches, the congregations themselves are filled with people who go because of the ministering that the churches provide.

Most Americans these days are struggling from paycheck to paycheck, and they sense that no one in power – political or corporate – gives a damn about them. In many of the megachurches, however, they find a community that not only says, "We care," but also offers material needs that make a difference, including child care, legal help, job searches, housing assistance, dental work, and language classes.

Labor unions used to fill this social void, as did many of the Democratic Party's big-city political machines of old – delivering real service and earning true loyalty in return. The future of today's Democratic Party rests not in preaching, but in ministering – actually delivering the goods to help the hard-hit, workday majority of folks who need them.