February 2005: “Faith matters first and foremost to me.” April 2005: “I have been blessed by the Lord.” April 2005, Allen’s spokesman: “[I]t’s important to remind people of your moral grounding and basic faith.” Yesterday: “Whether one person believes in — whatever their beliefs may be — is not relevant. Why is that relevant? My religion, Jim’s religion, or the religious beliefs of anyone out here?” (Via Raising Kaine)
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You know, if Allen weren’t being hypocritical on this, I’d stand up and cheer for the man, or so I hope I’d do. We need more elected officials saying that their faith is a private matter, and it’s not subject to public discussion or debate. I’ve wanted to hear that for years.
If Allen had meant it, I’d count this as a watershed moment in politics. But he didn’t. He was giving a politically expedient answer in order to squirm out of what I assume he felt was an awkward situation.
Here’s hoping this represents a genuine change in view for him, and that he ceases talking about his faith from here on out. But I’m betting he won’t.