Unfortunately, there is no Youtube version of this. I suppose it is in an effort for Comedy Central to protect it's content. If you go to http://www.colbertnation.com and look up the "Jesus was a liberal Democrat" video you will find it in all of its glory. I'm a big fan of Colbert because he doesn't beat you over the head with his point. He sneaks it in with several jokes that leave you wondering which part was serious and which part was the joke. Very little of his soliloquy was a joke. Something obviously hit him at his core.
Those that have known me long enough know I tend towards the philosophical. It is just my nature. Bill O'Reilly uttered a line I uttered once in a comment. He threw out the "God helps those that help themselves" line. Benjamin Franklin introduced that nugget of wisdom and it has been a bastion of conservatism ever since. The trouble is that we all have personal stories where that sentiment is true.
Whether it is the cousin, niece, or nephew that can't seem to get on their feet or the homeless man at the overpass, we recognize that a simply money donation won't give them the real help they need. We also know that our capacity to help them is somewhat limited. We have 9 to 5 jobs and try to get our eight hours of sleep. In between, we help as many as we can when we get the time.
Only a heartless bastard would deny that everyone out of work and on the street needs help. The trouble is we don't agree on what that help should look like and where that help should come from. At some point we realize that there are too many needing help for us to do it on our own. Therefore, we enlist charities and finally the government to manage it. There are costs related to management and sometimes those managing don't do the things we would want them to do. It doesn't necessarily make them bad, dumb, or inefficient. It means they have a different set of priorities and ideas about how people should be helped.
Like with government itself, we surrender some absolute freedom for the convenience and ultimate efficiency of government action. Occasionally, people abuse the help. Occasionally, the help they receive doesn't actually help them out of their situation. The question comes down to whether there is a fundamental problem or whether it is just a situation where some people will fall through the cracks.
Colbert referenced Jesus and the whole meaning of Christmas. One of the great things about his story and ministry is that he didn't give a lot of detailed instructions. He didn't call for government action or no government action. He didn't call for established charities or foundations. He simply asked people to give and then gave a beautiful example of the ultimate gift. As Colbert said, if we are to be a Christian nation we have to give as we were asked. That can look like a number of things and it won't be the same for each person in need, but we can't deny them any help just because we object to how they got into their particular station in life. Those circumstances may shape the help they receive but it can't be a litmus test for whether help is offered.
Editor's note: Here's the embedded clip from the Colbert Report:
Editor's note: Here's the embedded clip from the Colbert Report:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat | ||||
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Will wonders and miracles NEVER cease! I heard this playing on a co-workers radio...and they were laughing!!
I totally agree with you. You wrote a very nice article.
Here's a link to Colbert's piece"
http://blogs.chron.com/believeitornot/2010/12/colbert_conservatives_are_keep.html
Scott,
I found this very moving and thought provoking. Nice work.
Kel
Lol @ Christ-Box 360
Excellent piece.