Dean And The Money Changers

Have you noticed the rise in the number of politicians from both sides of the aisle talking about religion? Take for example the “born again politician”* Howard Dean that is now using quotes from the Bible as a political weapon. Here’s the most recent Dean example from a speech he recently gave in Florida.

“Democrats are more in tune with most Americans than Republicans. We need to kick the money changers out of the temple and restore moral values to America," Dean said, drawing roars from the crowd.

Dean’s allusion to money changers seems an odd choice for a liberal Democrat, as the whole money changer story in the Bible revolves around people getting ripped off in the process of paying their taxes. Jesus decries that the temple has been made into a den of thieves. No Bible experts here, but somehow we don’t believe that it was the taxpayers that drew Jesus’ ire.

Dean’s rant is also a bit of a dig at the likes of Jon Corzine, bankers that make their money from “cashing in" from both ends of a transaction. Few that have held a seat in the “temple” have ever profited more as a “money changer” than Senator Jon Corzine. We’d like to see Corzine cast out of the “temple” too, but not because he was a banker.

Who’s the audience for this stuff? Are religious people motivated to vote for Democrats based upon Dean’s logic and his in your face Bible quoting tactics? Perhaps his sole purpose is to raise money from those already of like mind and they enjoy Dean’s condescending religious references. Still, we can’t see how these quotes won’t come back to haunt the Democrats in the very states they ultimately hope to make inroads.

* Born Again Politician – A washed up politician that reemerges to fight again.