Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fastlizzy]

Al Franken......

But it’s the Republican mission to gut the social safety net that has become the biggest concern of both the Senator and those of us who cover progressive politics. For a large majority of Republicans who claim to be of the Christian, and even evangelical faith, making ending aid to the poor a priority is a puzzling move to Senator Franken. “I don’t understand it,” said Franken. “Especially with people who call themselves evangelicals. As a Jew, what I do know of the New Testament is Jesus saying ‘What you do for the least among you, you do for me.’ How do you get from there to here? Do they think that Jesus was right until Adam Smith and Wealth of Nations, then Jesus doesn’t apply anymore?”

Still, Franken was willing to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt that they just couldn’t see the disconnect between their ideas of getting government out of assisting the poor and the numerous ways that the government has always provided for them. He told me a story of the days following the 2010 election, where he called every new officeholder, regardless of party, and congratulated him or her on the win. One new colleague, who was adamant that government should never be involved in assisting the poor, bemoaned the lack of reliance on charity to assist the poor instead. “After all, my mother used to volunteer for ‘Meals on Wheels,’”

“Ok, now, that’s a federal program,” Franken told him.

http://www.care2.com/causes/franken-tear-off-stars.html