No secret around here that the N&R doesn’t care for Republicans, and 6th District Congressman Mark Walker will be no exception.
Yeah I know front page opinion columnist Susan Ladd admitted Walker is a nice enough guy right after stating she regards Republicans “as, at best, heartless and, at worst, evil.” Pretty much says it all—-if Walker doesn’t vote in accordance with Ladd’s views on the “purpose and function of government in the lives of everyday Americans — especially women”—- which if you couldn’t guess is to step in at every perception of slight –then he’s not going to get a lotta luv from the hometown paper of record.
That said, the N&R editorialists give Walker a little Bible lesson to help guide him through his first few weeks in Congress:
* Politics is not like church. Walker, a Baptist minister, may have experienced conflicts where disagreements were expressed more gently (“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” — Romans 12:10). Politics is an arena where people rarely lose graciously and many earnestly hate their opponents.
* It’s OK to pay Caesar. Jesus answered a question meant to trap him by saying give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Some people wanted Walker to take a stand on principle. But casting a symbolic vote against Boehner would have put Walker outside the mainstream from the start and marked him as someone who won’t work with others. This would hamper his ability to get things done for his district. Giving Boehner a token of support (paying Caesar), on the other hand, will help Walker achieve other objectives. While this is an obvious lesson, it may unnerve Walker to discover that some of his constituents don’t get it.
….If the first stone has been cast, it wasn’t fatal. Walker may have made up with conservatives in later votes to loosen Wall Street regulations, exempt more people from Obamacare coverage and reverse the president’s policy of deferred deportations of young illegal immigrants. So, stones from other hands will fly.
Honestly hard to say if the N&R really believes its own editorial or if they’re purposefully mocking the Bible, knowing full well that Walker —-as a Baptist minister —probably doesn’t need their help applying Biblical principles to politics.
All I know is Walker better be prepared to dodge the stones flying from East Market street.