So I can't really call myself a christian, since I've been hoping for a long time that Christ didn't die for me--a few lies, casual sexual encounters, adolescent flakiness, occasional ice cream-inspired gluttony, ok...a dash or two of the standard seven sins, all in all pretty paltry assortment, hardly worth getting nailed to a cross over.
I live in San Diego, where there are only two talk radio stations, both horrible, IQ-insulting wingnut propaganda outlets -- I mostly listen to my iPod. Today, I was in my car, on signal seek when I came upon talker KCBQ. A bunch of Reepers were yucking it up ("I'm going to wear an Obama mask for Hallowe'en...they'll probably call that racist,hahahaha.") I didn't recognize these weekend crew yahoos but they provoked a familiar irritation in me.
At one point, they talked about their church and congregations, and one of them stopped giggling long enough to wonder what was happening to the "younger crowd" of evangelicals who say they lean towards Obama.
Then they gave out their phone number and I couldn't resist calling...
The screener didn't screen. I waited about a minute and went right on the air. A note: one side of my family has a ton of evangelicals so I know how to talk the talk even as I have no interest in walking the walk.
"I'm one of those young Christians you were talking about," I said softly with the proper deference to men in my voice.
"Why are you supporting Obama,dear," the host asked.
"Well, as a Christian, I think that he will be a lot more caring about people. And I'm afraid we're in for a very rough time, so I think that is very important."
"Don't you think John McCain will be better for the economy?" he came back.
"Honestly, it's just so worrying because Mr. McCain...well, he's just incoherent, don't you think? I mean, I think you are completely overestimating that Barack Obama is winning...I think John McCain is losing because he just isn't making sense," I responded.
"Don't you know that Barack Obama voted against legislation that would have saved the lives of babies who had been aborted but were alive and viable?" he said in the tones of a disapproving parent.
"No, I didn't know that and I can certainly check on it. But I don't want more wars and I want to take care of our veterans and people who could be hit hard in the economy. And here John McCain is talking about some guy from 30 or 40 years ago and changing his mind every day, I mean it's just so ... pathetic." Oh, I was so sweetly disappointed.
He rushed me off the phone, saying he knew I was a dear Christian young woman who meant well.
After the call, I laughed and laughed in the car. It was so much fun after the frustration of months of having no politics to listen to except these shallow know-nothings. (Since ClearChannel kicked Air America out of the market.) Ok, I must be pretty shallow too to want to bait them the way I did, but it was worth it, just once, to use their bullhorn to counter some of their bullshit.