Time's Klein: Obamessiah Failed to Preach Tax Hikes at Warren Forum

August 18th, 2008 2:57 PM

Writing his faithful blog readers an epistle on Saturday's candidate forum with evangelical pastor Rick Warren, Time magazine's Joe Klein expressed disappointment that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) did not take the moment to teach the multitude, let alone perform miracles like curing Chris Matthews's restless leg syndrome and/or priapism.

But let not your heart be troubled, for Klein has some sermon suggestions for the Obamessiah, such as preaching that taxation might be a handy way to save rich people from Hell (emphasis mine):

Obama was all right, but not great. Both Bill Kristol and Paul Krugman are insightful today on the Obama campaign doldrums of the moment. Seems to me that given all that church talk during the Saturday night festivities--and given Rick Warren's well-documented ministry to the "least of these"--Obama had plenty of room to emphasize the decidedly unChristian nature of Republican economic policies. He might have quoted Jesus on how difficult it is for rich people to go to heaven: "It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle..." and said something like, "I want it be easier for rich people to get in...We need to tax them more for their own good. "

For good measure, Klein also chimed in with his hearty approval of Rick Warren, no doubt based on Klein's view that Jesus's teachings serve as a handy primer for Obama's economically liberal politics:

It was important that Rick Warren was able to show the new face of evangelicism--a faith as concerned with the Beatitudes as it is with the fire and brimstone imagery of Revelation.