Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert Kennedy, is the former Lt. Gov. of Maryland from 1995 -2003. Currently she serves on the boards at Center for American Progress, National Catholic Reporter as well as Faith in Public Life. She also spends time volunteering in her local community. Prior to being Lt. Gov. she worked for two years in the Clinton administration, as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
Q: Why write this book? Why now?
A:I wrote Failing America’s Faithful now because I care for my Church and my country. Churches today are failing their faithful. The Churches are failing to make the connection between faith and the common good and faith and justice.
We face great challenges in the United States—a war in which Americans have tortured prisoners and have neglected our own soldiers. Iraq itself has been ripped apart with millions of refugees searching for safe havens. Income inequity has grown so that while the few have gotton richer, many families lack health care, children suffer from a poor education and pensions have been cut. We are harming the earth that we should steward.
Yet, the churches have focused their attention not on these large issues but on abortion, same sex marriage and stem cell research. They are shrinking God—and using faith to divide, to justify mean spirited attacks and to hurt and hate rather than love our neighbor.
I am sad and disappointed and so I write. I want to awaken believers to their rightful mission which is to be a source of inspiration for justice and compassion.
Q: You write of the possibility of another Great Awakening in the faith community, “a discussion of what a just society could look like.” What does a just society look like to you and what do you believe the next Great Awakening entail?
A: The short answer is that a just society has a commitment to the dignity of every man, woman and child. We are connected to one another as children of God—who loves and cherishes each of us. It is incumbent on us to work for the common good so that work is rewarded, health encouraged, education honored, public resources treasured and families supported.
We need to be awakened to the need for fairness in making economic decisions. Incentives should be directed to families for health and work and education. Also critical is an objective and fair legal system that is not organized to do the bidding of one faction or party. We need to be aware of the globalization of economic choices and to encourage new internationalism and cosmopolitanism, not a narrow tone of fear of the other. The current tone set in the White House puts America at a competitive disadvantage in a flat world. It’s not smart.
Of course, there are challenges—terrorism, those who wish to destroy us, enemies within and without. We need a real security strategy. I want us to be deal with our opponents smartly and courageously.
Q: It seems one of your most recurring themes is to “give something back.” Not being in public office currently, in what ways do you now give of yourself to the community and society?
A: While in the past I have served as a mentor, tutored children and worked on environmental projects, today I serve on a number of Boards dedicated to building a more just world. I am Chair of the Institute of Human Virology—which is run by Dr. Robert Gallo. The Institute treats over 4000 AIDS patients in Baltimore and thousands more in Africa, South and America and Asia
I also serve on the Board of the National Catholic Reporter—which brings a keen investigative and editorial insight to issues concerning the Catholic Church, The Institute for Faith in Public Life—which amplifies the voice of the progressive religious community, and the Robert Kennedy Memorial which focuses on human rights issues around the globe.
Q: What do you see as the role of Catholic Church and Protestant community coming together to do the work of Social Gospel? Idealistically, what specific issue would you want addressed? Do you believe that alliances between the two in regards to the Social Gospel could pave the way for further change in the Catholic Church’s heirarchy?
A: The Religious community –Catholic, Protestant as well as Jewish and Muslim have come together on a number of issues including opposition to torture, support for AIDS funding,, an end to the genocide in Darfur and global warming. These voices have also been raised –although not as loudly—in support of health care reform.
I think the changes in the Catholic Church will come primarily in response to changes in the society at large. Already the Sarbanes Oxley bill has given support to those who want greater transparency and openness in finances. I think as women attain leadership positions in government, business and the non-profit sector, the Catholic Church will feel even greater moral isolation if it continues to exclude women –discriminating against them as they wish to be deacons, priests and bishops.
Q: How will faith play a role for the 2008 Democratic candidates during the primary and then for the eventual nominee for the general
election?
A: The ever growing scandals in the Bush administration has helped to weaken the authority of the Christian right. It is hard to claim to be on the side of righteousness after the war in Iraq, Katrina and the treatment of veterans. Moreover, none of the Republican candidates have as yet captured the passion or commitment of the religious right.
In contrast, the religious left is growing in strength as they have joined with the right on particular policy questions. And, a number of the Democratic presidential candidates have hired staff to conduct outreach to the religious community. My hope is that my book—Failing America’s Faithful and similar books will help to shift the debate from a narrow morality to one that is more inclusive with a greater attention to the common good.
Q: There have been many comparisions between Senator Barack Obama and your father Robert Kennedy. They both provided their supporters with a great hope for the future. Could elaborate on the similarities and the differences between the two leaders?
A: I think that Barack Obama is impressive in many ways. I am supporting Hillary Clinton —as I believe she has the experience to take our nation in a new direction.
Good interview. I appreciate her message. I wish she would have answered more fully you question of the similarities between Obama and her father. Not sure an endorsement for Hillary was the appropriate answer — but that’s just me.
Anyway, I’ll post a link to the interview on my blog as well!
I appreciate that a lot. I was looking forward to her answer but was not suprised by the response that we received.
I think the comparisons between Bobby Kennedy and Obama are quite intriguing. They both bring a lot of hope back into politics for their supporters. The biggest difference by far though is the content of the message of the values. Obama speaks a lot of ethics, health care, the war, and a few others topics. Bobby’s, in my limited knowledge was that of the war in Vietnam and the poverty he found in rural America.
I remember Bobby.
I have a vivid memory of a photograph of him with a tanker’s helmet peering through the turret hatch of an armored car and grinning from ear to ear. That was during his cold war counterinsurgency phase while still Attorney General of the United States.
Later he became peaceful, saintly and anti-war.
I could not wait to vote for him in 1964. It was my first vote and I was so enamored of everything Kennedy.
I can imagine his stance on the issues of today; it would be the same shallow inovationism.
Things have been great or pasably good til now? Why not change for the sake of change, just as he fought to change the immigration law in 1965. He made us a new country even if we had liked the one we once had.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend sees 40,000,000 abortions since Roe and she sprinkles holy water on them. They’re ok and so by the way is pederasty and whatever else you’d like to do on your summer vacation.
Faithfully yours? Please. Have the courage of your secular post Christian convictions. Admit that the baby in utero is just a blob of protoplasm and that babies are not the normative end of marriage and march in the gay rights parade, and ordain women priests because the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires it, and oh yes forbid religious istitutions from fostering adoptions unless they accommodate homosexual “parents.”
It’s ok if your kid turns out gay, as long as he’s happy that way, but you must pray that he never smokes a cigarette.
Obama is the favorite son of Indonesia; he’s been a United States Senator for a day and a half and now he’s ready to lead the great republic.
Obama is a repressed wish by Democrats. They dread the inevitability of the Dragon Lady, the shrill Hillary, with the voice that sounds like the screech of chalk on a blackboard. They worship at the altar of glibness and charisma.
Obama seems very intelligent and appealing. I will give you that much but how about a bit of life experience doing man’s work before turning the company over to him?
So The U.S. Killing innocent babies in the womb is divisive and not a large enough subject for us to tackle. If everyone should be equal why not the unborn child who has no protection. This issue has nothing to do with hate and everything to do with LIFE. She also has lost the fact that a personal relationship with God is a must and a compliment to helping others. Community and personal are both good and needed. No one emphasizes not helping others and not loving your neighbor just because they have a personal relationship with God. Both are emphasized as should be. She seems to only want half of what is needed.
Jesus was very divisive in his day, He spoke the truth not lies and he still loved adulteresses and other sinners but he never called it right, ok, or good like we do. Him telling her to sin no more was not hateful or mean spirited but life saving. There is a morality and it is defined in the bible regardless of what we say or want to be politically correct. There is a right and a wrong. Steeling, homosexuality, etc. is no different than other sins discussed but they are all still sins and wrong. HOWEVER we should still love everyone because we are ALL SINNERS! None is worse then the other, but we need to stop calling wrong, right. That is what people speak up about. It doesn’t give any one the right to hate that person but stop telling everyone it’s cool and ok!
Life is all precious. In the womb and in Darfur. Does this make sense: if it’s divisive let’s not work on it! Millions of lives destroyed. But I guess if you can say it is just a fetus sucking its brains out is ok, on the news we see uproar over dogs fighting, seals, and trees etc. and rightfully so but when will we wake up and see the human tragedy in our own back yards! The Church sees this as life a life worth fighting for. Regardless of who doesn’t want to hear it because they are only worried about themselves? What can be more selfish and self centered than I don’t want this baby because of (fill in the blank) who we thinking about then!!!! I amazed how She turns this into a trivial thing and how the church because they fight is lost because they practice personal time with God, Justice is standing up for those who can’t stand up for them selves!!!
I could go on for ever but I only read her comments here and a few pages of the book. Want to fix the world have a personal relationship with God and then he can work through you to do amazing things not only in your community but in the world. Love every one is the second greatest commandment the first is to love God with all your heart mind soul and strenth. How do you do the first without getting to know God. You get to know God just like any other relationship you spend time with him. Try to do the first with out getting to know Him persoanlly and I guarantee you will fail at the second. We don’t have the Strength to do it with out his help which comes through His spirit which he gives to those he knows and has called. Sound like you can do it with out some personal time with the Lord of all the earth. Maybe thats why we have the mess we do. Doers with out getting directions from the Lord. Personal time; did not even Jesus feel the need to get away and spend quite personal time with his father as did, David, Moses and others! The issues she talks about are important but so are the others!
Plus De 4000 Chaînes De Télévision sur votre Ordinateur ! …
Plus De 4000 Chaînes De Télévision sur votre Ordinateur !…
I agree with John Hitchens’ tirade, and I say that with much affection.
His sentiments illuminate the twisted, arrogant thinking “religious” folks promote. He makes clear the spiritual and universal nature of God’s love for all living creatures.
Kathleen’s brief comment on Obama shows that she respects him, but her priority is to endorse Hillary because she’s a woman. Experience? Please. Interestingly enough, Black people go out of their way NOT to endorse Obama just because he’s Black.
Let’s talk about Hillary’s 35 years of political experiences: she campaigned for Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, spent eight years as President Bill Clinton’s First Lady created the HillaryCare flop, investigated for Whitewater–involving their “friend” and White House Chief counsel, Vince Foster’s death, possible real estate fraud and collusion with her husband and their “friends” the MacDougals, her husband’s infidelity and impeachment proceedings, her public humiliation, then eight years to get over it while working as a N. Y. Senator and time to plan the ultimate payback-becoming the 1st Female President of the United States. That is some experience, I grant you…But….
That type of experience does not seem to cultivate the mindset that will enable the next president of the USA to heal relationships and undo damage our country has done to itself and around the world, as Barack Obama has the personality, character and will to do.
God bless us all!
kathleen read your book while it is good and right to help the poor the greatest poverty in the west today is poverty of spirit which can only be found in prayer and asking for guidance from god .afterall jesus asked his father for guidance so the churches primary duty is to preach the gospel as it is and not a watered down version.if we are in the club we must abide by the rules.i have read all of your father bobbys speeches .such a compassionate man.please read them again he will help you to see that prayer and good works go well together god bless you and family
competitive bidding…
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who cares about the dead. Bobby and JFK are gone and won’t be long the Uncle Teddy will be gone too. That will be the end of the womanizing legacy of the Kennedy’s. Jackie knew what she married but for her kids she sacrificed.I met JFK my first year of college. What an arrogant and hauty individual. AND Kathleen Townsend HE DID HAVE EXPERIENCE. He had military, family politics background. and more years in govt then Brahma Bull ever had. Brahma Bull had only one year in the Senate and most of them were campaigning. No experience. I would hate to be represented by a NO experienced person through out the world. He knows nothing about foreign policy or he would know you cannot DEAL with terrorists. When he did go to Iraq all he did was visit the gym and not the troops who were doing the work. Go Republicand. REPUBLICANS have always had to clean up a war or mess the Democrats have created. Yes, Carter, Kennedy and Clinton started this last war and Bush inherited it.
air plane ticket…
air plane ticket…
I remember another side of the Senator. Not much that I really talk about. I was too badly injured by some people who wanted me silenced about other things. I lived a handicapped and disabled life, but still turdged along. I knew the Bible and one day as I was riding a downtown city bus somewhere, I remember when the Senator had been translated by God, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Ghost and he had been back on earth. His soul was in his body and his head was perfectly healed,and I remember him looking straight into my face and nodding his head, hello. In the year 1985, that happend.
I knew God performed a miracle ,cause he was pulled by the Holy Spirit through his coffin complex and the earth was never even moved, cause I visited the grave site several times, Even at the 1993 speech Clinto gave for him. I stood down at his coffin after the speech, when everyone could go down there after the speech was over.God Bless for the best for our future.
Amen and Amen.
Sorry for any spelling mistakes on my recent email
This as to where it really started , started becuase of the sins of a older generation.The old Ruskies are probably actual;ly reposniblle for the start of what led to this war. As for country we do have to love(or put up with what’s not wise) it or leave it.most people in our country have all had some tradjedy and turmoil we have had to live with, myself true. Part of our country is sinful, part of our country is hypocrytical, but the rest of us our level-headed good citizens. Amen and Amen.
We really need everybody going to a church or another house of worship for the Lord . Amen and Amen. Special prayers for Jack and Bobby.
I pray that those Catholics that have been suckered into the “spirit of the age” will some day realize their mistake and return to the bosom of the Church that Christ founded. It is sad that Kathleen Kennedy Townsend seems to have left both her faith and reason behind as she wants to be with the power and the money of the social engineers of positive law, e.g., Planned Parenthood (the law according to elite tastes) instead of natural law base on human reason in the light of the truth that we perceive around us. Yes, abortion is the deliberate, direct killing of an innocent human being–period.