Guest Opinion: A New Campaign Low. Presidential Character and the Lena Dunham Advertisement

By Dr. Frederick Liewehr
10/27/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

It is a true landmark in the sordid history of political advertising for its epic lack of taste and insensitivity

A man's character is the sum of his actions over time, so you intrinsically know a person of good character when you encounter one. Who could have had any doubt about Bl. Mother Theresa's character? One can "smell" good character, or perhaps I should say, one can smell bad character.

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RICHMOND, VA (Catholic Online) - On Thursday, October 25, 2012, the Obama campaign released a startling video "starring" a 26-year old tattooed actress named Lena Dunham (who ironically has the same last name as Obama's mother), which attempts to convince young women who are first-time voters that they should vote for Obama through the use of an obscene metaphor that likens that experience to losing their virginity. It is a true landmark in the sordid history of political advertising for its epic lack of taste and insensitivity to the fact that not everyone in this country agrees with the hedonistic and profane agenda of the far Left or believes that they and their children should be assaulted by indecent, suggestive "soft" pornography masquerading as political advertisements.

The approval of this ad by the President, aside from demonstrating a wholesale lack of taste and judgment, would appear to reflect significantly upon his character. The episode harkens back to the Clinton scandal, where Clinton claimed that his conduct with Monica Lewinsky did not constitute "sexual relations" as defined in the Deposition Exhibit 1, a semantic ploy similar to his famous, "That depends upon what your definition of "is" is." Despite the infamous stained dress and testimonies, he was acquitted of perjury in a politically motivated action by the Senate (every single Democrat voted to acquit), though later was held in civil contempt of court, fined $90,000 for giving false testimony, and had his law license suspended both in Arkansas and by the Supreme Court.

This egregious behavior, however, was excused by his supporters because the economy at the time was doing well (though I do not remember Clinton "blaming" that on his inheritance from a Bush, as Obama continues to do), and "It's the economy, stupid" was their rallying cry. Those who objected, as Rush Limbaugh did, "Character matters; leadership descends from character ", were paid little mind. Unfortunately, Clinton's acquittal by the Senate was taken by the American people in general as a sanction of his actions rather than as a partisan and illegitimate decision.

So what is character anyway? There is a philosophical discussion in the Catholic Encyclopedia here for those who wish to explore the subject in greater detail, but the short answer is, character is the "expression of the personality of a human being . that . reveals itself in his conduct." The behavior of any human being is the result of a complex interaction of factors, some of which he was born with and some of which were acquired, the nature-nurture duality, that have impacted him from birth until the present. Taken together these behaviors constitute his character, or at least the visible manifestation of it.

Man has free will, a gift from God, and the "freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude". (CCC 1731) However, this freedom is not always used as a force for growth and maturity. "Man's freedom is limited and fallible. In fact, man failed. He freely sinned. By refusing God's plan of love, he deceived himself and became a slave to sin. This first alienation engendered a multitude of others. From its outset, human history attests the wretchedness and oppression born of the human heart in consequence of the abuse of freedom." (CCC 1739). Man's will is simply the faculty of choice, and thus the correct use of his freedom.

Character, in turn, has been defined as "a completely fashioned will", or "natural temperament completely fashioned by the will." As a person grows and matures, the faculty of reason is awakened. He begins to reflect on his choices and the outcomes of those choices, and by the deliberate choice against evil impulses he gradually develops self control. It is by exercising this self control that he develops moral character, which is the sum total of all those acts of self control.

It is a sad fact that in our "post Christian" society, self control is rarely touted as a virtue. In fact, lack of self control is the reason that the Alan Guttmacher Institute says we continue to murder over a million of our children annually. It is the reason why more than 1/3 of the births in this country, and more than half of those to women under the age of 30, are out of wedlock. For those who are concerned by these figures, the President and the Democratic Party suggests contraception, which they intend to force employers who do not agree with their approach, such as Catholic institutions, to ...

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1 - 10 of 64 Comments

Judy Claar
6 months ago
Vance: Some are. Especially C. Chuput and others. But, there are many more who do not. Even Pope Benedict has spoke out to priests and bishops. It just crossed my mind. Perhaps? we are like them? A few practicing Catholics who speak out or do whatever ministry we can, feeling pretty much alone...always being one of the same ones to do things. And then, there are our other brothers and sisters who practice, yet do not get involved. Like I said, a thought.

Anyone belonging to any Order in the Church, are human too. Each having different personalities, thoughts, ideas, and beliefs on how to do their chosen profession, etc. And yes, having Holy Orders, they need to Teach the Faithful and do their job to the best of their ability. Each have their own way of going about it. Just like Catholics have their own way of practicing their Faith. We are all in the same boat. Blessings...
vance
6 months ago
I heard the ad but I wasn't surprised. We already had Sandra Fluke who testified on national TV that she has multiple sex partners and demanded that you and I pay for her birth control so she doesn't get pregnant. Obama put her up on a national pedestal as an example of who all women should emulate. This was before God got booed and hissed at the Marxist Democrat Party Convention. The Party of Death and Deceit has never been as bold and audacious about their anti-Christ state of mind. You can expect plenty more where this came from. My question is when are ALL the Bishops and priests going to finally stand up against these anti-Christs.
Francis Guidarelli
6 months ago
We need to change our culture. If the Lena Dunham ad in support of re-electing President Obama is the best argument the President's supporters have to get him re-elected, our culture is in trouble. The ad is one more reason for us to pray and ask God to spare us the evil of the moral decline of our culture. I believe Miss Dunham is being misled by those who ought to know better. Jesus of Nazareth made it clear that persons who mislead will not be welcome in His Kingdom. We need to be mindful that how we act can be a blessing or a curse for others.
JoAnn
6 months ago
Every women all over the world should be outraged by this ad. The Marxist/Democrats have reduced you to nothing but body parts minus a brain. Any woman that accepts this ad's propaganda is confirming what the ad implies. You are nothing but a body part. Gee, that sure gives me a nice warm, fuzzy feeling about the future of this country. If we end up with an "Obamanation" because of your "civil ignorance," your children will never forgive you, if you even have any children. I pray for your souls. God bless.
JoAnn
6 months ago
To All Detractors of Christianity and the Catholic Church: You will, one day, have to stand before Jesus for you judgement just like the rest of us. "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom." I pray that you will learn what "fear of the Lord" is before you meet your maker. God knows the heart of man. He will not be fooled. May God have mercy on your souls. God bless.
JoAnn
6 months ago
Are they for real? This ad will only appeal to the "civilly ignorant" who are willfully voting themselves onto the "ole plantation." The choice is clear; an American Patriot in Romney OR a "fundamental transformation" from an American Republic FREE country, into a Marxist/Communist country of SLAVERY with Obama. It is hard for me to fathom that there are STILL people who have not made up their minds yet. These people, with the civilly ignorant, must not know our history of who we are and where we come from. A cram course in History 101 and the Catechism of the Catholic Church for Catholics is highly recommended before the election. Anyone who votes for Obama, your children will never forgive you when they grow up and have realized what you have done to them. May God have mercy on your souls. God bless.
Carole
6 months ago
The Obama ad made me angry on a very practical level: It encourages the very behaviors that I see undermining my students' futures each day. I think we should continue to fight the influence of this sort of permissive messaging. However, I think we have dropped the ball in another court...

I teach at an urban community college. Most of my female students are very young. Many already have one, two, or even three children. (You see, access to birth control doesn't mean that it is used. Instead, it just sends out a permissive message.) Almost none of these young parents are married or even in a relationship, so these young women handle everything on their own. Not an easy task.

One day several years ago, a class group was delivering a collaborative report on the AIDS epidemic. One of the group members asked the young student audience, "How many of you have been tested for AIDS?" All hands went up...except one. It belonged to a young, quiet, studious woman sitting off in a corner. "What? You haven't been tested yet?" asked the surprised presenter. "No," said the quiet female student. "You see, I haven't done anything that would require that I be tested." The class fell silent. I could tell that this brave young woman was considered well out of the mainstream of her peer group. I couldn't help but wonder how challenging it was for her to be so alone in her conduct. I made sure to praise her for her uniqueness and her remark before prodding the presenters to move forward.

I know that as Christians we must reach out to all; however, let's not forget to praise and encourage those who are abiding by traditional Christian morals. As the Obama ad demonstrates, the "norm" is for young women to behave in anything but a moral and self-respecting manner these days. The few who are behaving themselves are considered oddities right now. They need our admiration and protection. Lord knows that the government, society, and media aren't giving them any support!

(By the way, I met the young woman I described in my posting a few weeks later in a mall in my area. She was with her mom. I made sure that I again told the young woman how impressed I was by her conduct and comment. I also made sure her mom knew that I was equally impressed by her ability to raise a child up to be so righteous in such a not-so-righteous society.)
Stephanie
6 months ago
I am a 25-year-old woman, and ads like this make me start to agree with those who say the minimum voting age should be raised to 30. Too many not-yet-fully-developed brains (the human brain isn't finished developing until mid to late 20s) and people who vote based on emotion and hormones rather than logic and reason. Bad thinking all around.
abey
6 months ago
The devil through parallel words said unto Eve "Ye be as Gods" where his intention was to be equal with God(for the word equal never stays as equal, but tends to be over & above) when the truth is to be IN God. Like wise suggests this Obama advertisement, reflecting the colors of today's Democrat. For all their Good they profess are off the tree of Good & Evil which two are but on the either side of the same coin, where the good & evil cannot be separated but are interchanged to calling Good evil & Evil good, for this simple reason that God said "Eating its fruit is to sure death" even with all its good & to this falls Obama & his propagandists, nothing but to the age old "Paganism" running into today's pagan beliefs, as the fruit of that tree.
Judy Claar
6 months ago
Bob: Deacon Keith addressed your issues regarding CO. I am responding to your accusation of the word label...while in the next few words you condemn Romney of made up and untrue lies...how vicious you are. I feel sorry for you, knowing that you freely Chose to attack CO and Romney. But I can, and will, pray for you: To become more mature in your thinking, less hateful, (that never got us anywhere), and that you might have more understanding and compassion towards your fellow man. Just because this is an election year, it is no excuse to allow the Black Shadow w/in to rear its ugly head. Prayerful Blessings...

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