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I hate it when the GOP invokes “the Lord” in the halls of government. I am tired of the GOP’s talking points of war and terror. And it bothers me that the GOP gets away with unethical partisanship while demanding the Democrats roll over and play nice.

Unfortunately, Nancy Pelosi made it a point to continue each of those traditions during her opening remarks of the new Congress.

My demands aren’t unreasonable. All I ask is that she steer clear of specific Christian references, that she avoid further reinforcement of the idea that war and terror are the most important things for this country to address, and that she make sure to point out that, while Dems may be willing to play nice, the GOP should be chastised for failing to do the same.

Reading her hot-off-the-press remarks, I was expecting the call for holding hands and singing tra-la-la-la-la:

“In this House, we may belong to different parties, but we serve one country. We stand united in our pride and prayers for our men and women in the armed forces. They are working together to protect America, and we, in this House, must also work together to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.

“In this hour, we pray for the character, courage, and civility of a former Member of this House - President Ford. He healed the country when it needed healing.

While I know he just died and some mention is required, did Speaker Pelosi have to use Republican Gerald Ford as the measure of a great Congressperson? I doubt we heard such nice words from the right about dearly departed Democrats over the years. Again, though, this was not entirely a surprise.

What did surprise me was her open deference to Christian prayer, both above and here:

“And I thank my constituents in San Francisco for the privilege of representing them in Congress. Saint Francis of Assisi is our city’s patron saint, and his prayer is our city’s anthem: ‘Lord, make me a channel of thy peace; where there is darkness may we bring light, where there is hatred, may we bring love, and where there is despair, may we bring hope.’

It’d be nice if she remembered that some of the new Congresspeople she’s welcoming are notable non-believers in Jesus as Lord. I must also assume fewer than 100% of her constituents are Christian, too. Would it really have been so hard to chop that paragraph out of her remarks?

But even more surprising and upsetting was her list of goals for this Congress:

“Let us be the Congress that rebuilds our military to meet the national security challenges of the 21st century.

“Let us be the Congress that strongly honors our responsibility to protect our people from terrorism.

“Let us be the Congress that never forgets our commitment to our veterans and first responders, always honoring them as the heroes they are.

I find it deeply disheartening that Democrats continue to talk up the threat of terrorism.

First of all, it’s strategically stupid. Invoking terrorism reinforces the belief that Republican fear-mongering is legitimate, and Democrats are disadvantaged in that climate against the dictatorial nationalist Rethugs every time.

Worse, it’s a lie. Pelosi knows damn well that terrorism isn’t one of the most important problems facing Americans, and it sucks she’s fostering the myth.

Why don’t the Democrats understand that while some swing voters may have gone Dem based on Bush’s wartime incompetence, the vast majority of Americans consider issues like health care and the environment to be of equal or greater importance?

I know and like her initial plan of action. But why couldn’t she talk the talk? The right political rhetoric has a tremendous impact on our culture — just ask the Republicans who’ve made it a science.

In my dream world, Nancy Pelosi would’ve gotten up and said something like this:

“Today, the opening of the opening of the 110th Congress marks an end of the climate of fear and the beginning of a new era of hope.

Today marks an end to blank checks and rubber stamps and the beginning of diligence and oversight.

Today marks an end to the mismanagement of tax dollars and our government’s bottom line and the beginning of fiscal responsibility.

The American people have spoken, and spoken loudly. If our citizens wanted to see the previous agenda modified, I would not be standing here today as the leader of a new majority party. Instead, through their votes, the American people made it clear they want that agenda halted. More than that, they want a new agenda put into place.

Americans want us to help them alleviate the suffocating burden of health care costs. They want us to make it easier to obtain a good education. They demand the restoration of their individual rights. They believe we must do a better job of protecting of the environment. And we must never forget that our only job is to help these people, our constituents, deal with the issues that matter most to them.

So let us begin this new era by recommitting ourselves to integrity, to the fulfillment of our basic Constitutional duties. Regardless of the side of the aisle on which you sit, this is the only way you can truly honor our forefathers and the citizens you represent.”

For naysayers who are made uncomfortable by adversarial rhetoric and who discount the importance of discarding Republican talking points in favor of our own, I remind you that the strategy of timidity and allowing Republicans to define the poltical battleground is why Democratic victories over the last several decades have been waning, sporadic, and based more on Republican incompetence than confidence in the Democrats. If we ever want to achieve consistent success and lasting representation on issues beyond protecting the wealthy and waging war, we have to fight for the long-term hearts and minds of Americans.

Today would’ve been an excellent time to start.