Fair is Fair

The Dispatch did (yet another) story on the role of faith in politics. The piece ends with quotes from Tiberi and Shamansky:

Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, and his challenger, Democrat Bob Shamansky of Bexley, agree that their faith helps shape their outlook and value system. But neither spends much time discussing religion on the campaign trail.

Tiberi, a Catholic, says he prefers attending his own church on Sundays rather than campaigning in other churches.

"For me, (my religion and faith) is something important to me that I don’t talk about in my campaign. I don’t go around making speeches about it. It’s clear on my Web site I am active in my church."

Shamansky, who is Jewish and belongs to three synagogues in central Ohio, voiced similar sentiments. He quoted the famous Rabbi Hillel in discussing how his religious upbringing conveyed a moral code "compatible with the American experience." He said: "That which is hateful to you, do not do onto your neighbor."

While Shamansky said that philosophy has "held up pretty well," he added that he is not inclined as a politician to "advertise my religious practices or affiliations. ... I am not going to prove I am holier than somebody else."

If the candidates can stick to those positions, I applaud them both.