This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
Main Street in Janesville, Wisconsin was buzzing today as a crowd of a couple of hundred people gathered in front of Rep. Paul Ryan's home office, waiting for a bus to arrive.
The bus carried four nuns on a tour across the Midwest, challenging both the policy and the theology of Ryan's budget plan for the U.S.
Advertisement
The crowd and the bus were far different than the scene on Monday in Janesville when Mitt Romney's bus and its entourage rolled into town as part of the Republican presidential candidates' sweep across the heartland.
At his appearance in front of an enthusiastic crowd in a textile factory, Romney was joined by Ryan, as well as Gov. Scott Walker. They sketched out a vision for America's future very different that that offered by the nuns on a bus.
As the nuns' bus pulled up, the crowd greeted Sr. Simone Campbell and her three colleagues like heroes. "Thank you, thank you," the group chanted as the nuns worked their way through the throng towards Ryan's office in a downtown mall building.
Ryan's constituent services director was there to meet the nuns - a sharp contrast from their experience in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday where Cong. Steve King's office was dark and locked when they arrived.
Advertisement
Sister Campbell, head of the Catholic social justice organization known as Network, characterized the meeting with Ryan's staff as very cordial. She emphasized the importance of people with differing viewpoints engaging in conversation over their differences.
The differences between Ryan and the nuns go to the heart of their views of the world, Two signs in the crowd caught the difference well. They also caught the tensions in Ryan's own formation that includes inspiration both from this Catholic faith and from author Ayn Rand.
Kristie Borgwardt of Janesville held up a sign that said "Paul Ryan worships Ayn Rand, not God," a reflection of his comments over the years about the profound influence that particular philosopher had on his view of the world. Rand argued strongly for the supremacy of the individual.
Christine Krause of South Beloit, a city just to the south of Janesville, had a sign that said "Solidarity in Community Before Individuality," a theme that Campbell and the other nuns have been stressing in answer to Ryan's citation of Catholic teaching in how he approaches the nation's issues.
Campbell said as the tour began that it was Ryan's use of his understanding of Catholic teaching on social justice that propelled her and the other nuns out on this tour. Theologians, Catholics activists, even the U.S. Conference of Bishops, have taken issue with Ryan's interpretation of Catholic theology.
Advertisement
Ryan did not engage the nuns directly about theology on this day. Perhaps he thought that you can't really win a public religious argument with a nun. He did issue a statement citing high unemployment, persistent poverty, the national debt and said that "Washington owes the American people bold and targeted reforms and real solutions that address today's most urgent fiscal challenges."
For the nuns, the tour is about more than debating points. They left Janesville headed for Milwaukee, where they would be at a long-standing meal program run by one of the churches. They know what it's like to be in the midst of the poor.
They also know churches and other faith communities cannot meet the challenges of poverty alone. As Campbell is fond of reminding crowds, if every church, synagogue and mosque and other faith community in the nation were to try to do what federal programs now do, it would cost them each an additional $50,000 a year for the next 10 years beyond what they are doing now.
The nuns were also conscious of the roiling controversy with the Catholic hierarchy over their public advocacy for the poor while not paying much attention to issues like abortion. Campbell noted pointed that they care about all issues across the spectrum of life but that their focus is on the lives of those in poverty.
And then the bus rolled on. The tour continues, ending in early July in Washington, D.C. with stops along the way in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Oho, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
Advertisement
Nuns On A Bus Visit Paul Ryan's Office
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.