Andy Beshear wants Americans to emulate the Good Samaritan, not Trump

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NAPERVILLE, Illinois (RNS) — The line outside Anderson’s Bookshop stretched down the block and around the corner as patrons waited to hear Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear talk about “Go and Do Likewise,” his new book on faith and politics.

And perhaps to get a first look at a future presidential candidate.

Beshear, a two-time Democratic governor of red-state Kentucky, grandson of a Baptist lay preacher and newly minted New York Times bestselling author, did not disappoint on Monday night (Oct. 5).

Drawing heavily on the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan — in which a foreigner helps out a stranger left by the side of the road — and his experiences helping Kentuckians rebuild after a series of natural disasters, Beshear painted a picture of an America where neighbors help one another out when things go wrong rather than giving in to polarization.

“While I don’t want us to have as many natural disasters as Kentucky has had, if we can remind Americans that we are the very best of ourselves, that we love and care about our neighbor, and that our neighbor is not the enemy from within, we can…