Religious Right = Achilles’ Heel of the GOP

Pat Roberston is a perfect example of all that is wrong with the Religious Right and why I believe the unholy alliance between the fiscal conservatives and the religious right will eventually become too strained to maintain (think McCain/Palin and going rogue).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/13/pat-robertson-haiti-curse_n_422099.html

Conference Round-up

Here’s your chance to share your impressions from this weekend’s General Conference. Were there particular talks you found inspiring? Themes that you appreciated? Questions that came up? They don’t have to have a political angle, just share your thoughts.

I was particularly impressed, although not surprised, by the number of talks that addressed the struggling economy. There is so much finger-pointing going on in the media right now that it gets a bit exhausting. I sometimes wonder if some of the more radical pundits out there want the economy to continue to dive just so they can blame Obama. But what impressed me about Conference was the refreshing focus on how we as individuals, families and wards can help ourselves and those around us to improve our financial health. I was inspired to revisit my own family budget and do more  to help those who may be in need but too afraid or embarrassed to ask.

A Refreshing Change

Now here’s something we didn’t get much (any?) of with President Bush: an Op-Ed in the Washington Post by the President of the United States. Those that questioned Barack’s ability to play the political game with such limited Washington experience are being proved wrong already. The President avoided what must be a constant temptation to cram legislation down the Republicans’ collective throat, went out of his way to explain and discuss the stimulus bill with Republican legislators, and now he’s doing the same with the American people.

The Republican plan involved tax cuts, more tax cuts and nothing other than tax cuts. We’ve seen that NOT work over the last two years, why would it work better now? Sure, Obama’s approach will help people other than just the super-wealthy, but that’s just something this country is going to have to get used to, and I’m glad.

Friday Forum: If it’s not one thing, it’s another

It was late on Election Night, but I was energized. As the talking heads projected victory for soon-to-be President Obama, I literally felt chills. As I spoke with my mom later that night, and listened to her concerns about what an Obama administration would look like, I asked her to just step back for a  minute and appreciate the moment. Regardless of her political views (not as vastly different from mine as she’d like to think), I thought she ought to be able to appreciate the historic nature of this moment. She did, and it helped her realize that elections in our country are much bigger than the actual people we elect, it is representative democracy in its most palpable form. And through those acts of democratic participation, we get perhaps the best indication of where are country stands. Not in terms of red states and blue states, GDP and unemployment, but in terms of heart-felt, often unspoken, views and beliefs about our world and where it should be going. I cringe when I hear people talking about how this election signals the end of racial prejudice. It does not. We are far from that, unfortunately, but it is a significant sign of the direction we are headed.

Which brings me to today’s forum topic. I couldn’t help but notice a disparity this week between the historic inauguration of President Obama and what appears to me as a continuation of a double standard when it comes to gender in politics. The reaction to Caroline Kennedy’s possible appointment to the Senate these past weeks is just one example of the higher standard that we appear to hold women in politics in this country. (The Post has a good column on this in today’s paper.)

I recall a discussion I had with a female co-worker about six months ago. I was an ardent Obama supporter and she a Clinton supporter. I had expressed my concerns about Hillary’s electability in the general election and she called me out. She flat-out accused me of sexism. This blow hit hard for me as I have always considered myself an open-minded, non-judgmental person. I’ve gone out of my way to speak up, particularly in LDS settings, for the important role of women in leadership. Nevertheless, she called me out. She challenged me to ask myself if, deep down, part of my discomfort with Hillary as a candidate was her gender. She questioned whether I wasn’t at least in some measure conditioned to think of leaders as men, and of leadership qualities as those qualities we generally associate with predominantly male characteristics. The thoughts I had over the following several weeks were revealing. As careful as I thought I had been, I couldn’t deny the truth of her accusations. Did I find Hillary too “abrasive” simply because I was conditioned to think of women as less aggressive? Was my impression of her as being too calculating and manipulative just a reaction to some subconscious expectation that she should somehow be less ambitious than her male counterparts?  Was I even applying the same standard for motives to the other candidates? Clearly not. Did I form my opinions about Sarah Palin’s intellectual weakness based on objective reasoning or some unfair social construct based on male intellectual superiority. Who knows, but it was certainly a rough couple of weeks as I grappled with my own prejudices.

So, for today’s forum, I challenge you to go through the same analysis and post your thoughts here. The point is to discuss openly and not condemn each other for speaking honestly. The truth is hard to face sometimes, but we must if we ever hope to overcome some of the prejudices.

Friday Forum: Leg Wrestling?

If any of you are as hooked on the Colbert Report as I am, you’ve already seen the spot from a couple days ago with Jason Chaffetz from Utah’s 3rd District. If you missed it, you can find it here.

My question is: What is Chaffetz’ deal? He comes in and beats Chris Cannon in the primary, arguably because Cannon was arrogant and thought he couldn’t be beat, and offends half of the Utah GOP base in the process. He was a staffer for Dukakis for crying out loud. If you talk to Utah GOP insiders, they will tell you he has offended too many people, is a carpet-bag Republican, and is out in one term. So, what’s he after? He ignores some pretty sound advice from political advisers in both parties to NEVER go on Colbert as a Freshman Congressman. Given Jason’s awkward appearance and dumbfounded responses to a few tough questions, he should have heeded that advice. Then add in the whole drama about him living out of a closet on a cot, and what do we have? Is it a political rookie looking to jump to the head of the class quickly before the locals can shoot him down in favor of more seasoned and proven conservatives? Or is he simply trying to prove his bona fides to the party? Either way, he’s starting to look like an idiot seeking attention.

There are better ways to get attention.

Thoughts on Prop 8

It’s taken me a while to really figure out what I think about the whole Prop 8 issue. I’m still not sure I’ve totally arrived, but I at least feel like I’ve come to some sense of peace with it all. I have voiced previously my general view of same-sex rights, but that was before the Prop 8 issue got really heated and the Church took an official and public position. To reiterate, my personal view (which may differ from other Mormon Democrats), is that while same-sex relationships are morally wrong, I generally oppose government imposing moral decisions on others. Obviously there are times when it is necessary to impose moral constraints in an effort to protect the safety or privacy of others, or to maintain public order. We could debate whether same-sex marriage poses sufficient threats to these communal interests to justify the imposition of governmental restraints, but that is not my intent today. My intent today is to explain the inner struggle I have had with this issue, and the small sense of resolution I feel I have reached.

The War on “the War on Christmas”

The funny thing about the “War on Christmas” is that it pales on comparison to the War on the War on Christmas.” Let’s be honest, the supposed soldiers in the War on Christmas are businesses and advertisers that feel the need (surely inspired by Satan) to not offend the non-Christian segment of the population. Are they being overly cautious? Perhaps, but does this make them anti-Christian? I think not. And yet, the right-wingers (including Utah’s Chris Buttars) seem determined to characterize any attempt at diversity or non-offensiveness as an assault on Christ himself. I don’t get it.

I have always believed that religion, mine and others, is a uniquely personal thing. My faith is between me and my God. There are certainly public manifestations of faith, either in the form of good works towards others or the sharing of faith through missionary work. But I have never understood why it is necessary to honor God in the department stores or in television ads for appliances. Is God offended that we don’t invoke Christ’s name in our fight to lure shoppers? Is Christ demeaned when we fail to put His name in the Thanksgiving Day mailers? 

It seems to me that what the wingers are probably really opposed to is the commercialization of Christmas, something I would agree with. But are they? Or are they actually opposed to the fact that we’re commercializing something OTHER than Christmas? Are we commercializing non-religious, non-Christian “holidays” when we could, and should, be selling Jesus? I find it bizarre. 

The only explanation for this wrong-headedness is the more subtle and divisive one: it’s yet another attempt by the Religious Right to drive a wedge between Americans on the issue of religion. If they can get Christians riled up enough bout the “removal” of Christ from Christmas, they’ll be more susceptible to the extension argument that the “liberal” and “atheists” are waging a War on Christ in a much larger sense. Bill O’Reilly has repeatedly associated the War on Christmas with a ”secular progressive agenda” that includes “legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, gay marriage.” It is this same kind of inflammatory rhetoric that (a) doesn’t solve any problems and (b) causes unnecessary division and hate among Americans at a time when we should be worshipping and showing love and kindness.

So here is my plea: Give up the War on the War on Christmas. Celebrate Christmas in the most meaningful way possible by worshipping Christ and commemorating His birth with your loved ones and serving the less-fortunate. But above all, don’t let your Christmas be ruined by falling victim to the “hate at Christmas” campaign.

God’s Own Party?

Kathleen Parker must have a death wish, but you can’t argue with her logic.

How Quickly Things Change

For the last eight years many from the Right have called any criticism of the Bush Administration or any of its policies “unpatriotic” as if criticism of government itself somehow exhibits a lack of patriotism or pride-of-country. How quickly things change. It seems overnight the Right has come to the realization that criticism is necessary and patriotic. Here‘s an example of how far and how fast the pendulum has swung.

Friday Forum – The Role of Dissent

I’m posting this a little early to get you all thinking. Over the last few months, as the election drew closer, my political discussions with my friends, family and colleagues seemed to grow more passionate. It seemed as though the closer we got to Election Day, the high the stakes had risen. Some of the most heated discussions I had were with people of my own faith. Many of my friends and family members are stunned when they first learn I am an active Democrat, as though they had just learned that I only pay 9% tithing. As I campaigned among my Utah friends and neighbors I occasionally heard responses like the following, “she sounds like a great person and would probably make a great legislator, but I’m just not sure I could vote for a Democrat. I was raised Republican.” Comments like this frustrate me because it shows a complete unwillingness to actually think about the issues and make a decision. They frustrate me even more when it is clear that “being raised a Republican” is merely a shade of “I was raised LDS.”

One of my neighbors put up a yard sign this election season titled “Republican for a Reason” that listed several policy points. My wife asked me if I got mad every time I drove by it. My initial response was yes, but then I realized how relieved I was to see a Utah Republican that has, or at least appears to have, thought through their political positions with their talk radio off.

Anyway, enough for my rant, here is the question of the week: What is the role of dissent as faithful Latter-day Saints? As part of our core beliefs we obviously have certain principles and values in common with our fellow saints that one might say are indisputable. To what extent should we feel free to voice our dissent, even if such dissent takes a different view of certain principles or their application than the prevailing view among Church members or leaders? Just as an example, to what extent should California Saints feel free to say “I believe homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of God but I don’t see it as the government’s place to dictate who can marry and who can’t”? Prop 8 is the obvious example, but there are more. Some other examples have been discussed in previous posts on abortion, same-sex marriage and there are many others. A good discussion of patriotism and dissent is also found here.

What are your thoughts? Are there lines we simply ought not cross and, if so, where are they?

An Historic Night

This may sound lame, but I just got chills when I heard CNN call the race for Obama. This is truly an historic night. I am not surprised at the result, but I am amazed at the strength the Democrats are showing across the country. We even have a pick-up for Mormon Democrats in the U.S. Senate with the election of Tom Udall in New Mexico. I’m sure we’ll talk more about this over the coming days, but for now, it’s a big night.

A Note from a Friend

I received this email from a reader in Australia and thought I would post it for everyone to read:

Hey guys,

I just wanted to drop you all a line on this auspicious day for you. Actually it’s auspicious for the whole world I suppose, but you guys have a little more influence on the process than I do – you get to vote. By way of introduction, my name is Mark – I’m third-generation LDS from Australia.

Although I obviously can’t vote in the election, I just wanted to say how refreshing it was for me to, well, stumble across your site and know “hey, not every Mormon in Utah is voting Republican”…I found the whole concept of an entire state voting Republican as a bloc not just confusing, but downright irritating – it certainly does nothing to shed any preconceptions about church members being “brainwashed” or “indoctrinated”, despite the Church’s officially “neutral” stance.

Unlike many LDS members in Australia, I’ve actually been to both the US and Utah on several occasions over the last decade. I’m fortunate to have friends in UT that are quite a bit more ”open” to varying ideologies, rather than simply being in mental lockstep with everyone else around them.

I should mention that America and Australia have long been linked in many ways, but our politics are quite different. For reference, the political process in Australia is almost completely agnostic – people may or may not know what religion a candidate is, and usually don’t care…and that goes both ways: LDS members here are just as likely to vote ALP (left-wing) as they are to vote Liberal (ironically that’s considered the
conservative/right-wing party!) It seems we actually do have a separation of church and state

Anyway – I didn’t want to write anything more than a brief note saying that although there are people all across the globe who are hoping and praying for an Obama win today, some of them are even LDS members who are looking forward to “change”. Like it or not, if the USA isn’t working properly, or
is going backwards – whether economically, socially, or environmentally - then the rest of the world tends to follow. 

So – all the best for the coming hours. I hold high hopes for a very positive outcome later today, even if Senator McCain takes Utah’s 5 college votes – remember, the end result is what matters. Have a great day!

Cheers,
Mark

Get out and Vote

If you haven’t already (I voted early), then get out and vote today. More importantly, let as many of your LDS friends and family know you voted Democratic. One our biggest hurdles is the perception by many Mormons that there simply aren’t many of us out there and that those that are, are crazy or weird. The more we can show people that reasonable, thoughtful people can be LDS and Democrats, the more willing others will be to consider the values and principles of our party.

Friday Forum: Who are you voting for?

I know our coverage of late has been heavily weighted toward the election, and we promise to return to more uniquely LDS issues after November 4th (or at least mid-November sometime), but for now we’re keeping with the theme . . .

For this final Friday Forum before the election, tell us who you are voting for (president, congress, local, whatever, who cares if we are familiar with the race you’re talking about), but most importantly, tell us why.

Me first:

I voted early and voted for Obama. There will be plenty of comments about Obama so I will limit mine, but my primary reason is change. We need a new, more productive, less devisive direction in this country. It will be tough for Obama to acheive all of his goals, but I fear that McCain is four more years of Bush, which would be horrible for this country.

I am also voting for several Democrats in local Utah races. Unfortunately, Utah has become controlled by one party. Nearly everything done in Utah government is done behind closed doors, without compromise and with little, if any, public input. It doesn’t have to be this way. Our current situation in Utah is largely the result of unfair and illogical redistricting. In the 2006 mid-term election, 43% of Utahns voted for Democratic candidates and yet Democrats control only 20% of the Utah legislature. This is a clear indication of just how much havoc partisan redistricting, without reasonable legislative standards for fairness and representation, can cause. 

A diversity of views inevitably leads to compromise and better legislation. I’m voting for a more representive and responsive government in Utah by working for our Democratic candidates.