RNC elects Steele

Today the Republicans chose their RNC Chairman, and after 6 ballots they elected former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. He is an African-American, a moderate, a great public speaker, and a committee outsider - all opposites of recent past chairmen. For a few voting rounds, I thought they might actually elect South Carolina's Katon Dawson, who would have reinforced their "old white dude" image; not insignificant, he was a member of an all-white country club. But the RNC summoned their better angels, bless them. With the election of Steele, the committee obviously is looking to create a more inclusive, forward-thinking party, and now the Republican party can start re-imaging their broken brand.

Steele will have the daunting task of curbing GOP losses nationwide. As I commented last month, the GOP is beholden to Southern conservatism which, as Nate Silver explains, creates a political "death spiral:"

Thus the Republicans, arguably, are in something of a death spiral. The more conservative, partisan, and strident their message becomes, the more they alienate non-base Republicans. But the more they alienate non-base Republicans, the fewer of them are left to worry about appeasing. Thus, their message becomes continually more appealing to the base -- but more conservative, partisan, and strident to the rest of us. And the process loops back upon itself.

Good luck with that, Chairman Steele.

Religious Discrimination and Harassment

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rates of religious discrimination in the workplace have doubled in the last 15 years, most likely due to the increased awareness of religious rights and the willingness to exercise these rights. The nature of these religious discrimination claims has also changed, where more people are demanding the right to religious expression on the job, and there is a low incidence rate of religious bullying and harassment. (h/t Beliefnet via Blog from the Capital)

Yet, here is a local and recent example of religious bullying and harassment. From the Roanoke Times:

A former Blacksburg Middle School library worker is suing the Montgomery County School Board, accusing it of condoning religious harassment.

Judith Scott ... said in a lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Roanoke that an unnamed supervisor held Christian prayer meetings in which she turned out the lights and laid hands on people, "anointed" the library and left religious notes around Scott's workplace. When Scott complained, her 14 years of employment came to an abrupt end, the lawsuit said.

The Times article has more background on the case. How sad and infuriating to me.

Obama's Super Bowl pick

Steelers:

“Other than the Bears, the Steelers are close to my heart," Obama said.

Rep. Foxx speaks

Now, I disagree with Republican political ideology, but even so, Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-5) and I have mutually exclusive understandings of the world around us; I just don't get what she is thinking most of the time. Quick background: I was the campaign manager for a congressional race against her in 2006, when she voted against Katrina relief and thought the Iraq War was going swell (when fighting was at its worst). For sports fans, she was the one who made a mockery of the baseball's congressional steroid hearings when she took four random pictures of Roger Clemmons and said, "You look the same size in each of the pictures, therefore you can't have taken steroids."

So I came across this one sentence post by Andrew Sullivan:

Noam Scheiber points out the faulty financial logic of a GOP congresswoman.

My heart dropped and I thought, "What did Foxx say now." I mean, there are plenty of Republican congresswomen, but if one of them is getting negative national attention there is a heightened chance it is Foxx. The link takes you to The New Republic, and sure enough, they are criticizing Foxx and her "breathtaking" understanding of the economic meltdown:

This tidbit from the Times story on the House stimulus vote just bowls you over:

Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina, said that former President George Bush’s signature tax cuts in 2001 had created years of growth but that the nation’s problems started when Democrats regained majorities in Congress in the 2006 elections.

Really? So the Democrats came into office and a housing bubble retroactively inflated and began to pop? Mortgage-backed assets worth trillions less than their stated value just magically appeared on bank balance sheets and in hedge fund portfolios?

Just to clarify, did all this happen on election night 2006, or was it not until January of 2007, when Nancy Pelosi officially became Speaker?

Ugh. Too bad that district is so gerrymandered (PVI R+16). She is an embarrassment.

Atheist advertising campaigns

Driving throughout rural Virginia, you can easily find many religious signs and billboards, from the unnerving anti-abortion messages to the traditional "Jesus saves" script. My favorite in Henry County says something along the lines of "Abortion is the ultimate child abuse." In the same vain, a couple atheist groups have recently decided to advertise using similar campaign strategies.

In light of Darwin's upcoming 200th birthday, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is advertising on billboards in specific cities, localities that hosted past religion-science debates: Dayton, TN (Scopes Trial) and Dover, PN (Dover trial). The billboards say "Praise Darwin -- Evolve Beyond Belief" on them. The article has other amusing messages that were considered.

In a currently on-going campaign, the British Humanist Association, funded by Richard Dawkins, is advertising their message on buses throughout England. Their message states "There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Here is Dawkins' over-the-top justification:

Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children.

Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side.

This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion.

Whether brainwashed or unthinking, over time I would be just as annoyed seeing these atheism-thumping messages - however cute or amusing initially - as I am with the religious ones.

Quote of the Day

I'm speechless.

Says Joseph Farah:

Many a coward has been bolstered in his conviction against challenging tyranny by not reading too deeply into the Scriptures. Yet, nowhere does the Bible ever suggest evil rulers are to be obeyed. When the rule of men conflicts with the commands of God, the Bible leaves no doubt about where we should stand.

That's why I do not hesitate today in calling on godly Americans to pray that Barack Hussein Obama fail in his efforts to change our country from one anchored on self-governance and constitutional republicanism to one based on the raw and unlimited power of the central state.

It would be folly to pray for his success in such an evil campaign.

I want Obama to fail because his agenda is 100 percent at odds with God's. Pretending it is not simply makes a mockery of God's straightforward Commandments.

(h/t Steven Waldman)

Evolution Sunday

Michael Zimmerman, the Dean of Rutgers University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has started a strong grassroots effort to have religious leaders teach their congregations about the science of evolution. He has had over 10,000 leaders sign on, and his work has culminated in the establishment of Evolution Sunday, where every year pastors teach the contributions of evolution from the pulpit on the Sunday nearest Darwin's birthday.

Within this article, I think there are several other points worthy of our discussion. First, according to the author:

Zimmerman thinks the best way to change this mindset is for scientists to step back from the debate and hand the reins over to religious leaders.

Since the debate is about the religious implications to these existential origins, leave that discussion to theologians and religious leaders. Science should not be distracted by this religious in-fighting.

At the same time, certain atheist arguments premised on evolution actually are harmful to science in the long run, and in this manner, Zimmerman takes issue with Richard Dawkins' approach to atheism. Against Dawkins, Zimmerman believes that a strong understanding of evolution does not inevitably lead to atheism - it can be reconciled within theology - and, he worries that Dawkins' needless pitting of science against religion forces many otherwise receptive people to reject science all together:

And while he respects Dawkins, he believes his message—understanding of evolutionary processes inevitably leads to atheism—has done more harm than good for scientific literacy.

“He has a polarizing effect on the debate with his argument that science must lead you to atheism,” Zimmerman said. “He is a proselytizing atheist, who uses his position as a scientist to discuss atheism.”

Did I mention that Zimmerman is an atheist and, by training, an evolutionary biologist?

Discuss.

Gubernatorial (not so) deep thought

Bill Clinton is headlining our J-J dinner next week, the big fundraising event for the Democratic Party of Virginia. Bill Clinton is Terry McAuliffe's BFF. With a large group of Democratic activists in one place at one time, that seems like one heckuva advantage.

Starting points for lasting peace

I have been hesitant to launch into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as I am in over my head. I am not knowledgeable enough to offer creative or practical solutions to the conflict, and my background knowledge of the entire situation is elementary and incomplete. But one Dem Bones' reader passed along a great NYT op-ed piece, by Scott Atran and Jeremy Ginges, that I thought was helpful. Atran and Ginges conducted a survey of 4,000 Israelis and Palestinians - including political heavyweights - and found one possible way in which to start peace negotiations.

Peaceful negotiations between Israel and Palestine are fraught with complexity, as both sides have legitimate grievances against the other. The anger on both sides is transcendent, real, and sacred. According to the writers, peaceful negotiations premised upon the rational calculations about quality of life miss the point; they are misguided Western understandings of what constitutes peaceful settlements. The two-state solution is a tough sell for both sides, as both have sacred beliefs that confound this solution. And to force a deal with huge economic incentives only fosters resentment, as neither side believes money can redress their greivances; you can't buy peace. Yet, according to the survey, when one side makes difficult symbolic gestures, the other side was more inclined to accept peace-making deals. For Israel it means to admit they were wrong in displacing civilians in the 1948 war, and for Palestine it means to recognize Israel's right to exist.

Rush, the GOP, and Obama (updated)

Last week, Rush Limbaugh exclaimed that he hopes Obama fails as a President. Regardless of any person's political ideology, that was disgraceful. Obama responded by asking the GOP leaders to lay off the Limbaugh kool-aid: "You can't listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." Limbaugh attacked in-kind, saying Obama is:

obviously more frightened of me than he is Mitch McConnell. He's more frightened of me, than he is of, say, John Boehner, which doesn't say much about our party.

To which one GOP Representative stood up for his leadership team against Limbaugh:

“I think that our leadership, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, are taking the right approach,” [Rep. Phil] Gingrey [R-GA] said. “I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell."

With Republican leaders stepping into the fray, hopefully Obama can now stop giving Rush a platform.

On a related note, Chris Cilliza wonders if Limbaugh is the new face of the GOP. But as left-leaning bloggers point out, Limbaugh has always been a face - one of many - of the GOP (see here and here)

Update: Rep. Gingrey, inundated with calls from angry conservatives, was forced to give an apology to Limbaugh.

White Sox-Obama cap

In another example of the all-encompassing Obama brand, the Chicago White Sox have made a baseball cap with Obama campaign insignias and are aiming to release the cap to the public by spring training. Proceeds will go to local charities, but the baseball organization needs Obama's approval before they can start selling it. Interesting quote:

While team officials said there is not a concern about upsetting conservative-leaning White Sox fans, pointing to baseball’s historic role as a political unifier, they are aiming to draw a careful line about how much they do in connection with the president.

“We don’t want to be overly opportunistic and exploit this,” [White Sox Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Brooks] Boyer said.

Just mildly opportunistic and exploitative.

(h/t Huffington Post)

It has started

Earlier in the month, I wrote on Moran's call out of money McAuliffe raises from out of state. I said that Moran is going to cry foul when it happens, but McAuliffe won't listen. And, I questioned if the out-of-state/district-money meme really resonates with average voters in the first place.

Well, it has started.

Last week, McAuliffe held a fundraiser in Park Avenue in New York, one attended by Pres. Clinton. At that fundraiser, McAuliffe raised a hefty $350k. Today, the Moran campaign has fired back. Saith Moran strategist Mame Reiley:

"Last week, Terry McAuliffe was up on Wall Street at a glitzy Park Avenue location, collecting money while Brian Moran was announcing the boldest environmental plan of any candidate," Reiley wrote. "Yesterday, McAuliffe announced he's spending that Wall Street money on high-priced TV ads in Virginia."

On a side note, generally when a campaign attacks your campaign, your communications director should always parry with "Candidate X is focused on getting down to the issues and solving our problems." Right on cue, McAuliffe Communication's Director, Lis Smith responded:

"We know that Brian and Creigh are both good Democrats and that they both understand that Virginians aren't interested in the old way of campaigning," Smith said. "That's why Terry is staying focused on important issues like getting the economy back on track. We look forward to a discussion about these issues in the coming months."

The only part left of my initial theory is whether this will resonate with Democratic activists. I am skeptical, but we are about to find out.

Does the press understand religion?

From misunderstanding basic tenets of faith to failing to reflect, or properly weight, the diversity of religious thought, the press does not understand religion. On the subject of press coverage and religion, I found this article by Les Sillars and was blown-away (h/t RNS Blog). This article is so rich with sub-topics of discussion, that I am unsure how to fairly approach the overall topic: the press doesn't understand basic Islamic tenets of faith; how the press' coverage of religion influences support for public policy on the Hill; the press unfairly stereotypes conservatives; the press has a "bigoted" approach to religion; the press won't get better anytime soon on the topic of religion, if it doesn't get worse. Each of these topics is worthy of exploration and discussion. If you have time, please read the article.

To me, the article missed one important issue. I am most bothered by how the if-it-bleeds-it-leads conflict-generating media elevates certain (more extreme) views into the public discussion creating the general misperception that those views are both normative and majority; their skewing or mis-weighting of the plurality of theological voices leads, cognitively, to a fallacious availability heuristic. In this light, lost is the respect for the vast diversity of religious and theological thought, dismissed by the oversimplified - and perhaps dumbed-down - fault lines of conservatism versus liberalism. And when the press is only willing to cover a very narrow set of hot-button issues (i.e., abortion, homosexuality, environmentalism, school prayer), this supposed ideological binary perpetuates and exacerbates the divisiveness already inherent within those discussions. Healthy theological diversity is out, and unhealthy theological disagreeableness is in.

Non-profits and the stimulus bill

In response to the economic downturn, many nonprofit organizations on the front line of emergency relief are being stretched too thin. The Christian Science Monitor has an article in which they argue that this nonprofit sector should get part of the economic stimulus package. Money quote:

As Congress digs in this week for negotiations on President Obama's $825 billion economic stimulus bill – with funds targeted to tax cuts, infrastructure, and state aid – people in and outside the nonprofit sector say it ought to be part of that package. Not only would this preserve jobs and shore up a crucial part of the US service-delivery network, they say, but would employ it most effectively in spurring an economic recovery.

"By including this sector we can take advantage of a huge network of institutions that work hard ... to improve the welfare of communities and individuals, that will spend the money quickly, that have the capacity to spread the dollars widely, and that in the absence of such help will need to shrink and thus become another drag on the economy," says Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow in economics at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

(h/t Faith In Public Life)

Lynchburg News & Advance defends Tom

The Lynchburg News & Advance yesterday published an editorial in which they actually came to the defense of Rep. Perriello. (For those out of district, it is a pretty conservative editorial staff.) As the NRCC is already attacking Perriello, the News & Advance has had enough of ultra-partisan hacks, on both sides of the isle, putting politics over solutions:

Shame on them.

...

They do a disservice to the nation they profess to love.

America is in desperate need of politicians, nay, of statesmen, who can put aside their philosophical disagreements and work with each other for the good of the country.

...

Gone is the concept of getting into politics out of a belief in public service. It’s been trampled under foot by goose-stepping hacks of all political stripes who believe that they, and only they, have a lock on the truth.

And America suffers because of them.

All of them.

McAuliffe on the tele'

This ad is currently airing in the Hampton Roads market. I am interested to see how the early air time pressures both the Moran and Deeds' campaigns.

Obama, me, and the Myers-Brigg (updated)

According to some dude's non-scientific assessment, Obama and I share the same Myers-Brigg type: ENTP (extravert, intuition, thinking, perceiving). If I remember correctly, us ENTP'ers make up approximately 1% of the population.

I would like to believe this guy's assessment is 100% accurate, because by air-tight and flawless logic, it means I too am charismatic and presidential.

Update: Chad of Homebrewed Christianity, in a buzz-killing-like fashion, found an unscientific assessment in which Obama has his personality type: ENFP.

Danville Amtrak and other Perriello press

With the new push for infrastructure investments, Amtrak has proposed adding a additional lines within the state, including a new line from Lynchburg to D.C. This new line has the possibility of hurting overall service in and out of Danville, which of course would negatively effect the city's economy. Sen. Webb and Rep. Perriello wrote to Amtrak expressing their concerns for and requesting assurances against the effects of the new line on Danville's economy and asked for other considerations to make it easier for residents to use the railroad system.

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These other two stories are a couple days old but still worth passing on.

Rep. Perriello broke from the party line and voted against the releasing of the rest of the $350 billion in bailout funds. He was concerned with the lack of accountability measures in the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). In a press release, Perriello stated:

“Citizens of the 5th District elected me to help replace the era of blank-check bailouts with a new era of accountability in our government, in our corporations, and in our personal lives. We must move from quick-fixes to solutions based on investment and recovery in order to turn our economy around,” said Perriello. “If the TARP funds are released over my objections, I am urging President Obama to adopt these new, stringent accountability measures to make sure our taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely, effectively, and transparently to create jobs. Compared to last year’s bailout, these common-sense accountability measures represent the change that voters demanded and that Virginia’s working families deserve.”

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Reps. Perriello and Doggett's CLASS Act bill is headed to the House floor, funded for $13.5 billion. According to their press release (Jim White has the full text here):

U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Congressman Tom Perriello (D-Virginia) today welcomed House Ways and Means Committee approval of a tuition and textbook tax credit in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009. (H.R. 598). This higher education tax credit is drawn from legislation they filed earlier this year.

They also offered a concise description of their bill in the release:

For 2009 and 2010, H.R. 598 provides taxpayers with a new American Opportunity Tax Credit of up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition and related expenses paid during the taxable year. The American Opportunity Tax Credit would replace the Hope Tax Credit and the above-the-line tuition tax deduction for the next two years. For the first time, textbooks would be included in the higher education expenses that would be eligible for the tax credit. Forty percent of the tax credit – up to $1000 – would be refundable. This tax credit will be subject to a phase-out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $80,000 ($160,000 for married couples filing jointly). This will provide an estimated $13.5 billion in tax relief.

Obama brand used for heroin

You know the Obama brand is all-encompassing when heroin dealers use the name for their product.

I guess that's change you can trip to.

(h/t I Had No Right)

Papal double-take (updated)

The Huffington Post today has two interesting articles on the Pope and the internet. In the first, the Pope cautions against the overuse of social networking sites, like Facebook and Myspace:

Benedict welcomes as a "gift" new technologies such as social networking sites, saying they respond to the "fundamental desire" of people to communicate.

But he also warns that "obsessive" virtual socializing can isolate people from real interaction and deepen the digital divide by excluding those already marginalized.

Yet, the Vatican just announced that it has launched a YouTube channel, so you can watch HD videos of important papal ceremonies:

... the pope fully approved of the Vatican YouTube channel, saying Benedict was "a man of dialogue" who wanted to engage with people wherever they were.

Kinda like the internet ... and social networking sites.

So the Pope, a "man of dialogue" with the "fundamental desire" to communicate, starts a website to communicate with people where they are - in effect "virtually socializing." We should hope that the Vatican doesn't become "obsessive" about updating their website or they could potentially "exclude those already marginalized."

Or did I get that wrong. I'm a little confused.

Update: Obviously, this is the type of story the Pope is talking about: A British man murders his wife over her "single" relationship status on Facebook. (h/t Huffington Post)