Jane Smiley weighs in on this new book by Max Blumenthal, which takes a penetrating look at the Religious Right in this country,
Republican Gomorrah is a frightening book because it is clear to all of us on the outside that the various Republican operatives who surround James Dobson and his ilk have no consciences and will stop at nothing. They invoke the name of God for purposes that shame God absolutely--hurting, destroying, maiming, and damning others who either don't accept their beliefs or don't acknowledge their power and righteousness. Of course that is frightening.
Read more at huffington post.
Republican Gomorrah is a frightening book because it is clear to all of us on the outside that the various Republican operatives who surround James Dobson and his ilk have no consciences and will stop at nothing. They invoke the name of God for purposes that shame God absolutely--hurting, destroying, maiming, and damning others who either don't accept their beliefs or don't acknowledge their power and righteousness. Of course that is frightening.
Read more at huffington post.
I hope everyone saw the story about Meg Whitman, Republican candidate for governor of California. She hasn't voted in almost 40 years. And yet she wants people to vote for her. No surprise that she's a Republican, since they don't believe in government, they believe in power.
ReplyDeleteShe hasn't voted? That is so bizarre I can't even begin to understand it.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to a story that ran in the Sacramento Bee:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2205364.html
She has a lot of money. That apparently is all you must have these days to run for elected office. But I've got a feeling she is rather unique in not even bothering to vote.
Wasn't Whitman the woman who was the big supporter of McCain?
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that story does is help you see behind the republican curtain. To hell with public service or public engagement. Let's make money. Let the little folks vote -- we'll give them all best candidates money can buy -- and we'll take care of the rest. What a country!
In that interview Gintaras linked, Egan talked about the Montana Senator who proudly bought his senate seat with 100 dollar bills tucked into monogrammed envelopes. This is what politics are really all about -- we just don't get to see it up front and personal very often.
It's hard to find a politician, on either side of the aisle unfortunately, who stands up to prolonged scrutiny. People like Whitman, however, seem perfectly comfortable wading into the political arena wearing no clothes. I assume that's because she feels relatively certain that the average, politically polarized voter is incapable of discerning the fundamental inconsistencies that invalidate her candidacy.
ReplyDeleteI read Kevin Philips' American Theocracy a few years back and my general impression was that he conflated the hold religion had on politics. There is no doubt it plays a strong part, but for the most part political leaders pander to religion. I don't really get the feeling that religion controls or even shapes much of the agenda, certainly not as much as they would like to. As evidence, the Dubya administration, which at first did seem to be driven by a "born again" agenda, but ultimately it was neo-conservative politics as usual.
ReplyDeleteI think where religion has a strong pull is in local and even state politics, as witnessed by the Kansas school board decision a few years back to add "intelligent design" as part of the curriculum.
It will be interesting to see how the Palin candidacy develops, if it develops at all, because she is very definitely an outgrowth of this movement, as it witnessed by the "excitement" she gave to the McCain campaign. Of course, in the end she could be playing religion, just as Dubya did, for her own personal gain.
Ms. Palin may be just too, too "Queen Esther" (as I learned from an interview with Blumenthal on NPR and is referred to here: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/07/09/queen-sarah-palin-takes-a-page-from-the-book-of-esther/4) to condescend to the political realm, unless doing so is seen as "sacrifice" (I suppose everyone heard the note of sacrifice in her resignation for the benefit of her state--such martyrdom almost makes one long for out-and-out rascal.)
ReplyDeleteWhitman was (is?) an e-Bay honcho with enough wealth to buy any representation needed to favor business without a need to mess around with such plebeian pursuits as voting. She stated in a press conference when announcing her candidacy that immediately upon taking office she would cut 40,000 state jobs, apparently without recognizing that they are carried out by actual living people who perform actual state functions for other actual people, who have families dependent on their incomes and whose taxes and other deductions are withheld by the state (much easier to evade taxes in the private sector), and who would then have to apply for state unemployment benefits. Their work would then be spread out to remaining (demoralized) workers, many already on furlough several days a month, all without any consequences to those who use/rely on their services. I'm losing count of the ways such a plan would backfire...
According to the deluded far right political pundits, the Bible has been deliberately mistranslated in order to present a liberal bias. Because of this they have undertaken a historical revision of its writings and meaning:
ReplyDeletehttp://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project
If this garbage has any truth then you will have no choice but to be amazed at the foresight used by the KJV translators and their remarkable anticipation of FDR's political viewpoints.
That's funny!
ReplyDeleteThere have been so many revisions undertaken in the past in an effort to dumb down the Bible that one wonders whenever they are going to find the perfect "conservative Bible."
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it seems the Repugs shot their wad in August as it appears Americans have renewed their confidence in Obama and the health care plan and it looks like the Democrats will get a health care bill through Congress.
Haven't heard much from Sister Sarah lately either, after making such an ass of herself in Hong Kong.
Sarah is gearing up for her book publication. So many suckers buying this piece of garbage.
ReplyDelete