Where’s the Outrage?

The recent flap over possibly, or possibly-not, anti-Mormon comments made by Reverend Al Sharpton is nothing new in Presidential politics. Reverend Sharpton was moved to speak about Mormonism because of Mitt Romney’s White House bid. 

Many know that John F. Kennedy had to overcome anti-Catholic feelings to win election in 1960. Less known is that the first major party Catholic nominee was New York Governor Al Smith. Smith was the Democratic candidate in 1928.

Governor Smith’s showing in the South was the worst to that point for a Democrat in the post-Reconstruction era. I’ve sometimes imagined Southern voters of the day sitting at home and figuring out which group of people they disliked most as they decided between Catholic Governor Smith and Herbert Hoover of the party of Lincoln.

The very first Presidential nominating convention in American history was held in 1831 by the Anti-Masonic party. The Anti-Masonic party, as you might suppose, was a party dedicated to limiting the influence of Masons in American life. While Masonry is not a religion, the concept of disliking Masons for being Masons seems close to enough to bias against Catholics and Mormons.

I’m not at all for Mr. Romney in 2008. Still, I hope that when his campaign fails next year Mr. Romney is defeated for his lousy stands on the issues and not because of his faith.    

Tags: Election 2008, Other Political Thoughts, Religion by Texas Liberal
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You decide.  I don’t know.  Al Sharpton is not a major public figure or radio/tv personality.  For the most part, I’m focused on people who are making decisions in Washington.  Mitt Romney has plenty of problems on flip-flopping on abortion and other issues.  His decisions seem to be  based what can get him nominated and not what he truly believes but that is between him and his God.  I think what Sharpton was saying was that all God fearing people will defeat Republicans including Mitt Romney.

 

 HB - Sharpton explains [8:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Hardball, Religion by ecthompson
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I must admit that I feel that I’m watch an episode of Pinky and the Brain. It seems that Karl Rove is the Brain. World domination is what he is after or more correctly the ability to control Congress with compliant Republicans.

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From Salon.com:

By evil chance, I spent the Saturday night before Election Day 2000 at a jolly dinner for high-level Republicans. Most of the talk over the entrees concerned why then-candidate George W. Bush had been too pusillanimous to tell the voters that Al Gore was not just a liberal, but a Soviet-style Marxist-Leninist. But as the desserts circulated, so too did a piece of comic relief — an anonymous leaflet explaining to voters that because of heavy voter registration, the rules had been changed: Republicans would vote on Tuesday, Democrats and independents on Wednesday.

I think of that dinner whenever I read about the widening scandal of the U.S. attorneys and the politicization of the Justice Department under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzo is probably the most endangered man since William Tell’s son Walter. The pattern behind the scandal, however, transcends Gonzales’ fate or that of his underlings.

At least part of the U.S. attorneys plot seems to derive from the “election fraud” hoax that Republicans are trying to perpetrate in order to gain control of the country’s voter lists. So nailing this inept crew of thugs won’t be good enough. We need laws protecting the right to vote from the kind of phony, partisan prosecutors that Gonzales, Rove and Co. were trying to put in place, and from the punitive, restrictive voter-ID laws that are a prominent part of the far-right political agenda.

Republicans do cherish their little practical jokes — the leaflets in African-American neighborhoods warning that voters must pay outstanding traffic tickets before voting; the calls in Virginia in 2006 from the mythical “Virginia Election Commission” warning voters they would be arrested if they showed up at the polls. The best way to steal an election is the old-fashioned way: control who shows up. It’s widely known that Republicans do better when the turnout is lighter, whiter, older and richer; minorities, young people and the poor are easy game for hoaxes and intimidation. (more…)

Tags: Party Politics, US Attorneys by ecthompson
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