Day: November 10, 2005

Lord Help Us, Democrats Are Being Told To Find God

Trish

The tea leaves at the bottom of the pot of Democratic victories in this week’s elections are getting closer scrutiny than the models in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Everyone has a theory about why Democrats, considered by some dead and buried as a party, could still win. One explanation I am particularly loathe to embrace is that it’s about getting religion. Some pundits think that in the future, everyone should be Virginia Governor-Elect Timothy M. Kaine.

…Mr. Kaine’s advisers and some top Democratic strategists say their victory in Virginia shows that Democrats, including liberals, can win in culturally conservative states if they talk about deeply held religious beliefs.

That lesson is likely to be studied by many Democrats across the country as they head into next year’s midterm elections, political analysts and party officials say…

Representative Ted Strickland, who is running in next year’s Democratic primary for governor of Ohio, said the party had hurt itself by not trying to identify more closely with religious voters. He has already begun talking in his campaign about religion’s role in his life and politics.

“I do think the Democratic Party has for far too long been hesitant to talk about the things we deeply believe and value,” said Mr. Strickland, a former Methodist minister. “Many public policy positions have their foundation in religious beliefs that we hold dear.”

Sure they do. But freedom of religion and freedom from religion are bedrock values in America, or they were in the America where I grew up.

At least former Pres. Jimmy Carter, who has a new book out criticizing the Bush administration, isn’t letting the smell of victory go to his head. […]

We Can Do Better Than Trash TV, Obama Says

Trish

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is trying to wake us up from our TV stupor, just as a new study shows that sex on TV is becoming ubiquitous. Ad Age:

One reason I think George Bush gets away with so much is that we are becoming a nation of George W. Bushes

In its fourth biennial study of TV, the [Kaiser Family Foundation] reported that both the number of shows with sexual content and the number of sexual scenes has risen sharply. Some 70% of shows now have some sexual content, compared to 56% in 1998, and there are 5 sexual scenes per hour compared to 3.2 in 1998. The study excludes news, sports and children’s shows.

Obama, although threatening broadcasters with legislative action, makes some great, long-overdue points not just about sex on TV but the vapid assumptions behind “entertainment.”

“We don’t teach our children that healthy relationships involve drunken, naked parties in a hot tub with strangers — but that’s what they see on ‘The Real World.’ We don’t teach them to express their anger by seeing how much blood they can draw with a round of ammo, but that’s what they learn in the most popular video games. And we don’t teach our kids that the height of success is inheriting a family fortune to buy Gucci bags without ever working a day in your life, but that’s how Paris Hilton gets by on ‘The Simple Life.’”

“You can say that kids know this isn’t real,” Mr. Obama, said, “but when they’re fed a steady diet of these depictions over and over again from the time they’re very young, this behavior becomes acceptable — even normal.”

I’ll go Obama one better, and say that not only do kids not question this bilge, but neither do adults. People get tired of hearing me say I don’t watch TV because they think my point is that I am superior because of it. The truth is I can’t afford cable, plus I’m only home in the evening one or two days a week (that second job). But what happens when you are not exposed to a steady diet of this stuff is that over time you notice differences in thought between yourself and people who are exposed to it, even cool people with their hearts in the right place. There are built-in assumptions that go along with TV-watching, and the more you watch, the more they become internalized. […]

More on Why Arnold Has Bombed as Governor

Jon Ponder

A hollow man’s undoing: For political junkies in California, the trouncing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took in the polls on Tuesday made perfect sense. It was one of those rare moments when – as much as is ever possible – the electorate spoke in one voice, loud and clear. The message from the voters to Arnold was very simple: You suck!

Many voters chose Arnold in that election not because he stood for anything, but because they thought it would be funny to have The Terminator as governor.

Schwarzenegger’s seemingly abrupt change in fortunes may be confusing to the rest of the world. Here’s a good explanation of it from David Wallechinsky at the Huffington Post:

In 2003, a majority of voters did not vote for Schwarzenegger, but he won anyway because the rules of the election did not allow a runoff. Many voters chose Arnold in that election not because he stood for anything, but because they thought it would be funny to have The Terminator as governor. Even I, who did not vote for him, purchased a Govenator coffee mug. Schwarzenegger sold himself as a Republican who was friendly to Democrats and independents. However, once in power, he ruled as a strict Republican Party partisan. He is not a conservative. Like George Bush, he is more of a “corporative,” someone who puts the needs of corporations and the rich above all else.

Bypassing the Democratic-controlled legislature, he put forth four propositions to be voted on by the citizens of California, the details of which are no longer relevant. Knowing that they were unlikely to pass in a general election, he called a special election—at a cost to California taxpayers of about $55 million. He also hoped that by winning this election he would be well-positioned to gain reelection next year. But, again like George Bush, he completely misread the extent of his “mandate.” According to Survey USA, Schwarzenegger’s net job approval rating, minus 32%, is worse than 48 of the other 49 governors. (Only Ohio’s Bob Taft is more unpopular.)

Besides Schwarzenegger’s four propositions, there were four other proposals on the ballot. None of them passed. In other words, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a failed attempt to boost his political career, wasted $55 million of taxpayer money that could have been used to help the state. When he campaigned for governor two years ago, Schwarzenegger boasted that he was too rich to be bought by special interests. That being the case, I propose that he make it up to the citizens of California by using his own fortune to reimburse the state for the millions that he caused us to lose

We second Wallechinsky’s proposal and add this: He should resign – immediately. We’re serious about this because, again like Bush, his credibility among the electorate is gone. Leaders with no crediblity cannot govern.