Hillary Clinton on Religion, Religious Faith, Secularism, Atheism, Church/State (Separation)

[trotsky]

What Does Clinton Say on Issues that Matter to Secular Atheists & Separationists?

http://atheism.about.com/od/hillaryclintonreligion/tp/HillaryClintonReligionSecular.htm

Whether she is elected president or not, Hillary Clinton is and will remain for some time a leading figure in the Democratic Party. Her views on matters like religion, the role of religion in government and public life, church/state separation, secularism, faith-based initiatives, reproductive choice, atheists and atheism, religion in public school, and related issues should matter to atheists. Secular atheists need to know where she really stands on religious and secular issues before they vote for her so they know exactly whom they are voting for and what long-term policies they are effectively supporting.

This was first written a while back but I think Austin Cline updates it from time to time, and it may get more frequently updated now that Clinton has officially begun her campaign. Long story short, there are several things she has said that should concern non-believers and those who hold church/state separation to be important. Hopefully she will have opportunities during her campaign to answer questions and clarify where she stands.

[edgineered]

1. A photo posted this morning raised a question.

What's that book?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026497023

[trotsky]

2. Looks a little too thin to be a typical bible.

More like a journal, I think.

[edgineered]

7. Well, it had me scared! nt

[AlbertCat]

10. What's that book?

Catcher in the Rye?

[edgineered]

11. Read that one in HS AmLit class. Great book,

so in this case, probably not. In my overactive imagination her hand was on a different book, and she appears to be concerned? about the fate of ISB; not to be confused with praying for his well being.

[Act_of_Reparation]

12. As crazy as it sounds...

...it looks like a planner.

You know... those things people used to stick to their schedules, somewhere between cuneiform tablets and the Palm Pilot. I heard she was a bit of a Luddite, but damn. I didn't know they still made those things.

[edgineered]

13. Could be, or could be a copy of the Decedant Affairs Manual,

an essential reference in the military.

[mr blur]

3. Well, I don't have to make a choice here,

but she seems like one of our typical Tories. I wouldn't vote for her but then I wouldn't vote for any of your candidates. Different cultures and attitudes I suppose.

[RussBLib]

5. I don't have to make a choice either

...as I will vote for the Democrat whoever it is, at least as long as all of the current players stay in the game.

She is not going to be ideal for secularists, but she will still (most likely) be a far better choice than any GOP'er on so many other issues.

No matter what her stances are, they are probably still better than any GOP'er. Any Democrat who refuses to vote for her is helping the GOP take over.

[edgineered]

8. Concur, the general is what it is. The primaries will tell. nt

[jeff47]

6. He might want to get around to updating it to include her association with "the family". (nt)

[mountain grammy]

9. The only thing that really scares me about Hillary

is that she might lose.

[PassingFair]

14. I'm pretty sure she will lose.

Whose vote is she gonna get?

Half of the dems don't like her and ALL of the repukes HATE her.

Jebby runs, and we will LOSE.

[whatthehey]

15. Half the Dems on DU

who are quite often not really Democrats but Greens, Socialists and what have you, don't like her. In broader surveys of real world Democrats she generally does very well, and tellingly better among those who call themselves liberal Dems rather than moderate or Conservative Dems. It's only in web-based echo chambers where the furthest fringes predominate (how many people outside DU, or outside fringe groups, do you meet who want to end capitalism? Yet it is a common and possibly plurality view here).

As to her bona fides for secular folks we will be waiting generations for a front-line politician to espouse that cause, or even withhold from espousing the majoritarian Christian cause. When about half would never even consider voting for a non-believer regardless of other opinions, it's idiotic to not kowtow to the godbotherers as a national politician, or a politician anywhere except the very bluest areas. Even then, as Pete Stark shows, you would be vulnerable to theo-hate even from fellow Dems. I worry more about how much religio-crazy stuff they would either advocate or allow, and HRC seems about par for the Dem course there. Anybody much better a la Frank or Sinema would stand zero chance at her level.

[PassingFair]

16. Republicans and their "libertarian" independents are foam at the mouth in hate with her.

I don't want to "end capitalism", but I can't stand the war-hawk Clinton.

I would rather support Lincoln Chafee at this point.

[whatthehey]

17. And yet she still seems to have a Churchill's view of democracy about her

If people hate her, and Koresh knows many do, more of them hate every other potential challenger.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/president/

The thing about Hillary hate is that it's a lopsided dumbell. The right side of that dumbell wouldn't vote for a Jesus/Albert Schweitzer ticket with a D after it and would crawl over broken glas to vote against any Dem, so no change there. The long bit in the middle is actually quite receptive and positive about her. The left side of that dumbell is forever seeking a perfect candidate that would have no chance in a real national race like Kucinich or Sanders, mostly votes Dem in the general anyway after much grumbling, because as anyone sane knows either the R or the D nominee will be president and there is only ever one rational choice there, and have generally been convincingly shown what happens when they when they throw a hissy fit and waste votes like with Nader (against, it should be said, a man now seen as a much purer Dem than he was when he was running). Only the most intransigent fringe left idealists would not vote Dem in a general, and that way of thinking is hopefully as rare as people in this group refusing to vote for her because she quotes the Bible instead of Ingersoll. Waiting for perfect and eschewing the good means an unending stream of bad.


Both demographics and polling indicate there is far less likely than in 2000 to be a situation in which such a small spiteful group can foist a RW regime on the rest of us again.