maybe something good will come from the Debbie Wasserman-Schultz debacle

[RussBLib]

The hacked emails allegedly show that some in the DNC were considering using Bernie's Jewishness against him. Some seemed convinced Bernie was actually an atheist, and they were considering how to exploit that if they thought they needed to.

One of the good things I see coming out of this debacle so far is people are reacting with outrage at the mere suggestion of using someone's religion or lack or religion against him. Well, I should say, most Democrats are outraged.

I'm pretty sure the Republicans have no compunction about using a candidate's religion or lack thereof to attack them.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/288899-dnc-members-may-have-looked-to-challenge-sanders-on-atheism

[applegrove]

1. A journalist on CNN last night said that he and others who were

public Jewish figures were getting all sorts of hate mail from Trump supporters set free by his rhetoric. None from democratic supporters. So that puts it into perspective. Democrats have a problem. GOP have one of another magnitude.

[RussBLib]

3. Trump really has unleashed the GOP's id

The GOP rank and file seem so excited to be able to curse women, minorities, and especially Democrats. All of that pent-up hate is just flooding out, and it is pretty ugly.

Helluva contrast between the GOP and Dem conventions thus far.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. I wouldn't hold my breath.

The anti-Semitism I witnessed against Sanders was disgusting, and I am not talking about the shit hurled from the crack-addled monkeys of the right, I am talking about those from the left! I saw attacks against DWS which were anti-Semitic, and people feel it is "justified" when the target is on the right or did something they don't like. It harkens back to the racist/bigoted mantra "There are X's (a slur for the target minority group), and then there are Y's (name of the minority, i.e. "the good ones&quot . This is the way many justify there bigotry, no matter if it is racism, homophobia, sexism, and IMO, especially, anti-Semitism. It also demonstrates another serious issue and that is bigotry against atheists. I believe there are still four states which do not allow atheists to serve in public office; now, whether it is enforced or not is another matter, but the fact some still point to that (atheism) as a disqualifier is extremely problematic.

The only good thing, I guess, is that this disgraceful action by the DNC brings to light some areas which warrant serious discussions and steering away from the lowest common denominator type behavior. In a nation which is supposed to pride itself on "separation of Church and State", the religion, or lack thereof, of a candidate should be nothing of interest to anyone.

[RussBLib]

4. oh, I'm not

If any party is going to move in that direction, it will be the Dems, but they have a long way to go. The overwhelming perception is still that every politician HAS to have some kind of faith in god or else they're just hedonistic ne'er-do-wells.

I think that was part of Bernie's attraction, in that he downplayed any religious overtones and younger people (who tend to be much more religion-free) could relate to it.

I have little patience for people who go on and on about the lard and their close relationship with "him."

[RussBLib]

5. going on hiatus

I'm had enough of the hypersensitivity of various people still on this site. I've enjoyed spending time in the A&A group. There are some brilliant posters here and I'll miss you, but political correctness is truly getting out of control.

See y'all in a while. Maybe. I do need to focus on a few other things anyway.

[whatthehey]

6. But many were outraged about the wrong thing.

The discussion of the broad political lack of appeal of minority religions or absence of religion is perfectly factual and perfectly sensible. Many of us, me included, have raised the issues here about polls showing how politically reviled atheists are as indicative of the general animus against us in public. That a political operative who should be far more involved and far better informed than casual commentators like us knows the same facts is not outrageous at all. It would be outrageous if he didn't know and discuss it.

It's offputting to some degree that he implied making use of it, sure. But in reading the emails I'm not sure how much was musing and how much was planning. We can certainly all agree that no plans were put in action to capitalize on his purported atheism.

What we should find outrageous is that it still is possible to attack someone by calling them an atheist, or to lesser extent politically at least, Jewish or Mormon or Islamic. If we were the country our Constitution claims us to be, this would be no more possible than attacking them for being left handed. That's where the outrage should be, far more than about people knowing atheists are reviled, and more even than leveraging that revulsion, as it was against Pete Stark to very little outcry by the way. It is the fact that the revulsion exists that should bother us.

Some here make that same irrational leap and confuse the real problem when any even vaguely savvy observer noted how easy it would be to paint Sanders as a far left Socialist/Communist. It is not "hippy punching" to be aware of how negatively perceived those words are and how easily they can be applied, using his own words and deeds, to Sanders. It is simply awareness. I find European style Democratic Socialism to be nigh universally positive. I even find real 60s style British Socialism to be positive when judiciously applied, to such things as utilities or transportation (but Christ never consumer or B2B manufacturing). There are even certain things about Communism, in theory at least albeit not seen in practice at a national level, which are positive. But I'd be a blithering idiot if I didn't realize the electoral vulnerability of those labels. We shouldn't complain that atheism is known as a potential electoral weapon either, or be all that worried if it's used as one. The challenge is stopping it actually being so.

[deucemagnet]

7. I hope so. Right now I think it's being swept under the rug.

I also agree that it's a good time to take a hiatus and I'll probably join you.