March 6, 2024

Where Nikki Haley went wrong.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/03/where-nikki-haley-went-wrong.html

Of all of the potential GOP nominees, Haley had the best shot at winning the nomination, next to Trump, whose former Presidency is his name and face recognition. Out of the traditional kind of Republican base that Mitt Romney and George W. Bush built their base, and with which they won, Haley was the best candidate to fit in with the ideology and bring some of her own perspective into the mix without losing voters. The problem is that base is now fragmented, scattered and no longer unified. Some of it has given into the MAGA philosophy out of party loyalty. The rest of it might have had a candidate around which to rally if Haley had given them something at the outset of the campaign, instead of joining in the chorus of sycophants who doomed their chances by trying to be Trump clones.

But she didn't make the turn into the sort-of anti-MAGA, never Trumper candidate until too late in the campaign. And that made her look less savvy and much less experienced than she needed in order to attract the kind of voter to the GOP that she needed to have a chance. There are moderates who are somewhat reluctant to support Biden this time around because of his age, voters at which she might have had a shot at getting, had she started by pointing out how far away from traditional Republican and Christian values the MAGA cult really has gone. But she joined the sycophants. Her line that he was a good President then, just not so good for now. She was weak and demonstrated a fear of his political power within the GOP. And ultimately, that was what sunk her boat.

She was also, frankly, just too Republican to attract the kind of voter who would have stuck through the campaign and voted for her instead of Biden. The Dobbs decision has been, and will be, a huge turnout machine and vote getter for all Democrats in 2024, especially the President. She either can't or by conviction won't go there, and that's what would have taken her out of the competition against Biden.

March 4, 2024

Voters had better educate themselves about the danger of Christian Nationalism

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/03/voters-need-to-educate-themselves-about.html

The idea of America as some kind of a promised land for white, European Christians predates the founding of the country, according to Robert P. Jones, who authored the commentary on the research in Baptist News Global. It turns political contests in to apocalyptic battles, leading to the justification of violence, in spite of Christian principles against the use of violence under any circumstances. And, says Jones, it leads to the belief that political opponents who are perceived to be representatives of "evil," should be jailed, exiled, attacked and even murdered for disagreement.

Completely abandoning the core values taught by Jesus, the survey results provided by Jones indicate a significant percentage of Christian Nationalists believe that it would be right for them to resort to violence in order to restore a nation that has gotten so far off the track of its Christian roots. They believe that being an American patriot means that it is justified to take up arms and resort to violence to "save" the country, while others believe that some kind of upheaval will be necessary to sweep away the "elites in power" and restore the "rightful rulers."

This is a very real threat. As many as 30% of Americans believe in Christian nationalism. There is absolutely no justification in the Christian gospel, or in the scripture Evangelical and conservative Christians claim is their "authority" for faith and practice, for the use of violence in this way.

Christian Nationalists, in any form, are people who are advocates of political revolution, which is also an anti-Christian concept (Romans 13:1-7 and I Peter 2:13-17). And the best way we have in our American constitutional democracy to neutralize their influence and prevent them from getting into any position of power is to vote against them when they run in any election. And since they have established themselves as the "ideological keystone" in today's Republican party, we must commit to cast our ballots against every Republican running for office in America. Every single one.

March 4, 2024

What if Colorado just ignored the Supreme Court decision and kept the buffoon off the ballot anyway?

How would they enforce the decision? Go to Colorado and hand letter his name on the ballot?

The Republicans just defy the courts when they don't get the rulings they've bought and paid for. Why doesn't our side just ignore this ruling and do as we please? Choose our own electors and send their votes in ahead of the election to beat the rush. There are no consequences, obviously, for giving that a try.

March 4, 2024

Garland moved too slowly. Those here who said this were right.

The odds of seeing a trial of Trump before the election are winding down to just about zero.

March 3, 2024

Is Biden too old for a second term?

Why don't we just ask the question straight up and see what this constituency thinks?

March 1, 2024

This is what the conservative agenda looks like. So where are the priorities of Democrats?

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/02/this-is-what-conservative-agenda-looks.html

We have to get past all of the trash that is being thrown around now to try and fragment the Democratic, moderate independent and moderate Republican vote that will be large enough to defeat the orange headed menace. The author suggests putting the reminder on your fridge.

What's the biggest issue Democrats need to get past in order to unify the party and win the election?

March 1, 2024

This is what a "Conservative Agenda" looks like. Are you willing to live under this?

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/02/this-is-what-conservative-agenda-looks.html

In the third paragraph of the linked article, author Rick Pidcock, who was raised in fundamentalist Christianity, says this:

"In my two decades growing up in fundamentalist Christian institutions, the schools dictated to our families where we could go to church, how we were to dress, what music we were allowed to listen to or movies we could watch, even what coffee shops we could patronize. In short, they had complete authority over our family.

So imagine those people expanding their territory to include entire cities, states and countries."

Imagine, indeed.

Get a clear picture of what that would be like, because that is exactly what the part of the MAGA political movement that has emerged from within the Evangelical Christian segment of the American church is aiming to do.

When people like this tell you they are going to do something, when they get the power to do it, believe them. And then do everything you can to keep them from getting the power to do it.

February 29, 2024

Boebert family drama should be off-limits politically.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/02/conflicting-parental-messages-in-highly.html

Controversial Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's son Tyler was recently arrested for allegations related to multiple crimes in the area around where he and his family lives, near the town of Rifle, Colorado. He's eighteen, and has been charged with both felonies and misdemeanors. His arrest has gathered a lot of media attention, not only because his mother is a member of Congress, but because she is a right wing extremist who campaigns while also touting her Evangelical Christian faith, at least, in the way she understands it, in its white, Christian nationalist form.

As much as I despise her political perspective, and her hero worship of the MAGA cult leader instead of being a patriotic American, I think leaving her son and his troubles out of the scope of politics is the best course of action to pursue. Her ignorance and inability to function as a productive Congresswoman is one thing, open to criticism and the target of a movement to get her ousted through the ballot box. But dragging her son, and her family problems into the mix is a different matter. For his sake, this needs to be left alone for them to handle as they see fit, and as they are capable of doing.

According to the article in Westword, the Congresswoman appears to be holding her son accountable for his actions while supporting him because he is her son. Asserting that he "should be held accountable for poor decisions as should any other citizen," she stated, sounds like she's not expecting that he would get any special treatment because he is her son.

It would be tempting to ask her if this same attitude applies to Trump, in her mind, given the crimes for which he has been indicted. But, at least publicly, she's not asking for special favors for her son. Whether law enforcement in their hometown takes that same attitude may warrant keeping an eye on this situation. But using this as a campaign wedge is as far out of bounds as it is for Republicans to try to get to the President through making allegations about his son. At the very least, I hope she gets this, and backs down from her position regarding the President's son. At least, this may make her think twice, or we can always hope that it does.

February 28, 2024

A different spin on Michigan.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/27/opinions/biden-uncommitted-michigan-primary-election-zelizer/index.html

Don't you just love the spin in the headline? Then read the article. It doesn't really match the sensation. Here's my spin, for what its worth.

Biden picked up 81% of a relatively large Democratic turnout, given the fact that he's really the only candidate. The other two in the race are tokens, not really representing anything.

Uncommitted got a lot of publicity and a lot of media attention, and it "exceeded expectations." Given the total number of votes, and the size of the potential vote for uncommitted, it was a flop.

Nikki Haley took away more votes than Trump can afford to lose in Michigan, especially if what the exit polls say is true, and most of those voters won't vote for Trump in November. But the Democratic side isn't as divided, or as fragmented, as the media wants you to believe. Based on those primary numbers, if pollsters are doing their job, the adjustments will show Biden leads Trump in Michigan, by more than a margin of error.

But that's what the primaries have been showing all over. The voters aren't casting ballots the way the pollsters want them to.

February 27, 2024

Christian churches and leaders lose their prophetic voice when they lust after political power.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/02/randall-balmer-and-jemar-tisby-lusting.html

Randall Balmer, an Episcopal priest and professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and Jemar Tisby, professor at Simmons College in Kentucky, recently teamed up for a webinar pointing out the corruption of Christianity which has occurred as conservative, fundamentalist and Charismatic/Pentecostal Christians, churches and denominations have merged their claimed belief in Biblical authority and inerrancy with far right wing political extremists who make up the MAGA cult. They're not the only kind of American Christian that has allowed politics to infiltrate their ranks, but because of their doctrinal flaws, it has infiltrated and corrupted their churches the most.

Tisby says that gaining control through politics is more or less an admission by conservative Christians of the failure of their faith. Unable to bring about the kind of social change and control that they think is their mission and purpose by spiritual means, they are now resorting to political power to get their way. According to Tisby, this takes away the Christian identity of the church, making it more political.

"It's not Christian in the sense that it doesn't resemble Jesus," he says, "but it is Christian in the sense that it does use Christian symbols like crosses, and the Bible, and it does use prayer," he added. "White Christian Nationalism strips away any semblance of gospel witness because its purpose is to seize absolute control of government and society by ending democracy and pluralism," said Balmer. "Once you begin to lust after political power, and political influence, you lose your prophetic voice," he said.