OMG ATHEISTS CAN'T SPEAK THEIR MIND ON THE INTERNET OR OBAMA WILL LOSE!!!11log(e)1!!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

Gah. I want to hit something.

[AML]

1. Me too - I have a huge problem!!

I've been lurking in this forum for months now, but I've never posted before. I've been an atheist since I was a young teen - as soon as I was old enough to think for myself, I decided that the Jesus myth was no better than any other myth we learned about in school. That said, here's my problem:

I live in solidly blue Massachusetts, so I've been looking for ways to make a difference nationally since we reliably send 12 great Democrats to Congress in every election cycle, and all of our electoral votes got to Democrats as well. I joined a group called "Secure Our Senate Majority", whose goal is to elect a filibuster-proof majority in November - we are supporting a slate of candidates, most of whom are running against incumbent Republicans. One of them is Kay Hagan, looking to unseat Liddy Dole in North Carlolina - we have a fundraiser scheduled for her in Boston in a couple of weeks.

The organizer of this fundraiser set up an ActBlue page where people could buy tickets, and she listed the name and address of the private residence where the event will be held - these people are atheists, and they are quite outspoken about it. Well, I blogged about the event at DailyKos, where the Dole campaign got wind of it, and when they saw the names, they pounced. They currently have an entry on their blog that's highly critical, and I can't help but think that TV ads aren't far behind. I'd love to hear some suggestions about how best to deal with this - can anyone help me out? Take it to email if you need to - my email address is in my profile - thanks!

[cosmik debris]

2. I have no suggestions, but I'm glad you are here.

Welcome! There are a lot of smart people here, and I'll bet some of them can help you.

[AML]

3. Thanks for the welcome...

I'm thinking that the Hagan campaign should take this as an opportunity for a discussion of faith in America, much like Obama took the Reverend Wright issue on with a major speech about race - as Jon Stewart said, it was goroundbreaking - for the first time, a politician spoke to the American people as if they were adults. I don't know how brave they are, though - it has to be tough in NC.

[cosmik debris]

4. Well, I'm from Texas, and I know for sure

That being brave can be self-defeating.

But that's one reason I would hesitate to advise others. Especially those who may be in a worse place than me.

[Warpy]

5. I was an atheist in NC when I was a kid, and yes, it's brutal

People down there still have their minds in chains and their free time tied up in the Southern Baptist Church.

There is nothing you can do about adverse publicity from Rovian GOPs except answer it honestly.

You could point out the absolute prohibition of a religious test for any office in the constitution, but religious people don't generally read and probably won't believe you.

Yes, it's unfair to Hagan and a filthy, nasty trick by Dole, but what else can we expect from that harpy and her GOP team?

[AML]

6. That's what I figured

I'm really bummed - Hagan had just gone ahead in the latest polls. I hate to think that I had a hand in reversing that, and I'm dreading the next round of polls, I hope she isn't destroyed by it.

[skepticscott]

9. Whatever you do, don't back down

Come back counterpunching..it's the only way to deal with the kind of bullies and blusterers that inhabit the GOP. They count on liberals being too concerned with playing nice to fight back against dirty tricks, so don't play into that. And don't worry about what the right-wing nutballs are going to think...you'll never change their minds anyway. Concentrate on the voters who are on the fence.

[Az]

7. Which outrage is this a response to?

Getting kicked out of the interfaith group at the con? Or something else?

[Az]

8. Oh.... found it

Good grief. I read the other forums first before I trip into GD. Good googly moogly... what the hell happened there? Anything particularly good in there to read or all the same ole same ole?

[Synnical]

10. Could you clue me in, please?

Been out of town on business and only paying attention to the DNC Convention on the telly.

Thanks,
Cindy