Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Are Mormons Misunderstood?

That's the headline in a longish Time story on Mormons, "The Church and Gay Marriage: Are Mormons Misunderstood?" It's a fairly balanced story, although the author still manages to impute "seamless unity" to the Mormon community while, at the same time, quoting two Mormons (a gay activist and the editor of an independent Mormon periodical) who plainly voice their own opinions, as can any Mormon who wants to. Interestingly, when the story was first posted last week, it carried a different title, "The Storm Over the Mormons." Here are the first couple of paragraphs.

The Future of Religious Liberty

Does it have a future? Some people view religious liberty as a civil and constitutional right; increasingly, others see it as a problem to be dealt with. The Mirror of Justice post "Securing Religious Liberty in an Age of Growing Intolerance" is a short reflection on what this means for the future of religious liberty.

Politics versus Sectarianism

I recently finished The Theocons: Secular America Under Seige and put up a short post on it elsewhere. But as I continue to mull it over I have a different idea to float than I discussed in the other post, namely that the rejection of Mitt Romney as a presidential candidate by religious conservatives in the Republican Party marks a triumph of sectarianism over politics that will undermine (or already has) the political influence of the theocons, to whatever extent you grant they have had influence.

Is There a Future for Theocons?

I recently read Damon Linker's The Theocons: Secular America Under Seige, a book that chronicles the author's view of the rising influence of the religious right in politics. I suppose I'm late to the party, but it's still an informative and worthwhile read. In the arc described in the book, the election and presidency of George W. Bush, who not only publicly admitted to being a Christian but also carved out a place for faith-based initiatives in his approach to social programs, was the highpoint of the theocon movement. What's left of it?

Your Crunchy Quotient

I stumbled across Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing natrue lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party) at the local library a couple of weeks ago and couldn't resist. Any book with a subtitle that long must be worth reading. I don't mind being a conservative but I'm not especially keen on being crunchy, so before long I was quietly and defensively computing my own crunchy quotient.

Misguided Rights Talk

Funny what post-election behavior reveals about people. Republicans who lost the presidential race are quietly supporting a smooth transition of power to the incoming Obama administration; Prop 8 opponents are busy organizing angry marches and targeting Mormons for retribution, using misguided rights talk to justify this unfortunate response. A National Review Online piece, "Legislating Immorality," is a good place to correct some of this misguided rights talk.

Huckabee Redux, or Trying to Do the Right Thing

At Hugh Hewitt, "A Conversation With Mike Huckabee," including a text transcript of the entire interview. Governor Huckabee is promoting his new book, Do the Right Thing. The most interesting part of the interview, however, concerned his infamous remark suggesting Mormons view Jesus and Satan as brothers.

The Forgotten Man

Haven't heard much about Mitt Romney the last few months, but he's been busy. In the Wall Street Journal yesterday: "Romney's Campaigning Gives Him Big GOP Role." Romney has been doing a lot of in-the-trenches leg work — speaking at Republican rallies, supporting Republican congressional candidates, and using his PAC to raise and distribute money to candidates. The article notes that Giuliani has also done a lot of work since dropping out of the race.

Maverick or Messiah?

Today is the day when all those "undecideds" can either break right or break left or just stay home. Today is the day that everyone will see how how poorly (or how well) the polls have performed. Today is the day that the media can stop campaigning and get back to reporting. I'll have a post or two running today, then some sort of liveblogging going on this evening. Win, lose, or draw, tonight's the night.

On the Eve of Electoral Battle

T minus one day and not counting anymore. I finally submitted to the soul-sucking NY Times registration yesterday — I figure this election will fill my soul-sucking quota for the year, I might as well get the news too. So here's what the Gray Lady has to say the day before the election.

Missing W.

T minus two days and counting.  The NY Times ran a piece with six columnists writing on the theme "What I Will Miss About President Bush."  One, citing many staffers he interviewed, noted that "he never pointed fingers, harbored grudges, snubbed, publicly belittled or boasted."  Another said, "I’ll miss President Bush’s moral clarity."  A third said, "What I will miss most about George W. Bush as president is his sincere concern for promoting human dignity." 

Comedy or Farce?

In the waning days of a decisive election that may set the path of the United States for the next generation ... John McCain appears on a comedy show to mock himself and make jokes about his opponent.  What has our election process become?  Should we just chuck the debates and just go with candidate comedy routines?  A national joke-off?  In a further bizarre twist, Sarah Palin unwittingly fielded a prank phone call from a Canadian comedian posing as the president of France.  Canadian!  Like we can't produce our own lame comics this side of the border ... or even elect them.

Rumors of Tightening?

T minus three days and counting.  I keep reading rumors that the race is tightening, but it doesn't really pop out of the polls.  There is the Zogby poll which now shows McCain "within the margin of error" and actually outpolling Obama 48-47 among likely voters in the most recent dailies.  [Note: that link is to the main page, not the particular story, so what I'm quoting may not be there when you click through.]  But the Gallup likely voter dailies are moving strongly against McCain. 

Steve Young Pulls A Trick Play Out of His Bag

Call it the Prop 8 Reverse: "Steve Young lines up against Mormon church on Prop 8," in the SF Chronicle. I don't know that it will change many votes, but it certainly provides some cover for those Latter-day Saints in California who have "No on 8" signs in their front yard or who have made public statements detailing their opposition to Prop 8.

Quick Takes on the Infomercial

Wow. If I were more creative I'd write something like this. I'm more of a quip and comment guy. If Huey Long had made a video, this would be it. Some of you history types who think it's so chic to embrace the 21st-century incarnation of economic populism ought to do some reading and ponder a bit on Long and his Share Our Wealth program. FDR could figure out Long (he called him the most dangerous man in America). Can you?

It Might Be Closer Than You Think

T minus six days and counting. The latest Gallup dailies (among likely voters using the traditional model) have the gap at 2-3%, which is closer than the 4-5% a week ago.   And an Obama campaign official discloses that the Obama campaign discounts stated poll results and sees the race tightening up in key states.  I know, that is what they are likely to say just to keep campaign workers from slacking off.  But unless your position is that the guy is just straight out lying, it sounds like the numbers the press is running with are not the same numbers that the people with money on the table (the campaigns) are using. 

Coalitions of Power and Redistributive Change

T minus seven days and counting. Politicians hate it when their real agenda gets flashed to voters before the election. It spoils all that hard PR work they do trying to convince you they'll cut your taxes, give you cheaper health care, stop evil banks from foreclosing on your mortgage, and unite the planet. So I'm sure the Obama crew is fuming that someone dug up a radio interview where Sen. Obama himself spells out his "share the wealth" philosophy which (thank you Joe the Plumber) we know hasn't changed much since that radio interview. A transcript of some of the comments available here.

Can it be any clearer? Sen. Obama wants your vote to form a coalition of power to enact and execute legislation that will redistribute what's left of your money to people he thinks deserve it more than you do. If you like that plan ... don't vote, just move to France and live out your dream. If you don't like that plan, vote for the other guy.

What Does "Undecided" Mean?

T minus eight days and counting. A Salon piece argues that McCain is running better than the polling numbers show because most of the undecideds will break for McCain. Well, if they've held out against the Obama tide this long, maybe they will punch the chad for McCain, but it sounds more like wishful thinking. If you are rooting for McCain, you're better off hoping for a last-minute endorsement from Joe the Plumber.

The Dailies Are Holding Steady

T minus nine days and counting. The latest Gallup dailies (for the traditional likely voter pool) are holding steady at about a 5 point lead for Obama. I suspect there will be a lot of post-election analysis directed at polling, given how central it has become to election reporting. Remember, the secret ballot election is the basis on which we evaluate polling, not the other way around. If it turns out McCain does better than polling is predicting, it's not that there's a problem with the election or with the voters, it's a problem with polling.

The Knives Are Coming Out

T minus ten days and counting. The knives are coming out in the Palin camp -- according to the linked story, Palin is tired of being mishandled by bumbling staffers from the Bush team and she wants to preserve some credibility for future campaigns, while some inside the McCain campaign are apparently gearing up to place blame for the McCain campaign's failure on Palin rather than on themselves.

Update: An online commentator blasts this story, which apparently originated with CNN.

Is It Over?

T minus eleven days and counting before bloggers have to start coming up with their own material again (that's hoping we don't get another month-long struggle over chads or fraudulent voting). Is it over already? The most recent Gallup Daily figures show Obama with a four point lead among likely voters (using Gallup's traditional measure of likely voters). So I don't think it's over yet -- certainly Charles Krauthammer hopes it isn't: "I will go down with the McCain ship. I'd rather lose an election than lose my bearings." I'm with Chuck, but we all make our choices.

Victor Davis Hanson is talking like it's all over as he muses on what we have learned from the Palin candidacy, namely that the press is lame and feminism is dead. Hugh Hewitt warns Obama to beware of overconfidence.

Some Sanity on the LDS Prop 8 Effort

From a surprising source, Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic Online. After noting that roughly 40% of the Yes on 8 financing has come from LDS contributors, he notes, "It's all legal, and totally within their democratic rights." Thank you, Mr. Sullivan. He doesn't decry LDS participation in the campaign; he doesn't call for any efforts to harrass Mormons like the nutjobs over at Daily Kos; he doesn't try to identify and target individual LDS contributors like the people running and supporting the deceptively named Mormons for Proposition 8 site. He ends the short article with a simple suggestion that those who disagree with the LDS position donate to the No on 8 campaign. Bravo for a little online civility in this noisy election season.

Okay, Here's A Poll We Can Talk About

"AP presidential poll: Race tightens in final weeks," a new AP poll showing Obama at 44% and McCain at 43%, a statistical dead heat. I will skip any editorializing and just invite readers to offer their informed and balanced opinion as to why the race is now tightening up.

Can You Trust the Polls?

Polls have come to occupy a central place in media coverage of candidates and campaigns. That raises incentives for candidates, campaigns, and anyone interested in influencing the outcome of the election (cough, the media, cough) to stack published polls in favor of their preferred outcome. Does this really happpen? Go read an enlightening discussion at the WSJ, "Are the Polls Accurate?" Here's his first paragraph, which gives the simple answer:

FDR 2.0?

From the Wall St. Journal: "Get Ready for the New New Deal." If you don't know much about history, economics, or the New Deal, that might strike you as good news.

The Widget

As noted by a reader who sent me an email yesterday, yes, I installed the Prop 8 Widget on the right sidebar, about three clicks down. Campaigning by widget ... next it will be candidate ringtones. It's also a handy countdown meter for the upcoming general election. For some people, that means 17 days, 15 hours until the Big Celebration Party. For others, it means they have 17 days, 15 hours to get their four years of food storage squirrelled away in the backyard bomb shelter.

Live-Blogging the Last Debate

Sorry, I can't just sit here and listen, I need to write, so here's some live-blogging.

Joe the Plumber - Try this story for some background. Joe's a small business owner; to him, Obama is not the Chosen One.

Doubling Down on Prop 8

As reported at several blogs (M-Star, M&A), as well as the LDS Newsroom and the Salt Lake Tribune, a satellite broadcast viewed at LDS chapels in California and at campuses in Utah, Idaho, and Hawaii urged Mormons to redouble their efforts in passing Proposition 8. Posts at Mulling and Musing and Latter-day Commentary give first-person summaries of last night's satellite broadcast.

Gun Lap for Proposition 8

From the LA Times: "Foes of gay-marriage ban say poll shows Prop. 8 leading." The story is half news and half free advertising for the opponents of Prop 8, who are energetically begging for more contributions. The campaign manager for No on 8 states that "his forces are being outspent in part because of a surge in contributions from Mormon Church members."

Party A to Party B: "I thee wed."

At Yahoo, "'Bride' and 'groom' to be restored to Calif. forms." Since June 16, forms used by county clerks for couples applying for a marriage license used the terms "Party A" and "Party B". Boxes to be provided on new forms provided by the state health department (available in November, after the election) will allow marriage parties to check optional boxes designating themselves as "bride" and "groom". There is precious little information in the story on what motivated the new change.

The article summarizes a response by a characteristically clueless California bureaucrat as follows: "The department thought it had to remove "bride" and "groom" from marriage certificates to comply with the California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage, she said." I suspect a more accurate statement would be: Reflecting their disdain for traditional marriage, state employees in the department gleefully removed the terms "bride" and "groom" from marriage certificates following the California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

How It All Started

At NRO, "Planting Seeds of Disaster," a fine article relating how ACORN, the Community Reinvestment Act, and various political allies pressured first local banks, then Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to lower their credit standards. So apparently the real problem isn't greedy subprime lenders, it's greedy subprime politicians and activists. "Keep politics out of banking" would seem to be the right lesson to draw from this article. Or at least keep activists and community organizers out of politics.

Quick Takes on the VP Debate

Seems like ancient history, but hey, I've been out of town. Gov. Palin did well just by not sounding like the caricature of her that the mainstream media has been circulating. Sen. Biden did well by appearing relaxed and competent. Together, I though Palin and Biden put on a much better debate than did the presidential candidates in Round One of their best-of-three series of debates. The moment I enjoyed most was watching Palin's father shake Biden's hand and exchange a few words in the impromptu post-debate onstage schmooze.

Primary at the Church of Obama

Quick Takes on the Debate

I didn' think either candidate was particularly sharp in terms of coherence and delivery. In the interest of feigning objectivity I will refrain from pronouncing a winner. For what it's worth, here are my gut-level observations as the debate progressed.

Religious Support for Prop 8

AP story on the wire today: "California religious leaders push for gay marriage ban."

Along with evangelical Christian groups such as Focus on the Family and Family Research Council, the leaders of Roman Catholic, Mormon, Southern Baptist, Orthodox Jewish and Seventh-Day Adventist congregations have endorsed the measure and urged the faithful to give.

So it's not just Mormons that are supporting the campaign. The article notes that the "California Conference of Catholic Bishops has given the state's 1,600 parishes Sunday bulletin inserts about Proposition 8, and every diocese is holding workshops in English and Spanish."

Reminder: We're Still Neutral

According to the LDS Newsroom, the LDS First Presidency circulated another letter — to be read to all LDS congregations — reminding local leaders and members of the LDS Church that we are politically neutral as to parties and candidates. The key paragraph:

The Church affirms its neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates. The Church also affirms its constitutional right of expression on political and social issues.

LSD LDS Contribute to Prop 8 Campaign

The Wall Street Journal reports on the central role individual Mormons are playing in the Proposition 8 campaign in California: "Mormons Boost Antigay Marriage Effort." The lead sentence: "Mormons have emerged as a dominant fund-raising force in the hotly contested California ballot fight to ban same-sex marriage."

Whoever wrote the headline should get sent back to the mail room. The effort is not "antigay", it is "anti-gay marriage," a significant distinction and one the WSJ really ought to get right. If you can't use words correctly, don't write headlines for a living. Just another sign of rising incompetence in journalism.

Anchors Aweigh

Headline: "MSNBC, hit by charges of liberal bias, yanks Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from anchor chairs." Well, that was fast. Then there's the implosion at the magazine Us Weekly: "Angry readers dump Us Magazine over Palin." Palin is so unsettling to some journalists and editors that they can no longer even maintain a facade of objectivity. The biggest casualty of this election could well be the mainstream media's credibility as an objective source of information.

Palin the Pentecostal?

As I noted a few days ago, once one candidate's religion becomes a deal-killer for political office, anyone's religion can become a disqualifier. The latest evidence: this clumsy CNN story, apparently written by a reporter on Anderson Cooper's team. The misinformation in the article is discussed at length at Get Religion and at The Dallas Morning News. But it's the unstated message the piece is trying to convey that ought to ring a bell for any LDS reader: How could you vote for anyone who believes this stuff? For Romney, it was Mormonism; for Palin, it is Pentecostal beliefs, attributed to her because she attended a Pentecostal congregation in Wasilla until 2002.

Losing Faith in Obama?

From Steven Waldman of Beliefnet: "The moderate evangelical vote is slipping away from Barack Obama." If so, it's a real missed opportunity for Sen. Obama and the Democratic Party.

Religion as a Disqualifier

When some on the right were using Romney's Mormonism to marginalize him, there were warnings that this tactic of using theology as a guide to political acceptability was a foolish one which, once legitimized, could and would be used against almost any religious (i.e., conservative) candidate. With that in mind, go read the Wall St. Journal article on the Pentecostal church where Gov. Palin and her family "worshipped for more than two decades" and tell me you don't see it coming.

The Lady and the Speech

I'd really rather not post on politics, but what else can one talk about this morning? Gov. Palin's sudden appearance on the Republican ticket has focused a lot of media and voter attention on her and on last night's speech at the Republican Convention. It was a Big Moment — had she crashed and burned it would have doomed the Republican ticket, I think, but her performance was everything it needed to be to convince many viewers and voters that (1) McCain didn't screw up selecting her, and (2) this is someone they can vote for and maybe even want to vote for.

Meet Sarah Palin

There's a lot of hype and mud being tossed around, but I found a short bio piece on Gov. Palin by the author of Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Politics Upside Down to be a quick and balanced intro to America's newest political celebrity. I'm sure the media coverage will take a new turn after Palin's speech at the Republican Convention today. My only observation thus far: It's amazing how the Palin selection sucked the air right out of the Obama campaign and turned media attention to the Republican candidates. Obama's new problem is that compared to a hockey mom governor from Alaska, Obama is nothing special, just another Washington politician.

Mother Nature trumps politics

First Sen. McCain's announcement of Gov. Palin as the Republican VP nominee pushed Sen. Obama and the Democratic Convention off the front page. Now hurricane Gustav is pushing McCain and the Republican Convention off the front page and right out of town: "McCain orders convention curtailed for Gustav." I wonder, will the timing of Gustav and the controversial purported link between increased hurricane intensity and global warming push climate change higher up the list of campaign issues?

Politics and Communion

And you thought Mitt Romney was the only candidate whose religion raised issues for voters? Apparently the choice of Sen. Joe Biden, Catholic communicant and abortion supporter, as the Democratic VP candidate is raising a different set of issues for Catholic voters that may prompt continued debate right up until election day. Here's the lead paragraph of a story from the Catholic News Agency:

The selection of Sen. Joseph Biden as Barack Obama’s running mate is drawing a chorus of disapproval from Catholic intellectual and pro-life leaders because of Biden’s longstanding support for abortion. Most recently, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver has said that Biden should refrain from Communion.

Another Romney for VP plug

Of course Hugh Hewitt has been plugging Romney all along, but now the discussion turns on the only campaign event that really involves the VP nominees: the VP candidate debate.

The pick of Biden calls for a very experienced debater as the only thing Slow Joe has going for him is the thousand or so primary season debates he has under his belt. Romney has the same sort of experience in the one setting where the veep nominees get the nation's undivided attention.

How many houses do you have?

Probably not as many as John McCain. Of course, that depends on the meaning of the term "John McCain," as pointed out at The Right Coast:

Senator McCain recently embarrassed himself by being unable to remember how many houses he had. Most of us cannot sympathize with somebody who answers this question with something like "uh, five?" since we consider ourselves lucky to have one and aren't likely to forget so manageable a unit. But this doesn't, strictly speaking, make McCain rich.

It is not McCain who is rich, but his wife, Cynthia, the heiress to a large Budweiser distributorship fortune.

The Abortion Plank

The latest headlines in the unending abortion debate come from the draft 2008 Democratic Party platform statement on abortion, which some think incorporates more pro-life language than in past years. Get Religion gives some fine background to the politics behind the language change, as well as a discussion of one earlier author's attempt to sketch out a moral and moderate abortion position, modelled on Lincoln's initial "principled yet pragmatic" position on slavery. This issue will get plenty of attention in the closing months of this election cycle.

A Different Kind of Debate at Saddleback

One that actually elicited unscripted answers from the candidates ... with no sniping. Kudos to Rick Warren for pulling this off. Early reactions:

• "How McCain Won Saddleback," at NRO: "McCain was the clear winner of the night."
• "First Thoughts," at WaPo: "Both candidates successfully navigated the occasionally treacherous waters of a detailed discussion about faith and values."
• From CNN's summary: "David Gergen, a senior political analyst for CNN, said he thought both candidates handled themselves well, but he was particularly impressed with McCain's performance."

McCain and Obama at Saddleback Church

The Pew Forum has put up a Q&A on the upcoming appearances this Sunday by McCain and Obama at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Southern California. The analyst providing the commentary says:

One of the hallmarks of the 2008 presidential campaign up to this point has been the increased level of discussion of faith and values. This includes not only the candidates’ own faith and how they connect that faith to their political values but also a general discussion of religion. So it’s quite fitting that the first joint appearance between the presumptive nominees of the major political parties would be in a religious forum.