I think the problem here is the NYT narrative, though, that the only party that speaks of the religious is the Republicans, which just isn’t true. It’s just that the GOP is performatively religious, and they are authoritarian in their practice. They are seeking to impose religion on everyone, and not just any religion but theirs. If the democrats are less vocal about religion, it’s because they embrace secularism and take that separation of church and state seriously, whatever their actual faith…
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Should Warnock step down from his role as pastor at Ebeneezer then?
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No, I think he should instead speak in his role as senator in ways that don’t directly refer to, let alone espouse, Christian belief. He should respect both separation of church and state and other beliefs (including atheism and so on) by not reinforcing Christain dominance from his state and national platform. I have no problem with his being personally (and I would hope, privately) inspired by Christian values. However, like Biden, Senator Warnock is, as you put it, performatively religious. I object to both.
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No, but he should stop voting yes on transphobic legislation.
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Of course not. But he should be careful not to mix his job as a senator and his job as a pastor. We would have the same standard for someone who is a senator and a cryptocurrency CEO. At least, we should.
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Yes, that I totally agree with.
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She’s 81, so younger than Trump will be at the end of his next term.
It’s unfortunate that so much of the workings of congress is driven by the seniority system, where folks gain more power almost automatically just by having more years of experience, which creates a disincentive for members to retire as they age. The recent kerfuffle over selecting the new ranking Democrat for the House Oversight Committee is a good example of that. It’s an important job that requires good public communication skills, and AOC tried to run for it. But she was defeated by someone that few people have heard of, a 74-year-old with esophageal cancer, basically because he’s got seniority. Some of the other democrats who voted for him explicitly stated that was the reason, because they “respect the seniority system.” The guys on Pod Save America were ranting about how insane this mindset is, especially given the stakes right now.
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I don’t know though. If you were the fishin’ politishin’™ who somehow made every aspect of life about what happens out on the pond, yeah, that would be awful. If you brought up your personal experience fishing in the context of things like discussing pollution and environmental issues, though, that seems like ordinary trying to bring your experience into things.
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No, i understand and agree. The christofascists have made it hard for most folks to see anyone openly Chrstian as progressive of any stripe. I recognize that, but it does make me sad. It also results in some truly funny moments when people who know me as a practicing Christian find out where my politics lie, and that i have been led there explicitly by my religious beliefs. Yes, it really is possible and even logical to be Christian and progressive. It’s the ones who claim to be Christian and are fascists who have to twist things in knots.
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Elno seems to have been the main driver of the blocking of the spending bill, getting Trump to follow him, and making bizarre and completely fabricated claims about what was in the bill to justify his opposition. Well, turns out this is probably the real reason Musk was against it:
Which isn’t surprising. Elno keeps making decisions about the running of Twitter to appease the various governments where he has Tesla business, in particular China. It’s going to be interesting to see how Trump’s attempt to “get tough” with China will deal with the input of Musk who will probably oppose most of Trump’s plans because of his own, contrary, business interests. And not just direct interests, but the pressure that various countries will be able to apply to Musk on unrelated issues because they know they have him over a barrel wrt his business interests there.
If we thought things were bad before, the way foreign dictators could manipulate Trump into doing what they want, now in between Musk and Trump, a lot of countries will have a lot of opportunities to directly influence the presidency and US policy.
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Sure, and it’s also the politicians, progressive or reactionary, who espouse Christian beliefs on the job who violate the separation of church and state and promote the favoritism and domination of Christianity over other spiritual (and non- or anti-spiritual) beliefs and traditions, furthering in the process the egregious notion that the US is a “Christian nation.”
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A review of elections around the world, and how they reflect the state of democracy:
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But it’s entirely possible to be guided by your faith without ever mentioning it explicitly at work. The only reason to do so in a context where it is specifically forbidden is to do so performatively.
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Absolutely true. I was told long ago, if you have to tell someone you are a Christian, you are not living it right. The fact that these asshats make such a show of proclaiming their “faith” says all you need to know.
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Matthew 6:5-6.
Read your own damn rules sometimes, guys.
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Exactly, but hypocrites are what they are. Always.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/us/wyoming-freedom-caucus.html
How the Freedom Caucus Rose to Power in Wyoming
Wyoming is the first state where the Freedom Caucus has won control of a legislative chamber.
A Freedom Caucus bloc has never won control of a state legislative chamber — until now. Some lawmakers worry that the newly ascendant conservatives want to “burn it all down.”
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You (the lawmakers, not you RAvery) are just figuring that out now? It’s been obvious since the first of these have been formed.
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Yep. It’s a big reason that a lot of MAGA voters bothered to vote.
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