Honestly, do you really want the Democratic candidate standing on a religious platform

[aquarius dawning]

Poll question: Honestly, do you really want the Democratic candidate standing on a religious platform

[jean627]

1. What do you mean

"standing on a religious platform?

[aquarius dawning]

2. Basically, I mean trying to out jesus each other and, in so doing, pandering to a group of people

that we are normally diametrically opposed to ideologically. I'm saying that the Democratic candidates are not supposed to be the ones wearing their faith on their sleeves but it looks like that is what's happening. Meanwhile, John McCain, refuses to make any kind of a big deal about his own faith. Did I miss a meeting or something?

[anonymous171]

3. It's called the "avoid rousing the evangelical voters" game

[aquarius dawning]

4. It sounds a little bit like the "pander to the evangelical voter" game

I seriously hope we're not going down that road. We really shouldn't try to attract them. Let them vote for McCain. 8 years of this crap is enough.

[napoleon_in_rags]

5. There's a pretty big rift in the conservative base right now.

On one hand, Jesus. On the other hand, torture etc. A lot of people are looking at it and realizing it doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense, so there are religious moderates looking for a new home.

[aquarius dawning]

15. They can vote for whoever they want but I seriously hope we aren't planning on representing them

I have no problem with religion so long as it is kept out of politics. Once you let it in, you're fucked.

[napoleon_in_rags]

23. They'll represent them fine.

I think you'd be surprised how many people of faith don't feel like the need to government to subsidize or give credence to their beliefs.

[jean627]

7. I don't think so at all.

I don't believe that talking about their religion and faith means they are standing on that platform.

I'm not a religious person but I am sick of Democrats being called "godless" by the likes of Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, et al.

[aquarius dawning]

18. I stopped caring about what those individuals said a long time ago.

and I think we're definitely pandering to our natural enemies here. At least that's what it felt like before I turned the TV off in disgust.

[nichomachus]

6. You need a third choice

I don't want religion in politics -- just as I don't want money in politics -- but Dems can't just quit that crap unilaterally. If you don't profess rabid beliefs in the approved versions of the imaginary friend story you just won't get elected. Period.

[jean627]

9. IMO, the OP needs a whole new question.

[Gore1FL]

8. I don't think a Democrat need be afraid of religion.

That is different than standing on a platform of it. I'd like to think a lot fo the reasons I vote Democratic are because of values instilled into me at an early age from a Christian standpoint.

[jean627]

12. Yes, I agree.

[QC]

10. We used to be very, very harshly critical of Bush's 24/7 godtalk around here.

But then Obama started doing it and it became OK. :shrug:

[jean627]

14. Why did Obama have to do it?

Simple. To prove he's not a Muslim. That's quite different from the nonsense of George Bush, a warmongerer.

[Hoof Hearted]

11. Probably not, but I don't want them shooting spitwads at it either.

I'm sick of losing the values voters to the party with no values.

[jean627]

16. Well said...nt

[aquarius dawning]

21. excuse me while I wad up some paper.

[Ron Green]

13. What a useless thread.

The issues of faith, values, religion, spirit, world view - however you wish to list or characterize them - are so much more broad, profound and significant than "candidates standing on a religious platform" that your post is basically worthless. So you're for separation of Church and State, OK? Fine. What does that mean, not only for the majority of people who have some sort of religious faith, but for the organized moral energy that it's going to take to make a sustainable and peaceful world?

[jean627]

17. "What a useless thread."

I agree.

[XemaSab]

19. Seriously?

I think running on the "God sucks" platform is not a winner for us.

[aquarius dawning]

20. I didn't say "God sucks". I just asked if we really want to build a platform out of religious planks

because, IMO, it's getting harder and harder to tell the Democrats apart from The Republicans these days and this seems akin to breaking down one of the biggest barriers that separates the two of us, the separation of church and state issue which, up until quite recently, was a pretty big fucking plank in our platform.

[jean627]

22. Separation of church and state means what?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

[H2O Man]

26. Perhaps for the

sake of this discussion, you could provide us with a few specifics that document the "pretty big fucking plank in our platform" statement. Thanks.

[justinaforjustice]

24. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition and the Whiskey?

No, I don't want the Democratic candidate standing on a religious platform, or standing at a bar downing shots to try to make herself look like "one of the boys" either. Has Clinton's still employed campaign strategist, Mark Penn, now advised her to focus on the "micro-trend" of actively alcoholic voters? Admittedly this is not an insubstantial group, especially in economically devastated areas such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, but to get those votes, she should be passing around the whiskey, not drinking it herself.

As a recovering alcoholic who has downed more than her fair share of shots in backstreet bars, I would have found it more convincing to see Hillary downing Martinis,as befits her priviledged background, rather than making a show of taking a shot to garner the boilermaker crowd's votes.

Since this week has seen Clinton pandering to the gun toting crowd as well as the alcoholics, perhaps putative President Annie Oakley's next theatrical show will feature her pulling out her six gun and shooting down the bar bottles after she takes each shot of whiskey.

Good lord, this nonsense is taking place as Americans are losing their homes and jobs and our soldiers are getting killed in a senseless, immoral war in Iraq, at the same time that hundreds more innocent Iraqis are getting killed, tortured and maimed thanks to the Bush-Cheney administration's illegal occupation of Iraq. It is time for Hillary Clinton to holster her six gun, put the cork in the bottle, and end her now farcical campaign

[JoFerret]

25. A candidate with the courage to be an atheist

would be just wonderful about now.

[AP]

27. I don't think Democrats should cede this ground to Republicans. I don't hear much at my church...

...that is consistent with the republican agenda, and I don't know why Democrats would want to turn their back on people who have faith.

[MaineDem]

28. There are lot more possible responses

Your poll options are much too limiting for such a complex subject.

I don't think discussing religion is necessarily a bad think. False religiosity such as portrayed by Bush etc. is a travesty. There's a middle ground.