lees1975
lees1975's JournalJesus goes to the MAGA rally...
https://baptistnews.com/article/jesus-at-the-maga-rally/In the dream, the speaker rose to the podium. He spoke a long time about himself, his greatness and how he alone could save America from doom. He told one falsehood after another, but nobody seemed to care.
He spoke with contempt about immigrants of color “infesting” our country, claiming they were “rapists, drug dealers, murderers, gang members and pet eaters.” He called them “vermin,” claimed they were “poisoning our blood,” and said they had “bad genes.” When he promised to carry out a mass deportation of 20 million immigrants, people wildly clapped and shouted, “Send them back!” Racists and white nationalists in the crowd smiled.
But Jesus had heard enough. Deeply saddened, Jesus walked toward the exit of the stadium. Once again, nobody noticed him.
Before leaving the rally, Jesus took a final look at the crowd, who were totally enthralled by the speaker. Among the masses, Jesus saw thousands of people who claimed to be his devoted followers. They called him their “Savior and Lord.” They studied his teachings about love, compassion, forgiveness, kindness, decency, grace, marital fidelity, character, honesty, empathy, unity, humility, hope, mercy, justice, care for the poor and sick, welcome of the stranger.
And, every Sunday, when they went to church, they asked the question, “What would Jesus do?”
As the speaker continued to spew toxic narcissism, lies, discord, rage, division, hatred, vengeance, racism, cruelty and indecency — violating everything Jesus stood for — thousands of self-proclaimed Christians, in a frenzy of excited adoration, shouted and wildly clapped for the speaker, giving him one standing ovation after another.
As Jesus walked out of the stadium, he remembered another horrific night, many years earlier, in a place called the Garden of Gethsemane. On that fateful evening, just like tonight, Jesus’ disciples forsook, abandoned and denied him.
As he walked down the road in the darkness, Jesus wept.
Let's talk about who is the real "enemy within."
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/10/many-conservative-evangelical-pastors.htmlRogers didn't mince words or cut any corners in his condemnation of President Clinton. Of course the President was a Democrat, and even in 1998, conservative, white, Evangelical Christians, including most of the Southern Baptists who make up the nation's largest Evangelical denomination, were opposed to President Clinton, not only because there were concerns about his morality and possible marital infidelity, but because of his stance on women's reproductive rights.
Ironically, President Clinton had made a "profession of faith," the Baptist interpretation of Christian conversion, was baptized in a Southern Baptist Church in Hope, Arkansas, and had been an active member of a Southern Baptist church all his life. And personally, I think that might have also been the motivation behind some of Roger's tone and message. President Carter had also been Southern Baptist, and made his Christian faith the center of his identity. Discouraging those who shared a common denominational affiliation from supporting a fellow Baptist on that basis alone was also the point of Roger's sermon. It was aimed at damping down any Baptist support for Vice President Al Gore, also a Southern Baptist and fellow Tennessean.
Fast forward to 2016. Consider Trump's worldly lifestyle, including his personal promotion of his own sexual promiscuity that led to two highly publicized divorces and marriages to "the other woman," along with claims of having bedded "hundreds" of women, along with all sorts of business and tax fraud, incessant lying and a host of other indulgences in sinful living that would have set Roger's hair on fire if he had been alive.
The stakes in this election are high, and past experience makes people fearful, but this isn't 2016.
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/10/high-stakes-and-past-experience-makes.htmlIf you want some re-assurance, go to the website for WCPT Radio 820 in Chicago, and listen to yesterday's Joan Esposito show. She had a guest host, a political analyst who made some observations about the campaign much clearer, including pointing out clues about what the internal data is showing, the strategies used, how effective they are and what Harris' money advantage is doing for her, compared to the scatter shooting, "do what we want" approach that Trump's PAC supporters take. This included a reminder that Harris has a large pack of billionaire donors on her side. Citizens United is terrible, but if those are the rules you want to play by, the other side can use it to their advantage, too. And we are.
Trump's second attempt at an election, his re-election, was a failure. And his run through the GOP primaries this time around, having already been in the White House once, can also be considered a failure. He had opponents, and with all of the face time he's had in the media, and all of the attention focused on him as the potential nominee from the day he left Washington, he got around 72% of the primary voters' support. Considering the absolute nobodies who ran against him, and the money he spent, that's a sub-standard performance.
Retired circuit court judge and Baptist pastor on how to defeat Trump's Fascist movement
https://baptistnews.com/article/this-is-how-to-defeat-trumps-fascist-movement/Defeating Trump will not end the threat of fascism in the United States. Fascism operated openly in the United States — disguised as religious (Christian or other religion) nationalism — as a political ideology a long time before Donald Trump. Fascism will threaten our society — thanks to religious nationalism — even if Trump is defeated.
But if we defeat Trump, fascism will not be the ideology that directs the next presidential administration. That is the victory we must win in November.
The difference in the election is going to be January 6th.
There's not a lot of discussion about it, but out in public, when Republicans step up and announce their support for Harris, it's right there. Starting with Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, it's there. I see it in social media posts from Republicans I know who are flipping.
I'd bet there's not one pollster who's even asked the question at this point. And yet, it's there, whenever it seems to come up in the conversation.
I had a discussion today with a conservative at work, who made the statement to other employees while we were eating that he's voting for Harris. He thought about third party, was disgusted by RFK, couldn't bring himself to vote for Stein and decided he'd go for Harris and he could live with that.
Why?
"January 6th was the straw that broke the camel's back. The attack on the Capitol sickened me."
The media obviously knows the power of those scenes, they're not replaying them much, are they?
Do crowds at rallies tell us anything about the candidate and the campaign? I think they do.
It's not an attendance contest. The number of people who turn out at political rallies is a fraction of the number of people who live in the area and will vote. And in many cases, a lot of the turnout is from somewhere else, and people drive to go see their candidate. I've done that, showing up at rallies for Democrats in Wisconsin, even though I live in Illinois. They don't come to Illinois very often.
But I have noticed something about the crowds showing up at political rallies for both candidates. One reason why I question polling data demographics is that I'm not seeing what I'm supposed to be seeing according to them.
Harris' rallies can be identified by the large number of younger people, and although white men aren't supposed to be in her demographic, she gets quite a few of those, along with black men, Asian men and Latino men. She gets large audiences of Latinos, especially in Arizona and Nevada. In fact, her audiences seem pretty balanced. If I were to guess where she is leading in demographics in the polls, based on observing her rallies, I'd say she's leading with women of all ethnicities, and under 50 years of age, men of all ethnicities, especially under 50 years of age, and that she is drawing a sizeable portion of the young vote, the black vote, the Latino vote, and the Asian vote.
Now I realize that the people who show up at her rallies would also be core supporters. But a lot of her core supporters don't match what the media has to say about the polling data they claim to report when it comes to her strengths.
They have hit on one strategy that's worked, directly related to rally attendance. They've systematically, and certainly, gotten under Trump's skin.
Disaster Relief for storm ravaged states is coming fast and furious from FEMA
https://baptistnews.com/article/ye-shall-know-the-truth-and/Pelley observed: “The campaign offered shifting explanations. First it complained that we would fact-check the interview. We fact-check every story. Later, Trump said he needed an apology for his interview in 2020. Trump claims correspondent Lesley Stahl said in that interview that Hunter Biden’s controversial laptop came from Russia. She never said that.”
To refuse an interview because it is fact-checked is to admit to lying.
When responding to criticism for falsely claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating the pets of local white citizens, vice presidential candidate JD Vance responded, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”
To “create stories” like that is simply a cool euphemism for lying.
The lies about the Haitians led to bomb threats in Springfield that forced the closing of several schools and other public buildings. Haitians in the town still do not feel safe. Republican leaders in Springfield and across the state of Ohio implored the candidates to cease and desist with the lies about Haitians. They have not.
Interesting media perspective. Has anyone else picked up on this?
Collin Allred has been running neck and neck with Ted Cruz in Texas, according to polling data. In fact, several recent polls now show him in the lead. Media reaction is meh, not much. "No chance," they say.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is now running well within the MOE of polls in Florida, and has slipped ahead in several. Media reaction, meh, not much, no chance, no biggie, he will win.
Lucas Kunce has moved within the MOE in Missouri, and has been steadily gaining on Josh Hawley. Meh, says the media. No story here.
They're using polls which, if they show a tight race between Harris and Trump, are lauded as if they are a sacred, divine text. "By golly, we got us a horse race!" says the media. "And let's point out all of the negatives as to why she isn't doing better."
If the polls are so great when it comes to the Presidential election, then these look pretty damn good, too.
False Evangelical Prophets mixing with far right wing extremist politics is a volatile combination.
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/10/false-prophets-mixing-with-far-right.htmlThat's the kind of attitude this "million woman" gathering exhibited in its call to prayer, answered, not by a million women, but by perhaps 40,000 or so, praying for God to deliver control of this country over to a rapist, a fraud, an insurrectionist, a grifter, thief and a pathological liar who openly denies the very core doctrine of Christian salvation by turning aside spiritual conviction and claiming that he has not committed any sin that requires God's forgiveness, because this man is going to bring revival.
That is deceitful and fraudulent, and elevating one that the Apostle John calls "anti-Christ," to a position of authority and leadership over themselves, exchanging the truth of the Christian gospel for yet another lie. This observation is not making a judgment. It is simply pointing out that what the Christian gospel says, and what Jesus and his Apostles taught, is contradictory to what these men are saying when it comes to whom they are giving political support, and the politics with which they are polluting and corrupting it.
I've had a four day weekend, and got to read through a lot of posts here. I have a question for DU'ers.
Are you genuinely concerned that Vice President Harris may lose this race? And why would you be concerned? What has happened that you can point to that is driving your concern?
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Gender: MaleHometown: Tucson, Arizona
Current location: Chicago, Illinois
Member since: Wed Dec 25, 2019, 01:02 AM
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