Godless post-election analysis

I like this summary by Brian Flemming:

The Democrats won a mandate without excessive God-talk and without actually winning over evangelicals in significant numbers. The election results weaken the argument for religious pandering; they don’t strengthen it.

This is not to say that we can tell the religious to just go away, but that what we should do in politics and government is continue to push purely secular values, and trust the sensible evangelicals to find common cause with what is right…just as I will vote for evangelicals who can promote progressive values in spite of their silly supernatural beliefs.

Oh. So we lost after all.

According to the mealy-mouthed Jim Wallis, anyway, the recent election was a defeat for the religious extremists and the secular Left, and a great victory for moderate and conservative Christians. Fortunately, we’ve got Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden to administer a corrective, or I’d have to throw a snit and go start piling faggots for the long-postponed atheist revolution. Since they’ve got it under control, I guess I can let it pass. This time.

But Wallis does join Amy Sullivan on The List.

A surfeit of good news

All right, stop it now. This is getting ridiculous. Tuesday, we watch the Republicans collapse in the elections. Wednesday, Rumsfeld folds up and goes home. Today, Allen concedes, giving Democrats the Senate. What next? Tomorrow, Bush and Cheney are abducted by aliens, who broadcast the anal probing to the whole planet’s television networks? The day after, it rains ponies?*

Am I missing a good bet by not buying any lottery tickets?

*OK, this one might be a little splatty and meaty and not so nice, unless they were magic flying ponies. I’m thinking it could happen right now.

Minnesota puts “evil in high places”

Minnesota elected a Muslim, Keith Ellison to the US House of Representatives. If he’d made his religion an issue, I’d be unhappy about this (just as I am about any other pious politician), but he didn’t—even though his opposition did—so I’m not perturbed. He seems to be advocating the right stuff.

Ellison said his race and religion weren’t as important as issues such as Iraq and health insurance for all. “We still have 43 million American uninsured. This is a problem for everyone in the United States,” he said.

He advocates an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq along with strongly liberal views. While Ellison did not often speak of his faith during the campaign, awareness of his candidacy drew interest from Muslims well beyond the district centered in Minneapolis.

If you want to see people blowing their tops, you’re going to have to go to Rapture Ready.

If I had my druthers, every leader of our government would be a Bible- believing, Christ -loving, running -after -God believer.

It is a sad day for America today. A happy day for Terrorist however.

The beginning of the end of Christianity in this nation!!! The fall of great civilizations usually begin with one small event. This very well may be that domino.

This guy is a security risk…BECAUSE he is muslim! He can NOT be trusted with any state secrets in the war on terror. Any information that would benifit the enemy can and will be leaked by this guy.

There’s plenty of paranoia to go around there, and there’s also an excess of irony. These two comments had me laughing.

NOT a good thing. You mark my words…within the year, we’ll hear about an Islamic “prayer room” being set aside within the Congressional building(s).

I have yet to see a Muslim who can seperate their religion from anything. This is not a good thing at all.

Too bad they’re completely oblivious to the fact that they’re just seeing the country through the eyes of every American muslim, atheist, pagan, Hindu, etc. right now.

Take the gloves off already

Holy crap. Look at what Bush said to Speaker Pelosi:

In my first act of bipartisan outreach since the election, I shared with her the names of some Republican interior decorators who can help her pick out the the new drapes for her new offices.

You going to take that kind of patronizing, condescending “bipartisan” baloney from Bush, Speaker Pelosi? I hope you’re getting warmed up for a good fight.

Say what? Rumsfeld out?

I’m in a Rove-induced state of total confusion. Suddenly, Rumsfeld resigns. Huh? Why now? Why not last week, when it might have affected the election? What game is going to be played here?

(Yeah, I’ve heard the Rumsfeld→retirement, Lieberman→Defense, Unnamed Republican appointee→Lieberman’s seat triple-play to preserve the Republican majority in the Senate, but to be so blatant and do it the day after the election doesn’t seem reasonable.)

(Oh…maybe my mistake is assuming “reason” in this administration. “Naked bugnut greed” is more the operational expectation.)