A Few October 21 tidbits: Republican Rope-a-dope?

Deconversion of an athlete: From RichardDawkins.net

A giant leap of faith took Jonathan Edwards to Olympic glory in Sydney. Then he found the foundations of his life were crumbling

It is the afternoon of September 25, 2000, and Jonathan Edwards is making his way to the triple jump final at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. In his kitbag are some shirts, spikes, towels – and a tin of sardines.

Why the sardines? They have been chosen by Edwards to symbolise the fish that Jesus used in the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. They are, if you like, the physical manifestation of his faith in God.

As he enters the stadium, he offers a silent prayer: “I place my destiny in Your hands. Do with me as You will.” A few hours later he has captured the gold medal, securing his status as one of Britain’s greatest athletes. [...]

By the time Edwards retired from athletics in 2003, he had established himself as one of Britain’s most prominent born-again Christians. He soon landed the job of fronting a landmark documentary on the life of St Paul and also secured the presenting role on the BBC’s flagship religious programme, Songs of Praise. He looked to have made the transition to life after sport with a sureness of touch that eludes so many professional athletes. Perhaps this was another advantage of his bedrock faith in God.

But even as he toured the nation’s churches with his BBC crew, Edwards was confronting an apocalyptic realisation: that it was all a grand mistake; that his epiphany was nothing more than self-delusion; that his inner sense of God’s presence was fictitious; that the decisions he had taken in life were based on a false premise; that the Bible is not literal truth but literal falsehood; that life is not something imbued with meaning from on high but, possibly, a purposeless accident in an unfeeling universe.

Having left his sport as a dyed-in-the-wool evangelical, Edwards is now, to all intents and purposes, an atheist. But why? It is a question that has reverberated around the Christian community since the rumours began to circulate when Edwards resigned from Songs of Praise in February. Edwards a backslider? Impossible. [...]

“I never doubted my belief in God for a single moment until I retired from sport,” he says. “Faith was the reason that I decided to become a professional athlete, in the same way that it was fundamental to every decision I made. It was the foundation of my existence, the thing that made everything else make sense. It was not a sacrifice to refuse to compete on Sundays during my early career because that would imply that athletics was important in and of itself. It was not. It was always a means to an end: glorifying God.

“But when I retired, something happened that took me by complete surprise. I quickly realised that athletics was more important to my identity than I believed possible. I was the best in the world at what I did and suddenly that was not true any more. With one facet of my identity stripped away, I began to question the others and, from there, there was no stopping. The foundations of my world were slowly crumbling.” [...]

“Once you start asking yourself questions like, ‘How do I really know there is a God?’ you are already on the path to unbelief,” Edwards says. “During my documentary on St Paul, some experts raised the possibility that his spectacular conversion on the road to Damascus might have been caused by an epileptic fit. It made me realise that I had taken things for granted that were taught to me as a child without subjecting them to any kind of analysis. When you think about it rationally, it does seem incredibly improbable that there is a God.”

Would Edwards have been as successful a sportsman had he been assailed by such doubts? It is a question that the world record-holder confronts with bracing candour. “Looking back now, I can see that my faith was not only pivotal to my decision to take up sport but also my success,” he says. “I was always dismissive of sports psychology when I was competing, but I now realise that my belief in God was sports psychology in all but name.”

Actually, I see that as the proper use of religious belief: use it as a type of psychology to help you though difficult times. It is a poor way to obtain knowledge.

Norm Chomsky on the 2008 Presidential Election.

(hat tip to 3-quarks daily)

DemConWatch They note that McCain has made noises about withdrawing from Iowa, Colorado and New Mexico. DemConWatch smells a rat. I agree.

My take: I think it’s a smoke screen, tortoise-and-the-hare strategy to lull progressives into complacency and/or a false sense of security. I don’t believe they are fulling pulling out – at least not out of Colorado. On the professional side, I’ve actually heard that conservative money is pouring in to Colorado. So if they are pulling out, it is probably because an independent expenditure group or a 527 committee is dumping money in (hello NRA).

Dick Morris: says that Obama’s money doesn’t give him an insurmountable edge or even be a key factor.

But, on television, where it counts, Obama will probably have no better than a 60:40 advantage over McCain. Much of the good television time in swing states has been purchased months ago. Extra money can help a campaign run one minute ads, as opposed to 30 second spots, and can make half hour or full hour “infomercials” possible, but the advantage of these extravagances is not proportionate to their cost.

Obama’s lingering problem is that with all his money, he does not have anything new to say. He has been repeating the same mantra for his campaign over and over again ever since the spring. By now, we all know that he wants to extend health insurance to “47 million Americans” (never mind that 10 million are here illegally) and wants to cut taxes for “95 percent of the population” (never mind that half don’t pay any taxes to begin with and the ‘tax cut’ is really just a welfare check). But he has nothing new to offer voters.

But McCain’s advertising is powering a bold new message, inspired by Joe the Plumber: That Obama will use the tax code to redistribute wealth. The social populist backlash against his proposals is closing the lead that Obama opened up as a result of the financial crisis.

Ironically, Morris goes on to, well, plead for his readers to give money to McCain!

Funny but there is some evidence that “Joe the Plumber” isn’t working where McCain needs it to work:

Has it worked? Not exactly. A Suffolk University poll of Ohio and Missouri finds that name recognition of “Joe the Plumber” is very high in both states — but only a handful of voters said it made them more likely to vote for the Republican candidate. In Ohio, 68% of respondents had heard the Joe story. Six percent said it made them more likely to vote for McCain; four percent said it made them more likely to vote for Obama. In Missouri a whopping 80% knew of Joe. Eight percent were more likely to vote McCain as a result; 3 percent more likely to vote Obama. In both states, vast majorities said the plumber’s story did not affect their decision at all. Meanwhile, Obama is leading McCain in Ohio and is nearly tied with him in Missouri. More from the poll:

With just over two weeks left before the presidential election, voters in the key state of Ohio are giving the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden a 9-point lead (51 percent-42 percent) over the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin, according to a poll released today by Suffolk University.

In Missouri, McCain led by 1 percent (45 percent to 44 percent) statewide. He also led the bellwether test of Platte County, Mo.

“If Ohio goes for Obama, it may be lights out for McCain,” said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston. “At least today, the probability of an Ohio win is supported by the high-single-digit lead in the statewide poll coupled with the Perry County bellwether, which showed Obama leading by 4 percent.”

In 2008, Suffolk University bellwethers were 95 percent accurate in predicting straight-up winners in both Democratic and Republican primaries, and, when coupled with statewide Suffolk polls, were 100 percent accurate in predicting straight-up winners.

I suppose that in a very, very tight race that mike eke out the tiny difference which might lead to victory. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

In fact, I think that Obama looked good in that exchange; he was straight forward and told it like it was.

What many Republicans will never understand is that the economy won’t recover if the average person doesn’t have money to spend. Trickle down doesn’t work.

Election Futures: For those who believe Mr. Morris you can make a ton of money if McCain wins. A 100 dollar contract on the Republican winning the Presidency costs $15.60 at Intrade and $13.90 at Iowa Electronic. A similar one for the Democrats costs $86.00 and $86.20 respectively.

So what are you waiting for?

Democratic Trash Talking:

Carville and Begala laugh at the finger pointing that will follow a Republican loss.

Arianna Huffington The internet and youtube makes it more difficult for the Republicans to get away with lying.

Robin Hayes (R-NC): Liberals hate “real Americans”. Palin: VP is “in charge of” the Senate.

The right wing is always good for some laughs:

Warming up a crowd in North Carolina on Saturday, Republican Rep. Robin Hayes offered the diagnosis that “liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God.”

His remarks came shortly after he had said he would “make sure we don’t say something stupid, make sure we don’t say something we don’t mean.”

Hayes had followed Rep. Patrick McHenry, also a North Carolina Republican, who laid out the choice between McCain and Obama.

“It’s like black and white,” yelled someone from the crowd.

Of course, some deny that he said that but the reporter who was there confirms it.

Update 2: “I can guarantee that he said that,” local reporter Josh Lanier, who was at the event, tells The Crypt. “I didn’t get the 100 percent exact quote but it was something along the lines of ‘liberals hate America — people who work hard, achieve, love God.’ That’s pretty much exactly what he said, but I didn’t get it exactly, which is why I didn’t use it.”

Christopher Schuler, who also said he attended the event, sent this e-mail into the The Crypt: “I was at the arena Saturday morning in Concord and heard Rep. Hayes say it. It was around 10:30 a.m. Taken back by it at first, but the entire crowd was loving it.” [...]

Update 5: We have a fresh story posted on this topic, with a new admission by Hayes that he did say what he said but didn’t really mean it.

These idiots just crack me up!!! By the way, Rep. Hayes is the clown who said that Saddam Hussein was involved with the 9-11 attacks:

NEW YORK (CNN) — A Republican congressman from North Carolina told CNN on Wednesday that the “evidence is clear” that Iraq was involved in the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.

“Saddam Hussein and people like him were very much involved in 9/11,” Rep. Robin Hayes said.

Told no investigation had ever found evidence to link Saddam and 9/11, Hayes responded, “I’m sorry, but you must have looked in the wrong places.”

Hayes, the vice chairman of the House subcommittee on terrorism, said legislators have access to evidence others do not.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said that Saddam was a dangerous man, but when asked about Hayes’ statement, would not link the deposed Iraqi ruler to the terrorist attacks on New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania.

“I haven’t seen compelling evidence of that,” McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN.

So, Rep. Hayes: I hate ignorance and I am skeptical of religious claims. But I don’t hate Americans who disagree with me political issues, even if I think that they are misguided or mistaken.

And yes, I think that you are a jackass.

(I am sure that some of my readers think the same of me!)

Sarah Palin Follies The Vice President is “in charge of” the Senate. (Yes, I know that the VP is the President of the Senate and can cast a tie-breaking vote but….really..)

Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado. In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does, Palin erroneously argued that the Vice President is “in charge of the United States Senate“:

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, “What does the Vice President do?”

PALIN: That’s something that Piper would ask me! … [T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom.

Colossal Ignorance: It’s a GOP elected official thang; you wouldn’t understand.

Note: I am picking on people who should know better; not the rank-and-file.

This campaign photo made me tear up…

From here.

Hat tip to Dependable Renegade.

21 October

Busy day ahead!

Workout notes Yoga class, 6 mile run (just under 10 mpm, ran to the start of the “Mausoleum Hill” then back), then 1 mile cool down jog then 1 mile walk. Chilly (40’s); light wind, pretty.

Health and Well Being

This video is 17 minutes but well worth watching, especially if you have troubles with depression, over drinking, over eating, etc.

Politics 26 papers (so far) that backed Bush in 2004 are now backing Obama.

Hillary Clinton: Stumps for Obama in Florida.

It is sure nice to have her on your side that to be her political opponent! Obama joked that she is responsible for more than one of his gray hairs.

Campaign Ugliness: Obama supporter’s car is trashed and vandalized.

But this has happened to a McCain supporter’s car as well.

Humor: Kids (Nickelodeon) pick Obama 51-49.

The Daily Show Full Episode | Monday Oct 20 2008 | Comedy Central

The full episode

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The Jed Report: Daily Show attacks Republican Nonsense on “real” Virginia, etc.

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Some Classy McCain Supporters (Really!)

No, I am not talking about this one

(hat tip to Liberal Must Die)

I’m talking about these: a Muslim McCain staffer dresses down a supporter over anti-Muslim behavior:

Shorter version

More of this, please!

This is the background for the above (brightcove version of the above video) Note how the good McCain supporters confront the kooks!

Things have gotten nasty at places; I have no way of knowing if this is worse than 2004.

Tires were slashed at an Obama rally

Death threats were issued due to an Obama sign in their yard

Update: McCain landed at Columbia Missouri and got a crowd of FIFTEEN PEOPLE. To be fair, he did end up with 6000 at Kansas City.

But read what one person said in the comments section:

I liked the quote from the lady who was “upset” so few people turned out. Well, maybe that should tell you something. I’m a small business owner (who is licensed and pays his taxes unless McCain’s friend Joe) who 100% supports Obama. I realize that I can’t sell my product unless people can afford to buy them. I’ve sat by and watch my 401K get drained, the rich get richer thanks my tax dollars bailing them out, and 8 years of this country turn its back on hardworking folks in favor of get-rich-quick schemes. So no, I’m not gathering at the airport to wave to McCain — I’m more worried about my families well-being and how we are going to survive. I don’t have time to listen to McCain tell me this is a “mental recession” and how Obama wants to turn us into socialists. I don’t have time for the lies, McCain, and many other people don’t have time for them either. If you have nothing better to do than to lie to us, just stay home. I drove 140 miles to see Obama on Saturday; I wouldn’t waste gas driving 5 miles to see McCain.

Emphasis mine.