Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Like the Birthers, Here Come the Baptizers

Right Wing Watch has a rundown on what appears to be the next phase of the right wing concern troll assault on Obama's religion. I call it the "Where's the Faith" option. The "Birthers" got no traction, and Obama coming out for equal rights and freedom of religion concerning The Cordoba House, a Muslim community center, where, EGADS! Muslims might pray to Allah, has brought on the godbotherers to parse and mince Obama's REAL religion, or lack of it, hard to tell

Where's the faith? The wingnuts can't take on faith that Obama has faith. Lordy sakes alive, as my dear departed Granny used to say

The current president has neither a church, nor, to my knowledge, even a denomination. When I'm asked questions about his faith, by sincere people not looking to attack, I sincerely can't give a good answer. It's a problem I didn't have with any of the Bushes, the Clintons, Reagan, Carter, and on and on.

Of course, it shouldn't be difficult to rectify misperceptions. Throughout American history, presidents have been asked about their faith and sat for lengthy interviews sharing their thinking, explaining precisely what they believe. Why doesn't Obama simply do the same? This isn't rocket science ... Obama's problem isn't a tiny fringe that believes he faces Mecca to pray five times a day, but an increasingly large number of Americans that aren't sure what he believes. Until he makes that clearer, confusion will understandably reign.


But of course, Obama has explained his faith in interviews and elsewhere.


Google tells us so in many ways, but never mind, these guys are doubt sowers like little Johnny Appleseed tosses out seeds of Apple trees, these guys do it with heartfelt concern and bewilderment. To grow Obama into a stealth Muslim, which is there aim, the same way a pride of lions work often in tandem to get the prey running into traps set by other lions down the way.

Then there are the Obama may be Christian, but so what concern trolls. A little passive aggressive who knows wordplay always comes in handy with this type of godbotherer. Raises questions in the mind of those looking for them already, right?

In the aftermath of Obama's unsolicited, controversial dictates over the Ground Zero mosque debate, White House image-makers are now trying to convince the public he is a devout Christian. Specific to that point, he may not be a Muslim, but I'm convinced he isn't a Christian, either.


OR

As evidence of his devoutness, the White House has entered into evidence that he allegedly prays every day. Let me be clear – praying every day no more makes one a Christian than walking across a stream makes one a fisherman.


Prayer, like anything else, can be faked, of course, especially, did you hear, Obama supports A MOSQUE at ground zero. What more doubt do you need for proof to wonder to just what God Obama prays to. Proves nothing, right? And quoting a little bible speak is always a good cherry on top to highlight a point. And that point of course is, OBAMA MUST BE A MOOOOSLIM!!

And finally, we get to the kicker. A new updated version of "show us the birth certificate, Obama" "what are you hiding"?

he phrase, “having been baptized,” is apparently based on Obama’s claim about being baptized. Our major media haven’t questioned the claim.

Miller went on to say, “His baptism presents its own problems. The senior pastor at Trinity at the time of Obama’s baptism was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., the preacher who was seen damning America on cable TV…”

Notice the formulation, “at the time of Obama’s baptism.” She carefully does not say that Wright performed the baptism. In fact, there’s no evidence it was a baptism in the traditional sense that it was performed by Wright or anybody else. It looks like Obama walked down the aisle and made a profession of faith. That is not a Christian baptism.


And there you have it. The circle is squared, allegation cloaked in mystery, that google easily solves, followed by "he may be Christian, but what does that mean really?" I mean, anybody really KNOW whether Obama prays, and to whom whatever? Finalized by, hints of documented proof of being dunked in the river of baptism, signed sealed and delivered by a righteously acceptable vessel of the lord, no short form accepted, nor photo copies, or any other proof but the original parchment in real time. The anatomy of a right wing smear. Televised by Fox soon.

via Right Wing Watch

Stimulate Me

Reuters has this interesting report on the actual success of the stimulus, widely panned from the right to the professional left.

The massive stimulus package boosted real GDP by up to 4.5 percent in the second quarter of 2010 and put up to 3.3 million people to work, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

However, economists don't believe it.

The massive stimulus package boosted real GDP by up to 4.5 percent in the second quarter of 2010 and put up to 3.3 million people to work, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

But the CBO reports that the stimulus had a stabilizing effect on halting the slide of the economy over the depression cliff. I call that a success, and it saved and created quite a few jobs. Would a new stimulus do the same, probably, for a while. But the problems in our economy run deep into structural problems and how long can we keep it propped up with borrowed money? It is now a political non starter, a new similar sized stimulus, so the natural contraction will begin and there will be much pain. This can be alleviated quite a bit by keeping the safety net funded and the states solvent with federal dollars, but to keep throwing gasoline on a fire long in coming, and arguably necessary for long term economic stability, there would have to be political appetite with the public and politicians, and that just isn't there.

The massive package of tax cuts, construction spending and enhanced safety-net benefits was passed in February 2009 in the midst of the deepest recession since the 1930s.

It raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs during the second quarter of this year, CBO estimated.

Measured another way, CBO said the stimulus increased the number of full-time equivalent jobs by up to 4.8 million, as part-time workers shifted to full-time work or employers offered more overtime work.

CBO said the package, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, would cost $814 billion, down from its previous estimate of $862 billion. The lower figure was thanks largely to health-care subsidies that cost less than anticipated. CBO initially estimated the bill would worsen budget deficits by $787 billion.