Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Obama and Romney Deadlocked, Polls Show
posted on November 6, 2012Neil King Jr. and Laura Meckler report for The Wall Street Journal that both presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, are continuing to campaign throughout battleground states, as both parties think that they have the momentum to win. The Journal compares this race to the race of 2008, when Obama had more support from independents, white voters and college graduates, and therefore, his victory was relatively decisive. “This election will be determined by turnout, turnout, turnout,” says Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster.
Read at The Wall Street Journal
The End of ‘Marriage’
posted on November 6, 2012At The New York Times, Laurie Shrage considers the ramifications of making marriage a privatized domain. While this theory is appealing because “caregiving units are defined in terms of the commitments of ongoing support that adults make to each other and their dependents, rather than in terms of the sexual/romantic attachments that happen to exist between a pair of adults,” this proposal is not feasible because it allows marriage to be governened by the rules of private institutions, like churches, whose “discrimination might conflict with public values.”
Paul Ryan to Social Conservatives: ‘Religious Freedom’ At Risk If Obama Is Reelected
posted on November 6, 2012Paul Ryan warned socially conservative voters in a recent town hall, organized by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, that “Judeo-Christian” values would be endangered if President Barack Obama is reelected, reports Amanda Terkel at The Huffington Post. Mitt Romney’s campaign cites the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act, which requires religiously affiliated groups to cover the cost of contraceptives in their health care plans, as an example of this threat. “President Obama used his health care plan to declare war on religion, forcing religious institutions to go against their faith,” said a Romney campaign ad in August. “Mitt Romney believes that’s wrong.”
Las Vegas Jews Caught in Adelson’s Shadow
posted on November 6, 2012Josh Nathan-Kazis at The Jewish Daily Forward profiles the conflicting role that Sheldon Adelson, owner of The Venetian Resort and Casino, plays in the Las Vegas Jewish community. In a state that was hit badly by the 2008 economic downturn, many Jews rely on Adelson’s donations to Jewish schools and synagogues. However, Adelson’s conservative views are not a secret. “Adelson’s dual philanthropic and political roles have complicated things in Las Vegas this election cycle. For Jews here, his most visible political spending has been the RJC’s television advertisements … [in which] Jewish voters explain why they’re voting for Romney in 2012,” writes Nathan-Kazis.
Read at The Jewish Daily Forward
Faith, Hope, & Love, 2012
posted on November 6, 2012Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review emphasizes the importance of protecting “the right of … faith-based entities to operate as their consciences guide them—and why protecting religious freedom in America is not just the right thing to do because it is right and just, but also because it is a practical good for the healthy life of a democracy.” Lopez references the religious organizations that provided support for victims of Hurricane Sandy as an example of the importance of religious organizations.
Electionpocalypse, Part I (Christianity)
posted on November 6, 2012At Religion Dispatches, Sarah Posner discusses the role that Christians has played in the upcoming presidential election. Posner derides members of the religious right as they make last minute efforts to attract support away from Barack Obama. “We’re now seeing the dumbest of religious appeals, the most craven partisan tactics, a dramatic spike in proof-texting the Bible to score political points, and dire prophecies,” she writes. However, Posner emphasizes that Obama was never overwhelmingly dependent upon the Christian vote and therefore, the lack of support by Christian leaders will not “be the end of the world.”
5 Take-Aways from the Newly Viral Romney End-Times Video
posted on November 6, 2012At Religion Dispatches, Joanna Brooks highlights what we can learn about Mitt Romney’s faith from the 2008 video in which he discussed Mormonism with an ultra-conservative radio host in Iowa, a video that recently went viral. Because Romney has been relatively quiet about his faith this election season, this video has given voters unprecedented insight into his role as a Mormon leader, as well as his understanding of church policy, and theology. Romney grew angry when the radio host questioned his religious beliefs. “I’m not running as a Mormon and I get tired of coming on the air and having it all be about Mormon,” Romney said.
The Year of the Personal Endorsement
posted on November 6, 2012At Christianity Today, Tobin Grant reports that many evangelical leaders, who have previously avoided endorsing political candidates, have endorsed Mitt Romney this presidential election. Last year, Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission stated that, “Neither defense nor assessment should be confused with endorsement. As a matter of policy, I have not endorsed, do not endorse, and will not endorse candidates.” However, in this election Land choose to endorse Mitt Romney, claiming that this election is the most important election since 1860.
‘Nuns on the Bus’ Leader: Power to the People Below the Poverty Line
posted on November 6, 2012At The Washington Post, Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the Catholic social justice lobby NETWORK, asserts that the poor have been largely ignored in this election, even though income inequality is at its highest levels since the Great Depression. Despite the lack of emphasis on the struggle of the poor, “most analysts believe GOP budget proposals would require deep cuts in programs that benefit the most vulnerable people,” writes CampbelI. “I can only hope that the candidate who called us ‘all children of the same God’ with such conviction during the last presidential debate remembers that line if given the political authority to send some of those children to bed hungry after inauguration day.”
Do’s and Don’ts for Evangelicals on Election Sunday
posted on November 5, 2012At Patheos, Thomas Kidd offers some advice to evangelicals on the Sunday before the election. “Do pray for the election,” suggests Kidd, but “[d]on’t pray for specific candidates or parties to win, whether by implication or by name. This makes party loyalty a condition of good standing within the fellowship.”