The correct strategy. Let's not make mistakes.

[longship]

I don't claim to have perfect knowledge, but I have a bit of experience, maybe only if it may be in my years, but also as someone who's been in the field, years ago.

However, what I would ask of everybody here at DU to do is to calm down. There have been more than a few threads here recommending that we take on Rmoney on his religion. On this, I have to draw the line.

Specifically, this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002686742
has recommended this very strategy.

If Dems did that, it could be a tragic mistake. Need I remind DUers of JFK's 1960 speech on his Catholic faith? And fucking no, there is no damned difference.

Do I need to cite Article VI of the fucking Constitution here? I would hope not. Rmoney's Mormonism is not, and cannot be an issue in the upcoming campaign. However, his policies are an issue.

Now, here's our secret. The extent to which the Republicans cite religion as the source of their political positions, is the extent to which we win. If we do the same, it fucking takes away our most potent defense.

The United States has a history of being melting pot. My grandparents' names are on the wall at Ellis Island. They immigrated here at the turn of the 20th century from Finland and Norway. But others have done the same. Some have been Dutch. Some Irish. Some Asian. Some African -- regrettably many families unvoluntarily. Nevertheless, all are valued members of our wonderful nation.

Where we go wrong, horribly wrong, is where we become divided, where we allow our petty differences of race, religion, national origin, etc. to divide us.

This is precisely what the Republican party is trying to do. And they have been playing the same damned game since before Pearl Harbor, no, before the Great Depression.

The one big mistake we can make in this election cycle is to play into their hand. They have been playing the religious persecution card for many years. It is their apparent trump card. Only a fool would play a card to their strength by campaigning against Rmoney by addressing his religion.

If, as many people have mentioned, that Rmoney's Mormonism might be an issue for some/many evangelical Christians, why in the Sam Hell would the Democrats take a strategy to oppose his religion??? Or, even to mention it!!!

Let the Republicans hoist themselves by their own petard. In the meantime we have, if very early Dem strategy is an indication, a profound chance to show a country a clear difference between the parties.

Need I address the polling on the public's approval of Congress? Need I inquire DU whose responsibility that is?

I think Obama and his team are playing their cards very well. It's six fucking months to the election!! Isn't a bit early to go nuclear?

I suggest those who are suggesting that we go after Mitt Rmoney's Mormonism read three documents.

1. JFK's 1960 speech on his Catholicism.

2. Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists.

3. Article VI of the Constitution of the United States.

Then, in your conscience, tell me that we should do what the Republicans are doing. Ask yourself the question: If we did that would we be no better than them?

[RKP5637]

1. What you said made a lot of sense to me. I'm not a religious person in

any sense, but what you said made sense, because I think it lowers the democratic party to start the pious republican games. Let the republicans sink in their own swill.

[rufus dog]

2. The correct strategy is to tie the Evangelicals together with the Mormons

One group hates the other, and the Mormons are looking for acceptance. Fuck them, tie them both together, throw both raccoons into a sack and let them kill each other.

This is exactly what the reelection committee is doing. This is not about noble people looking to make a Country better, this is about Fundamentalist haters trying to force their beliefs on others.

[longship]

4. Why play into their Rope-A-Dope?

Obama played a brilliant, a stellarly brilliant, Rope-A-Dope this last week on marriage equality. The Repukes took the sucker punch full force. (Need I say that that issue may have profound repercussions.)

There are too damned many worry warts here who want us to go nuclear. Why in the Sam Hell would anybody advocate that when our opposition has been going nuclear for over a year. Rmoney said he wasn't going to set his hair on fire. But that is precisely what the fucking Repukes have been doing for months and months and months.

Obama just has to keep doing what he's doing. In case you haven't noticed he's taking on the Repuked head on.

Trust. We have six months. In the meantime, work and give until it hurts to take back the House and preserve the Senate.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Fucking yes, there is a difference.

The Catholic Church is the largest single denomination in the US at 24%. By contrast, 1.7% of the US identifies as Mormon, and the number who intend, or could be convinced, to vote Democratic are trivial. Further, mormonism is considered a cult by many if not most mainstream christians because of their bizarre beliefs, of which Romney's business tactics are reflective.

They play the persecution card because they can... they are unpopular.

You really lost me at: "If we did that would we be no better than them?" Remind me, how many of the last 50 years have we had a Republican president? YES. I want to be just like them.

There are only two kinds of politics, effective and ineffective. If the effective kind is icky, then pass the mud, por favor.

[RobertEarl]

5. Timber..!!

You cut down that one good.

"Yeah, i want to win elections just like they have."

We Dems have been too nice. And look where we are. Still fighting fires when we should all be rafting down the river of life with kegs and music and bikinis.

[longship]

6. We also have cheeseburgers, with... (whisper) bleu cheese.

Shhh! Don't tell the Repukes.

Maybe Dems ought to fight the election on the bleu cheese platform...

Nah! Let's just take them on head on, like Obama is doing -- praise the lord (so to say).

That way we get all the bleu cheese for ourselves, plus maybe the Gorgonzola, too.

Good post, my friend.

[RobertEarl]

7. All in good time, friend

Obama is doing ok.

But he needs us in ways that only we can help him. The whole damn system is being run by the controllers who tell us what we should think and do.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results just doesn't cut it. It's time we tried something different.

[longship]

9. That's where the Gorgonzola comes in...

...and the Rope-A-Dope on marriage equality exquisitely executed this last week. I think Obama may have a very great campaign staff, if the first week is any measure.

We'll see, and I've never been against calling the White House switch board to give my respectful, but not necessarily approving, opinion. Letters work, too.

As somebody who's been fairly blasé about Obama, I am seeing something new emerging. I pray (so to speak) that he keeps it up,

Your point is well taken.

[longship]

8. What are you recommending here?

And how do you think your strategy will pan out?

Please, I am more than willing to change my position here. If there is something I am not hearing in this campaign, I'd gladly listen.

My position is that it does Obama no good to mention Rmoney's religion, because the Republicans are already saying that they are being persecuted, and they've been saying it for years and years. So you tell me how to bring up Mormonism without playing into that hand! Especially now that Rmoney's seemingly is forming bonds with the real screwballs at Liberty U. Next he'll be speaking at Bob Jones U. Then, what are ya gonna do?

The whole thing has to be discarded. All religions.

But!!! The extent to which the Repukes bring it up, that's the opportunity which Obama must seize.

Myself, I am a near lifelong atheist. That's well over fifty years. But I have awesome respect for religion, unfortunately and especially in the political sphere. I watched it happen as a Dem activist in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, screaming at the top of my lungs about what was happening.

Unfortunately, the bad guys obtained power more than I ever thought they would. What's to do now?

The last thing is to play into their hand. They have aces. We need Jokers.

[loyalsister]

10. There is a context where I think it is relevant

That is to point out that Mitt should know better when it comes to discrimination because it's likely he has experienced it because of his religion.
As for participating in discrimination and demonization of his religion, I think we're better than that and should act like it.

[LeftyMom]

11. Membership in an anti-woman hate group concerns me, because I'm a woman.

Membership in an anti-gay hate group concerns me because I'm a decent human being.
Membership in a racist hate group concerns me because I think racism is abhorrent.

That the hate group in question happens to be a religion does not make it any less concerning.

[longship]

12. That concerns me, too

We also must understand that taking on Mitt's religion might help him. Certainly the Republicans are already saying they are being persecuted for their religion.

That is kind of weird claim in itself. That argues that the Republicans might not be a political party but more of a church.

I am all for asking Willard any policy questions relating to his religious beliefs. Because the people here wanting to take him on because of his religious beliefs are correct. It's just my position that it is not a risk-free strategy and may actually help him.

Don't like his policy on women's issue? Take him on on those issues.

[myrna minx]

15. Exactly. n/t

[lunatica]

13. So it's OK for religion to get into politics but not to attack it?

Mormons bankrolled Prop 8 in California. But you think it should be off the table?

[longship]

16. I would not be in favor of a preemptive attack

But a response to religious attack is entirely appropriate. Anti Prop 8 being funded by the Mormons should have been exposed in the media. I lived in SoCal at the time and local media said next to nothing about it. IIRC Ray Taliaferro was screaming his head off about it.

[tinrobot]

14. I could see false flag attacks

Independent agents making that into an issue from an "evangelical" standpoint to conservatives.

But I don't think Democrats should make this an issue.