Sad to say, but it’s come down to this…
I have to confess that I share Christopher Hitchens’ sentiment to an extent regarding the “Brights movement” as being a rather silly, risible concept, but when something as utterly loathsome as this advertisement surfaces… then it make me reconsider and think that it might not be such an altogether bad idea after all.
This is really the most shameless and despicable kind of bigotry and a sign of complete desperation on the part of down-ticket Republicans like embattled North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who’s frantically trying to retain her seat, but apparently, is so totally bereft of anything remotely positive to offer voters that she’s dredging the gutter in an attempt to mobilize the religious right by appealing to their presumed fear and hatred of atheists.
Oh, and by the way… almost everything in this ad is false and misleading, even to the extent that the statement “voiced” by Democratic candidate Kay Hagan is actually a track laid on by an actor — she never said what’s being attributed to her. In fact, she’s a Presbyterian elder.
32 Comments
October 30, 2008 at 7:39 am
The sad part is that Hagan filed a cease-and-desist order demanding that the order come down on the basis that it is ‘libelous’ and ’slanderous’, and promised legal action if it did not. In other words, Hagan is saying that she was called the absolute worst thing you can be called in American politics – a dirty, immoral atheist. Rather than face the wrath of the bible thumpers, she throws all the atheists under the bus.
For f*ck’s sake, it frightens me that actually *admitting* that you’re an atheist is the kiss of death down there.
Don’t even ask me about Dole.
October 30, 2008 at 8:08 am
Philosoraptor,
That’s the first thing that struck me, too. Instead of “I’m not an atheist, but even if I were, this is America – partly built on the concept of freedom of/from religion,” we get “You take that vile, heinous, filthy, immoral, disgusting word back!”
October 30, 2008 at 8:13 am
“she throws all the atheists under the bus”
and you base this on “in other words”, which weren’t her words at all, but your own? huh….
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 8:15 am
It sounds like an exaggeration, but you’re right; being an atheist is the absolute worst insult in American politics and otherwise. A 2007 study by the University of Minnesota found that atheists are the least trusted minority group in the United States, and are less accepted than other marginalized groups, including Muslims and homosexuals.Little wonder then that only 3% of Americans openly declare themselves as being atheist, agnostic, or secular humanist. Also no surprise that they’d get thrown under the bus at the first opportunity. Oh well.
October 30, 2008 at 8:19 am
“no surprise that they’d get thrown under the bus at the first opportunity.”
hard for me to believe that she views the situation as a “first opportunity”.
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 8:27 am
Poor wording on my part. I don’t imagine that Hagan viewed it that way or necessarily made such a calculation.
October 30, 2008 at 8:47 am
i’m just trying to look at this thing pragmatically. condemnation of the tone of the ad is inevitable; we can handle that aspect. hagan’s best play, at this point in her campaign, is to demonstrate to those at whom the ad is aimed that the implications are false, that the dole campaign has, in their desperation, sunk to slander and deception.
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 8:54 am
Taking a page from Gen. Colin Powell when he talked about Muslims in America would have been nice, but it’s probably not advisable at this late date to develop that particular argument. It’s more expedient and “pragmatic” for Hagan to simply dissociate herself altogether from a group that’s generally regarded unfavorably.
October 30, 2008 at 9:00 am
“It’s more expedient and ‘pragmatic’ for Hagan to simply dissociate herself altogether from a group that’s generally regarded unfavorably.”
that smacks a little of sarcsam. as far as i know, she hasn’t disassociated herself from the group. the whole thing started, afterall, because she attended an event hosted by vocal atheists.
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 9:09 am
While all that may be true, it isn’t always the kiss of death. Jesse Ventura was a pretty much unrepentant atheist and won the Governorship anyway…
October 30, 2008 at 9:19 am
The event in which Hagan allegedly met with atheists is that this was a meeting among several advocates, one of which happened to be a member of the Godless Americans Political Action Committee. She didn’t go to this event specifically to meet with atheists. She went to a meeting in which one of the participants happened to have been an atheist.
So what’s the take-away from this? The message coming out of North Carolina is that atheists are such a despicable group of people that nobody – particularly nobody running for public office – should be caught in the same room as one.
I don’t fault Hagan for her indignant response (accusing Dole of “slander”) but in effect she’s helping to perpetuate bigotry against atheists. Now however isn’t really the time to discuss the nuances of that issue.
October 30, 2008 at 9:24 am
the body broke pretty much every convention!
still, it’s a sad fact the religion does weigh so heavily on american politics. anathema to democracy, for crying out loud. “the gods, themselves….”
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 9:28 am
“She didn’t go to this event specifically to meet with atheists.”
but she didn’t distance herself from them, either.
“she’s helping to perpetuate bigotry against atheists.”
that’s bit of a stretch, in my view.
“Now however isn’t really the time to discuss the nuances of that issue.”
not for hagan, anyway. always a hot topic for me.
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 9:30 am
It’s quite an odd thing. You’d never see this kind of discussion here in Canada (or Britain for that matter) it’s a topic that’s generally considered completely out of bounds.
October 30, 2008 at 9:38 am
would it be naive of me to chalk it up to growing pains?
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 9:44 am
KEv — but she didn’t distance herself from them, either.
It’s not so much what she said, as what she didn’t. But wait, let’s see what Rev. Joe Mullin has to offer in this regard:
So, accusing someone of being an atheist is a “shameful personal attack” and the implicit message from Rev. Mullin’s well-intentioned assurance is that atheists aren’t dedicated to their families and/or communities. It doesn’t seem all that unreasonable to draw such an inference. Just imagine if the statement quoted above had been made with respect to other minority groups. For example: “I can assure you that Hagan isn’t a Muslim — no one is more dedicated to her family, her church, or North Carolina…” Draw your own conclusions.
not for hagan, anyway. always a hot topic for me.
I understand her response. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way things are.
October 30, 2008 at 9:49 am
Growing pains? After 232 years…?
October 30, 2008 at 9:54 am
I don’t suppose “degenerate” is too harsh a word, do you? It seems as though dignity and integrity have been banished from the Republican campaign playbook.
October 30, 2008 at 10:16 am
It’s a real low for Liddy Dole. I would have expected better from her.
October 30, 2008 at 10:16 am
“Growing pains? After 232 years…?”
(sheepish grin)
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 10:35 am
“accusing someone of being an atheist is a ’shameful personal attack’”
in general, no. but mullin wasn’t generalizing.
his statement, like hagan’s, strikes me as aimed at a specific audience.
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 10:36 am
The absolute best response to this ad came from Alex Castellanos of CNN – a Republican strategist:
“When you’re making ads that say there is no God, it usually means your campaign doesn’t have much of a prayer. it’s not the best thing to be doing here,” GOP ad maker Alex Castellanos said on CNN yesterday.
This is particularly interesting because he first gained attention for somewhat notorious reasons in developing the “White hands” ad for Jesse Helms in North Carolina. For you unfamiliar with that, it was the ad against quotas in which no faces were shown but a white “working man’s” hand is seen accepting a pink slip as they talk about losing your job do to racial quotas. So he’s not an old softie. He even expanded his remarks yesterday to say there is a way to do this ad as hard-hitting, saying something like, “Kay Hagan is a Christian who has even taught sunday school so why is she attending fund-raisers with members of ‘The Godless America’ pact?”
But he thought this ad was horrid, especially the fake voice.
And for the guy who thought it was stupid to file a “cease and desist” order, have you ever heard Kay Hagan speak? The voice was clearly – really clearly – imitating her voice. That was the reason for that course of action.
As it is, Kay Hagan has already put out an actual ad where she speaks to the camera about Dole’s attack in direct, calm, and forceful manner, responding to the charge and lamenting that the attack does nothing to help North Carolinians. A rather Obamaesque respone actually. I think she’ll do just fine.
My verdict, having lived in Southwest Virginia for a number of years which is culturally similar to Western Carolina. This will backfire on Dole. Many there take faith quite seriously, but they don’t cross the line and attack another person like this. It’s North Carolina. They are respectful with each other on such matters, and are very proud of their manners. Wonderful people, even if they may disagree with you adamantly.
October 30, 2008 at 10:39 am
I feel so silly. I thought your video post was of just the ad itself. I failed to realize it was the CNN clip, with Alex Castellanos.
Nevermind ; ).
October 30, 2008 at 10:45 am
Always watch video(s) first.
I kind of like Castellanos as far as right-wing “strategists” go. He and Ed Rollins both strike me as pretty decent, stand-up guys.
October 30, 2008 at 10:57 am
Yeah, once I actually saw a segment where Castellanos, Rollins, and David Gergen were the only analyst, all at the same time.
It was so shocking to see a mature conversation between intelligent adults from start to finish ; ).
I like some others at times, but they are my favorites.
October 30, 2008 at 10:58 am
I meant it was just those three. There weren’t any other analysts “cluttering” the discussion ; ).
October 30, 2008 at 11:04 am
Cobra — Yeah, Joe was busted almost immediately. Why he has any credibility whatsoever is a complete mystery. But then, to paraphrase George Will in today’s WP, McCain-Palin are tailoring their narrative to an audience of third-graders.
October 30, 2008 at 11:07 am
heh. wrong thread, bub!
KEvron
October 30, 2008 at 11:08 am
Joseph — It’s kind of refreshing isn’t it? So much less shrieky and confrontational than a lot of the Fox shows where people just end up shouting down one another and cross-talking. That has a certain entertainment value, I guess, but it sure wears on the nerves after a while.
October 30, 2008 at 11:09 am
KEv — Oops.
October 30, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[...] I’d have dropped you like a bad habit years ago. First, you try to give My Chosen People a bad name, and now I catch you red-Me-Damned-handed worshipping [...]
October 31, 2008 at 8:37 am
I wish I’d seen this before I published my post on the subject.
The ad and the media responses to it absolutely throw atheists under the bus and promote bigotry toward the entire atheist population. It says that being an atheist is the among the most loathsome and vile things a person can be.
Alex Castellano says, “It’s a question of judgment” because, “look who she’s taking money from”. It’s as if atheists are all terrorists or something.
It’s incredibly bigoted and I’ve written an entire piece about it on my blog.