abonham1's blog

I just came across this article describing how Michigan Republican party officials are planning to challenge the votes of individuals on whose houses have been foreclosed. It's obvious that this tactic is designed to suppress the votes of people who are facing economic challenges and it also appears that they are disproportionately African American in the districts in question. Since I’m not an expert in US/Michigan law regarding voter eligibility, I can’t comment on the legality of the matter. But, even if this sort of challenge is technically within the bounds of the law, I’m sure many of you agree with me that this is an immoral attempt to suppress the voting rights of some of the more vulnerable members of our society. I wanted to bring this to everyone’s attention so that people can be made aware that this may happen and be prepared for such challenges in swing states and districts. If anyone is involved in voter registration efforts in Michigan (and probably other critical states), it might be worthwhile preparing those you register for this sort of thing, so that even if challenged they will be able to vote.

I recently heard from a childhood friend that he had contributed a chapter in a book about life in fundamentalist Christian churches from the perspective of individuals who have 'left the fold' of those churches. In the book Leaving Fundamentalism contributors write personal accounts about their experiences with conservative fundamentalist Christianity, either as members of the church, or as outsiders. Jacob Shelley, my friend who contributed a chapter (Life Stages), discusses his youth in the same Canadian pentecostal denomination that I was raised in. I thought he did a great job describing the thought processes and anxiety experienced by a thoughtful young person who is attempting to live a godly life according to the doctrines of the pentecostal church. However, these efforts only lead to a massive guilt complex, fear, and feelings of inadequacy due to his wavering belief in the propositions that are central to the faith of his upbringing. He explores the process of overcoming these conditioned responses in order to achieve intellectual independence and a more mature and dynamic theological understanding.

An author I've come to find very interesting over the past couple of years is Jonathan Haidt, a moral psychologist at University of Virginia. His research examines the basis of human morality from a psychological perspective. He recently posted an article titled 'What Makes People Vote Republican' on the popular science website Edge.org in which he discusses the psychological basis for the apparent advantage Republicans have with voters when appealing to them on a visceral/gut level. Republicans have been able to appeal convincingly to a large number of people despite the articulate and reasoned arguments made by Democrats and liberals for their own policies or against Republican policies. His article offers insights into why candidates such as Sarah Palin and George Bush are so successful at convincing voters that they deserve to be in office despite their lack of substance. He also offers suggestions for how Democrats might successfully use similar strategies while communicating and maintaining their core values. While he is but one psychologist conducting work that is relevant to understanding the political mind, within my circle of contacts (many of whom are conservative evangelicals) Haidt's findings seem to hold true (at least anecdotally).