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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
 Posted - 06/09/2011 : 15:11:15
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Friend of mine runs an atheist blog and just posted about a recent poll that once again shows people resistant to voting for atheists. Staks calls this a myth: http://www.dangeroustalk.net/?p=2307
I think Staks brings up some great points. I commented this:
The problem with such polls is what they are basically asking is "All things being equal, would you vote for an atheist?" But things are never all equal in reality. The people answering the question are I guess just imagining some generic John Smith shaking a fist saying "There's no god!"
Of all the ridiculous things the Right has used to demonize Obama, I've yet to read something condemning him for being raised by a mother who was a secular humanist. I totally expected it, but it never happened. Instead they made up shit about him being an Muslim, and Rev. Wright being some kind of radical black power nutjob, and all the really crazy conspiracy theories. I think what these surveys really show is that the identity "atheist" still has a bad rep. But I don't think in reality it reveals that atheist individuals are un-electable.
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Edited by - marfknox on 06/09/2011 15:12:24
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2011 : 16:41:11 [Permalink]
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I do believe there are a few, not many admitted atheist serving in congress. I don't know about the senate, it's doubtful.
After writing the above, I googled 'elected atheist' and found this 2008 article, which states this,,,,
Pete Stark, United States Congressman Ernie Chambers, Nebraska State Senator
Americans elect a lot of public officials – over half a million, from the President down to school district level. If atheists and other nonbelievers were represented fairly, you would expect about 50 in the US Congress and another 50,000 at State and local level. In 2007, the Secular Coalition for America tried to find them. They found only five. Three were very local officials: a school board president, a school committee member and a town meeting member. And the two most senior were both in their seventies, much closer to the end than the start of their political careers. |
While shown to be possible, I wouldn't call it a campaigning or selling point that should be spot lighted. Sad really. I believe and hope the future will be different. We'll see. SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
| Edited by - sailingsoul on 06/09/2011 16:41:57 |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2011 : 19:47:10 [Permalink]
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| A few years ago a friend of mine ran for school board in the burbs of Philly (which tend to be more moderate to conservative.) One of his opponents tried to hurt his campaign by outing him as an atheist who had been active in the Secular Student Alliance. The result was that the opponent's popularity went down and my friend's popularity went unchanged in poles. Basically the voters were annoyed with the mud-slinging. I think atheists can win elections. They shouldn't make their atheism a big deal or an issue at all, but I don't think they have to lie about or hide their lack of belief in most cases, even if they probably think they do. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2011 : 20:08:37 [Permalink]
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The answer to the question is simple. It depends where you live. There is at least one openly atheist person in congress, from a district in CA I think.
But you will never see an atheist win an election for statewide office in places like GA, TX, or AL. And you will not see an openly atheist president until the number of atheists in the country is much higher than now. Probably see a Jewish president first.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2011 : 22:10:46 [Permalink]
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I would really like it if your feelings on the matter are correct Marfknox and I do agree with your comment " They shouldn't make their atheism a big deal or an issue at all ". Certainly that is as it should be but is it. It seems the first thing any Republican brings up when starting a campaign is their religious values or what have you . Like it's the most important factor of their qualifications. Being an atheist it could be conformation bias. Of course when they do it their speaking to the fundies, which by it's self is a nod to how much their voting power is as a block and how important fundies believe a candidate being a christian is to them. In the race you referenced (marf) which candidate was of which party? I'm curious.
I would also add Vagina Virgina to that list Dude. I forget which city I was in in Virginia, on a business trip, but I couldn't go a mile without seeing at least two churches driving about the place. It was freaky and I was amazed by it. Very nicely maintained and landscaped churches too. Like being in the wild west, I got the hell out before Sunday! SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2011 : 11:28:01 [Permalink]
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You're thinking of Pete Stark, Dude, from a district in NoCal. He first ran and won in 1972, but only announced his atheism in 2007 (according to the wiki on him). My guess is that he was able to do that and continue to win in part because he'd been winning in Congress in that district for decades. At this point, he'd have to eat his own child in live TV to risk an election.
My guess is that were two new people to run for Congress in a district that was more or less split (or even trended slightly left), that the atheist candidate would still lose-- and probably on that very issue.
Of course, there are a whole host of other issues to consider, as Marf alluded to, and things like the race, sex, and income level of the candidate (and the district) come into play-- as do national issues. But nevertheless, I can't imagine a newcomer who is openly atheist winning a major election in the US right now. |
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AnthroGeek
New Member
USA
38 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 05:36:19 [Permalink]
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Not the best representative of what I would want in an atheist politician - mostly because he is bat shit insane - but Jesse Ventura is openly a nonbeliever now. He also took some heat for a comment about religion being a sham when he was governor iirc.
While he was not transparent as an atheist while running for office, his electability would have more to do with his off the wall conspiracies then that of his religious views he was to run again I imagine. |
A series of fun one-liners about various pseudoscientific claims and, even better, a concise description of the scientific method - Ken Feder on Skeptic Friends Network from "Frauds, Myths and Mysteries" |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2011 : 01:34:28 [Permalink]
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Well well! It seems there are a few more than one, more than we could have imagined. According to this article there are 27 closet Atheists and from a reliable source too. Second topic down.
27 Secret Atheists in Congress
The president of a secular group says that there are 28 members of Congress who do not believe in God, but only one of them feels comfortable revealing his lack of faith.
Secular Coalition of America (SCA) president Herb Silverman told The Guardian that his group was aware of many members of Congress who weren’t ready to make their non-beliefs known.
“Privately, we know that there are 27 other members of Congress that have no belief in God,” Silverman claimed. “But we don’t ‘out’ people.” |
How about that? I hope this going public doesn't cause a witch hunt. After all those not coming out could be correctly aware of the possible impact on them. It's good to know there are a number of congress who can think for themselves and properly too. Out of 535 voting members that's about 5%. SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
| Edited by - sailingsoul on 10/06/2011 01:36:48 |
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Are Atheists Un-electable?
