Polls Are For Strippers!

Eighteen:

one

My friend Matt works for NewsBusters, which introduced me to this delightful non-profit that keeps tabs on the media. He's on the CNN beat, but here's a gem from another Matt covering MSNBC. 

A transcript of the segment, which aired on March 30 at 10:17 a.m. EDT, is as follows:

[Anchor] CHRIS JANSING: President Obama's approval rating is now at an all-time low in a new Quinnipiac poll. Libya, the economy, and the budget deficit apparently have a lot to do with it. His approval rating has dropped to 42 percent. 48 percent disapprove. By a large majority, 58 to 29 percent say the President has not clearly stated the U.S. goals in Libya.

(...)

Let me throw a couple of other numbers out there. 50 percent say the President does not deserve to be re-elected, but maybe this is the most crucial number of all – his approval among independent voters, Karen, just 39 percent. What's your take on that?

KAREN HUNTER, MSNBC contributor: Polls are for strippers, Chris.

CHRIS JANSING: Oh, my. How long did you work on that line?

HUNTER: We should not – I've been thinking about this all morning. Well we should not be governed by what people think in a slice of time, in a moment in time. I mean, we have to take collectively what this President has done over the last two years, and if people do their homework, they'll find out that Barack Obama has done more than any president since FDR to help –

JANSING: Come on, you know how we are. We're all ADD --

HUNTER: We're fair-weather.

JANSING: And we're "what have you done for me lately?"

HUNTER: Exactly! And that's why I think that this has got to be a long-term approach to looking at the President. We can't stick our finger in our mouths and check the wind to see which way he should go. And thank goodness he's not governing based on the polls. He's governing based on what's best for America, and making decisions that are right for us.

Wow. Not only is that response uncouth and, really, incongruous to the original question about the President's decreasing support among independent voters (which, I suppose, maybe strippers would align themselves thus politically), but her continued stream of consciousness from the mouth in unapologetically bad history.

Obama has done more than any President to help what? Democrats and Republicans should be insulted of all the presidents that were left out: Kennedy created the Peace Corp and managed not to get into a fight with Cuba; Johnson created most of the government programs which a large portion of the country is still trying to keep suckling, 40 years later; Reagan helped end communism in Europe. Just wanted to throw out a few more examples.

Also, since when is the mark of a good President just by what they have done in office? How is "doing something" enough? And, because I'm unhappy with the way the President is running our country, I'm fair-weathered and have ADD? No, no, no!

Here's an article by Victor Davis Hanson, "Obama's Amazing Achievements" to make everyone feel better.

two

Now, for someone who actually knows U.S. history. Preach it, Sen. Rand Paul!



No war in Libya! No arming the rebels! I ditto the need for more debate on this issue, and especially like the part where he mentions President Obama has had time to talk to the UN and other international councils, but not Congress. I think if you're going to get your country involved in a 3rd war in 10 years, you should discuss it with your country first. Or is that too old-fashioned of me?

three

Earlier this week, I was doing a little bit of research on papal infallibility when I ran across a lovely piece by Cardinal Newman, only to discover the website it was being hosted on says that evolution is false.

My first thought: Egads!

My second thought: AHHHHHHHHHH! No, no, no....

My third thought: Bleh. Le nincompoops.

Few things irk me more than Christians who deny possibility under God and put him into their own, small-minded box. I do not understand how one can believe all is possible with God, then deny evolution (not even taking the time to differentiate between micro and macro, just full-out denying), or limit the scope of God's mercy, or make ridiculous statements that contradict scientific knowledge while holding the hard-line on Scripture.

Here's a nice article from The Telegraph on how the Vatican says evolution and Christianity are compatible.

Fr. Robert Barron being awesome and talking about misreading Genesis:

"Genesis is not bad science. It's not science at all. Rather, it is exquisite theology."

On the upside, I found out that when the Pope makes an infallible statement ex cathedra when he has the entire council of Cardinals behind him, i.e. about the Assumption of Mary. He still has to make it, which is why the Chair of Peter has to be infallible, but it's a nice seeing the little system of checks and balances within the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. To date, since the dogma was put into place in at the First Vatican Council in 1870, there have been two.

four

This week = lots of editing/ work and class. I've gone to confession and adoration this week, but deadlines pushed my clock off, and I keep missing daily Mass, which has definitely left a little hole. On the plus side, I get to listen to (slash be in close proximity to) Peter Kreeft tonight! Oh yes. Stoked, to say the least.

five

My friend Scott and two other adventurers are going to Japan to collectively ride their bike 10,000 km (North to South) to help raise money for Japan. They are covering their own expenses, so 100 percent of the proceeds goes to those in need. Here's more info and a little video of Scott talking about it:



Even $10 would be a great donation! I know I'm making one today, as well as buying my plane tickets to South Korea to visit April!

six

Just because I bet y'all need some good stuff to read: 

"Beyond the Welfare State" by Yuval Levin, National Affairs 

"The divine will and human freedom: A Thomistic analysis" by Dr. Kevin G. Rickert, Homiletic and Pastoral Review 

"Vatican launches public dialogue with atheists" by Tom Heneghan, Reuters 

"You're not alone, doctor tells pro-life med students on national tour" by Nancy Frazier O'Brien, Catholic News Service

"Vatican Tells United Nations Human Sexuality Not an 'Identity', Defends Moral Truth" by Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic.org 

"Jordan battles to regain 'priceless' Christian relics" by Robert Pigott, BBC

seven

This week's Bright Maiden posts on patron saints gathered some great conversation. It's an interesting concept to think that saints choose us!

This week: my post, "Saint Who"
"Budding Hope" by Trista
"Less is More" by Elizabeth

My dear friend Brad was kind enough to plug me on CatholicVote.org - hello to all visitors from there!

After this Lenten season is over, we were thinking about inviting people to share their corresponding posts on our Bright Maidens Facebook page. We've already been asked if we accept guest posts; we're going to figure out protocol and then get back to y'all. Any thoughts on this and/ or interest in joining us?

Next week: Our issue(s) with the Church.

Happy April's Fool Day! Did y'all pull any awesome pranks?! Take it easy, and check out Conversion Diary for more!