August 22, 2007

LA GOV: If You Thought The Thirty-Year War Was Fun The First Time Around, You'll Love This Ad

The netroots are celebrating a new LA Dem ad attacking LA Gov. cand/Rep. Bobby Jindal (R) for a "How Catholicism is Different" article he wrote for New Oxford Review in 12/96. DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas summarizes Jindall's article for readers: "Catholicism is infallible, all other religions are burdened with utterly depraved minds subject to subjective interpretations leading to anarchy and heresy. ... The passages above definitely refer to Protestants as depraved, selfish, scandalous, and heretical. Stupid, too."

Atrios comments: "I think it's refreshingly honest for Bobby Jindal to come right out and express his view that non-Catholics have "utterly depraved minds." This is the kind of religion-in-politics I can get behind."

Conservatives were less amused. Captain's Quarters purchased one of the essay's from the NOR site and finds Markos' summary of the contents lacking: "He also does not call Protestants "intellectually dishonest." He says that it would not be intellectually honest to ignore the teachings of the Catholic Church when studying Christianity. Put frankly, the Louisiana Democratic Party is despicable. Anyone contributing to this campaign should be publicly outed for the bigots they are."

The Corner's Stephen Spruiell purchased the other essay quoted in the LA Dem ad and concludes: "This distortion is even worse. ... Daily Kos approvingly links to the LDP's website and writes, "Jindal can deny [the substance of the ad] all he wants, but fact is he wrote stuff to that effect." Did he? Without taking his words out of context, show us one instance that backs up that claim."

Other reactions include:

• Bryan at Hot Air: "I guess we shouldn't be surprised. The Louisiana Democrats are the same bunch that mismanaged the NOLA levees for years and then planned out much of the politicization of Hurricane Katrina before it ever made landfall ... Democrats would scream bloody murder if anyone, say, attacked Keith Ellison for being a Muslim, and many have screamed at the mere hint that Barack Obama was schooled in a madrassah as a child. But in Louisiana they're playing the religion card in a devious, underhanded, desperate way."
• The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "If I were Catholic Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu, I'd hate to have to defend that ad."
• The Corner's David Freddoso: "The ad is an extremely low blow in a year when Louisiana Democrats find themselves cornered and desperate (you may remember, from 2003, the ad where they actually darkened Jindal's skin color, so it isn't unprecedented)."
• RedState's Leon Wolf: "Now, I have read the piece in question (I'm not sure how long that link will work), and I have to agree with pretty much everyone who says that the charges against Jindal wrench his words horrendously out of context. ... Only someone utterly ignorant of theology would honestly make such a mistake - so we are left with the conclusion that the operatives in the Louisiana Democratic Party are either utterly ignorant of theology, or are knowingly misrepresenting Jindal's words."

The Corner's Spruiell also contacted Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-LA) office for a response to the ad: "A spokesman for Sen. Mary Landrieu says the senator, a Catholic, can't comment on the ad because she hasn't seen it. I asked him if she planned to check it out. He said she might, if it comes on a TV when she's watching it. I told him it was available on YouTube. He said that the senator would probably not be commenting on the ad, but that he would send me a statement if her office put one out."

MN SEN: Doggonit, The Netroots Like Him!

Open Left's Chris Bowers is proud to announce that the Blue Majority Act Blue page (maintained by Dailykos, MyDD, Swing State Project and Open Left) has officially added Al Franken to the list of candidates they support. Bowers swoons: "Last month ... I wondered if Al Franken was the best example of a progressive movement candidate we had seen to date, given that his campaign is overwhelmingly people powered (over 45,000 donors so far), he passed the "bar fight primary" with flying colors (more than willing to take the fight to Republicans), he comfortably and repeatedly self-identifies as a progressive, and that he came into politics as an outsider, specifically from progressive media. ... Let's build the progressive movement together by supporting a first-rate movement candidate."

Posted by Conn Carroll at August 22, 2007 12:34 PM