Will prayers sway Lieberman on healthcare? Rabbis rally. Priests, ministers, imams too

Connecticut's Joe Lieberman is a unique figure in Washington. He's an independent who caucuses with the Democrats but campaigns for Republicans like Arizona's John McCain.

He's also an observant Jew who honors the Sabbath. The senator makes an exception for work when the Senate is in session on Saturdays.

Now, an interfaith group of clergy is lobbying him to drop his plans to filibuster any healthcare bill that contains a public option. Their strategy: prayers.

During a Sunday night vigil, a crowd walked from Stamford High School, Lieberman's alma mater, to his condo building across the street. According to the Stamford Advocate's Devon Lash, residents went out on their balconies to listen to rabbis, ministers, priests and imams speak from behind a sidewalk pulpit.

"We are praying for the senator to change his heart and his mind," said the Rev. Tommie Jackson, of Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Stamford. 

Then Monday, a multi-denominational group of clergy sent a letter to Lieberman asking him to abandon his filibuster threats. "A lot of groups who have historically supported [Lieberman] are praying for him to come back home," Rabbi Ron Fish, leader of the Concerned Clergy Of Connecticut, pictured above.

The letter, signed by 70 members of the clergy, posed this argument: "Whether from the words of Torah or the Gospels of Jesus, whether from the Talmud or the Koran -- our traditions all are explicit and clear on one thing: We are commanded to seek the welfare and healing of all those in our midst, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Rabbi  Ron Fish, of Congregation Beth El in Norwalk, Conn., participates in candlelight vigil urging Sen. Lieberman to back healthcare reform.  Credit: Chris Preovolos / Stamford Advocate

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Election 2009: Where have all the young voters gone?

The tale of the tape is in the turnout.

In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie pulled out a surprisingly comfortable victory over a better-financed incumbent. In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell won an impressive victory touting what he could do to create more jobs. 

In both cases, the key to victory was in who showed up. Put another way, the young people who fueled Barack Obama's historic presidential victory last year stayed home.

In New Jersey in 2008, the under-30 vote made up 22% of the electorate. One year later, the tally dropped to 8%.

And in Virginia, the under-30s made up 10% of this year's election, down from 21% when Obama was at the top of the ticket.

All of which may be another way of saying that Obama had enough charisma to overcome the historic apathy of the youth vote.

The issue for Democrats this morning: how to get the vote folks back before the 2010 elections.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo:  Bob McDonnell  greets supporters during a campaign rally on Monday in Alexandria, Va. Credit: Getty Images

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Q&A with Max Blumenthal, author of ‘Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party’

Max Blumenthal is excavating secrets about the nation’s ultra-conservatives.

Showing us their text messages, exposing the psychology behind their actions, and getting behind the curtain to show us who holds the strings.
 
He’s taking investigative journalism to a more visual landscape -- not only telling, but showing readers (and viewers) what he sees out there. His viral videos from the 2008 presidential campaign trail have become popular hits, especially with young audiences.

In his first book "Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement That Shattered the Party," the writer minces no words. He is clear that the GOP has seen its heyday and is left now with a radical right, Christian base that seeks to replace democracy with theocracy, and permanently keep moderates out.

Blumenthal talked about his book, the future of the Republican Party -- which he called the "party of birthers, deathers and Civil War reenacters" -- and how he feels about being called a muckraker.

Why’d you write this book?
I’ve been covering the radical right -- primarily the Christian right -- for six years, particularly their role in national politics and how they took over the Republican Party. I covered the 2008 campaign intensely, and I covered the 2006 midterms. So, this book is really just a culmination of my reporting and my research and my analysis.
 
There have been a lot of books about this movement, but I wanted to write something unique that not only told people who the players are and what they do, but why they are the way they are. I think that’s what people want to know. Because that’s what really animates how the movement will behave in the future.

Rosh Hashana messages from Kennedy, Reagan, Ford and Bush -- Hoover and Johnson too

As the Ticket reported Friday, President Obama delivered a message stressing peace, tolerance and the protection of Israel on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which began at sundown Friday.

 Obama was continuing a long tradition of inspirational messages delivered by presidents at the start of the high holy days. So on this, the first full day of the year 5770, the Ticket offers up examples of what previous White House occupants have said on Rosh Hashana.

These excerpts come from texts compiled by the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara. For history buffs, the project’s website is a proverbial candy store, with links to documents, photos and videos of past presidents.

Some of Obama’s predecessors have praised the contributions of Jews to America, emphasized the ties between the U.S. and Israel, or called attention to current, and sometimes troubling, world events. In 2001, for example, Rosh Hashana came six days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Herbert Hoover, Sept. 12, 1929: “Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is an occasion upon which all citizens of our country may well recall with admiration and gratitude the whole-hearted loyalty and high-minded ideals of the Jewish element of our population. I felicitate them not only upon these qualities, so valuable to our civic life, but also upon their steadfast policy of furthering the cause of mutual respect and regard.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sept. 5, 1956: “Rosh Hashana is significant to every American for, in the deepest spiritual sense, we are all of the seed of Abraham and Isaac. Our moral code, the ideals that animate us, the faith in God that strengthens us — all these were most clearly and most inspiringly proclaimed many centuries ago by men of Jewish blood.

 “Their descendants, in race and in faith, have contributed greatly to the knowledge and the skills and the culture of America.”

John F. Kennedy, Sept. 6, 1961: “This is the hard wisdom of the centuries, marked again with the turning of each new season. We in the United States have found our way as a free people because we have gathered in our own traditions the experience of many peoples and lives. We have learned that tolerance and cooperation are the ways to true national strength. Americans of the Jewish faith have given to their country a great gift in this regard.”

Lyndon B. Johnson, Aug. 24, 1966: “These are the days when we are reminded that the perfect society is one which we must work to create and fashion in this world and in our own time. The prophets taught the Jewish people never to falter in the world-wide search for the betterment and peace of mankind and never to leave the conflict against the forces of discrimination and poverty.

 “These are precepts which were inherited by our forefathers from those who received them at Sinai. They are beliefs which have been given new and forceful expression in the State of Israel, where they were first proclaimed and where Rosh Hashana prayers were first uttered.”

[The American Presidency Project notes that Johnson’s statement was posted on the bulletin board in the Press Room at the White House. It was not made public in a White House press release.]

Gerald Ford, Sept. 3, 1975: “On the eve of the two hundredth year of our independence as a nation, we are joined as Americans in a spirit of reflection, renewal and reaffirmation. This same spirit has united the Jewish people for centuries in the observance of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

 “Each of you can take deep pride in the profound and positive influence of the Judaic heritage on our national life. The principles that guide you in your religious worship have also inspired countless and enduring contributions of the Jewish people to humanity and social justice. Your values are a great component of our quest for the brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God. The inspired leadership and special sensitivity of Judaism in areas of humanitarian concern fill many brilliant chapters of America’s history.”

 Ronald Reagan, Sept. 25, 1984: “The liturgy of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur emphasizes both the moral obligations men have to their Maker and the ethical responsibilities we owe to our fellows. Fundamentally, America stands for the same principles. Indeed, these values...

Carrie Prejean to Values Voter Summit: 'God chose me' with the gay-marriage question

It’s easy to make fun of beauty queens -- their plastic smiles, their bottle-blond tresses, their dreams for world peace. But Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California whose declaration that marriage should be between a man and woman earned her the vilification of some in the gay rights community, provided an unanticipated emotional highlight at a conference of Christian conservatives in Washington today.

In a heartfelt talk that moved some in the crowd to tears, Prejean recounted for the 1,700 activists gathered for the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit in Washington how distressing it was to go from shoo-in for Miss USA to not only losing, but being reviled and mocked for the answer on gay marriage she gave to pageant judge Perez Hilton, the celebrity gossip blogger.

“I knew as soon as I didn’t give the PC answer, I knew there was no way I would become Miss USA,” said Prejean, 22.

She had gone into the pageant in April believing herself to be the front-runner, and had spent months preparing: she had makeup coaches, walking coaches, accent modification coaches. For the question-and-answer portion of the pageant, she felt more than prepared because she had studied 500 questions. But then came Hilton’s question.

“Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?”

“I saw all my prep fly by me,” said Prejean.

To the Values Voter crowd’s immense delight, she added: “As I saw my goals and aspirations flash by me, I knew God had a plan for me… God chose me for that moment. He knew I was strong enough to get through all the junk that I have been through.”

What she went through, she said, was “a vicious storm of attacks,” including being vulgarly insulted by Hilton in an Internet video, and having her parents’ divorce records published by tabloids.

She has also had a series of legal tangles with the Miss USA pageant, whose owner, Donald Trump, initially stood by her, as well as the company that owns the Miss California pageant, which she sued after it revoked her crown.

It’s not all bad news for Prejean, though. She also has a book coming out (“Still Standing”) and a burgeoning career on the inspirational speaker circuit.

“Even though I didn’t win the crown that night,” said Prejean, tearing up, “I know the Lord has so much of a bigger crown in heaven for me.”

The crowd stood and cheered. Luckily, it was time for lunch. She would have been a hard act to follow.

-- Robin Abcarian

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Photo: Carrie Prejean with, hosts Billy Bush and Nadine Velazquez,  answers a question from judge Perez Hilton, unseen, about legalizing same-sex marriage during the Miss USA Pageant in April. Credit: Associated Press.

In his Rosh Hashana message, Obama calls for tolerance, peace and security for Israel

Transcript of remarks by President Obama on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, as provided by the White House

As members of the Jewish faith here in America and around the world gather to celebrate the High Holidays, I want to extend my warmest wishes for this New Year. L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu – may you have a good year, and may you be inscribed for blessing in the Book of Life.

Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year – a time of humble prayer, joyful celebration, and hope for a new beginning. Ten days later, Yom Kippur stands as a day of reflection and repentance. And this sacred time provides not just an opportunity for individual renewal and reconciliation, but for families, communities and even nations to heal old divisions, seek new understandings, and come together to build a better world for our children and grandchildren.

At the dawn of this New Year, let us rededicate ourselves to that work. Let us reject the impulse to harden ourselves to others’ suffering, and instead make a habit of empathy – of recognizing ourselves in each other and extending our compassion to those in need.

Let us resist prejudice, intolerance, and indifference in whatever forms they may take – let us stand up strongly to the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is still prevalent in far too many corners of our world.

Let us work to extend the rights and freedoms so many of us enjoy to all the world’s citizens – to speak and worship freely; to live free from violence and oppression; to make of our lives what we will.

And let us work to achieve lasting peace and security for the state of Israel, so that the Jewish state is fully accepted by its neighbors, and its children can live their dreams free from fear. That is why my Administration is actively pursuing the lasting peace that has eluded Israel and its Arab neighbors for so long.

Throughout history, the Jewish people have been, in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, "a light unto the nations." Through an abiding commitment to faith, family, and justice, Jews have overcome extraordinary adversity, holding fast to the hope of a better tomorrow.

In this season of renewal, we celebrate that spirit; we honor a great and ancient faith; and we rededicate ourselves to the work of repairing this world.

Michelle and I wish all who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a healthy, peaceful and sweet New Year.

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Guest list for Obama's White House Ramadan dinner

(UPDATE: 5:48 p.m. The president's dinner remarks -- sans teleprompter -- have been added to the end of this item.)

The other day President Obama issued a special message to the Muslim world for the annual Ramadan holiday. Tonight, before leaving Wednesday for the rest of his stay-cation at Camp David, the president hosts a White House banquet to celebrate the same holiday.

Invited guests include three Cabinet secretaries, numerous diplomats, five members of Congress including the first Muslim, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and the chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization mission.

Here is the list of invited guests, as provided by the White House:

Cabinet: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Deputy Cabinet secretaries: Commerce Deputy Secretary Dennis Hightower and Education Deputy Secretary Adam Miller.

Congress: Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind.), John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) and Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.).

Diplomats: Ambassador Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al Hussein of Jordan; Ambassador Adel A.M. Al Jubeir of Saudi Arabia; Ambassador Husain Haqqani of Pakistan; Ambassador Erlan A. Idrissov of Kazakhstan; Ambassador His Excellency Said ...

Obama's special Ramadan message to Muslim world

Ramadan, as everyone knows, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a time to practice patience and modesty, pray extra and refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn until sunset.

Today, President Obama, the son of a Muslim, who's going on vacation, issued a special Ramadan message to the Muslim world. Before leaving, the Democrat also issued one of those public relations presidential proclamations marking a special occasion of some sort, in this case the 50th anniversary of Hawaii joining the United States ohana, which, the president who grew up there says, means family.

Not the best timing from a strategic Western PR standpoint, as the released Lockerbie bomber arrives back in Libya to a hero's welcome.

But here in full is Obama's Ramadan message, as provided by the White House:

-- Andrew Malcolm

On behalf of the American people – including Muslim communities in all 50 states – I want to extend best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.

Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word – iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God.

Like many people of different faiths who have known Ramadan through our communities and families, I know this to be a festive time – a time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared.  But I....

Utah pushes census to count Mormon missionaries

Well, here’s a census controversy we hadn’t counted on.

Usually, when the Census Bureau gets embroiled in a political spat — and it seems to do that every 10 years — it’s usually over how to tally the homeless or undocumented immigrants.

But this controversy centers on Utah and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Officials there are in a dither because the bureau won’t count all those Mormon missionaries sent overseas. The Salt Lake Tribune recently explained what’s up:

This isn’t simply a quibble over statistics. The decennial population count is vitally important for states because a bigger population means more members of Congress and more tax money.

In the most recent Census, taken in 2000, Utah fell just 857 people short of receiving the last available U.S. House seat and this discrepancy in how Americans are counted overseas made all the difference.

One less congressman for a lack of 857 residents? That’s right. And, from the Utah perspective, it gets even worse when one considers North Carolina, which claimed the 435th seat in the House in large part because of the state’s military bases. Again, the Tribune explains:

The Census included the overseas military in 1970, 1990 and 2000 because of congressional pressure. The Bureau has made previous attempts to count all Americans abroad, but that population has never been used to apportion House seats.

Utah took the Census Bureau to court about all this but got rebuffed by the Supreme Court. So now Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, joined by fellow Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, has introduced a bill that would compel the Census Bureau to allow for Americans living overseas to be counted in the decennial census.

 “The Census Bureau could fix this problem right now and count Americans abroad, but they refuse to and are sitting on their hands until Congress makes them do this,” Bishop said in a statement this summer. “It seems there is no other solution other than mandating that the Census Bureau change their policy immediately.”

-- Steve Padilla

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Photo: Mormon missionaries on the move. Credit: Los Angeles Times  

From Italy, Obama tries to feel the love (transcript here)

Public opinion polls are showing a dip in the president's approval. Critics in Congress are piling on his healthcare plan. And lots of Americans are questioning why the mega-billion stimulus plan has not sparked a new era of job creation.

So the White House must have been less than thrilled at the timing of the Group of 8 meetings in Rome this week. Just at a time when he might have been needed politically on the home front, President Obama found himself in meetings with Russian officials in gilded halls in the Kremlin -- where those officials made sure the streets were empty of the usual Obamamania -- talking about climate control to a few European nations but without China, a critical player on the issue, and getting a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI in the august halls of the Vatican.

Even Obama, at a press conference from Rome, wondered about the wisdom of so many G-whatever meetings in so many forums to so little effect.

The one thing I will be looking forward to is fewer summit meetings, because, as you said, I've only been in office six months now and there have been a lot of these.  And I think that there's a possibility of streamlining them and making them more effective.  The United States obviously is a absolutely committed partner to concerted international action, but we need to, I think, make sure that they're as productive as possible.

The president also had a lot to say about healthcare, Iranian nuclear weapons and food security. You can read the full transcript below.

Then it was off with First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, to meet with the Pope, followed by a trip to Ghana, a country Obama praised as "a functioning democracy [with] a president who's serious about reducing corruption, and ... significant economic growth."

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo: Activists perform in masks of President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Rome this week where the G-8 failed to get developing nations on board for climate control. Credit: Reuters