Saturday, December 30, 2006

Evangelical Political Consultants

Some political observers and pundits have argued that democrats made gains among conservative Christian voters in the mid-term elections in November. That may be true and if so, it may be attributable to the hiring of evangelical consultants by democratic candidates. Recently Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton hired Burns Strider as her evangelical consultant. Strider directs religious outreach for House democrats and is the lead staffer for the democrats Faith Working Group.

Other candidates have made similar hires. Josh Dubois is heading up Barack Obama's religious outreach and Shaun Casey has been hired by John Kerry as a religious consultant. Casey is a professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary. I recently had e-mail correspondence with Josh Dubois about Senator Obama's support of a bill that amended the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) to allow individuals in chapter 13 bankruptcy repayment plans to continue tithing.

Over 25% of American voters claim to be evangelical. Republicans have long held roots within this group of voters. But the mid-term elections showed some democratic candidates gaining ground among these voters and some attribute those gains to the work of Mara Vanderslice of Common Good Strategies. She assisted several candidates with their campaigns to attract evangelical Christians.

Some have pronounced that conservatism is dead. With these efforts by democratic candidates to reach out to evangelical Christians, the GOP needs to wake up or it may see other defections by Christian voters. And republican politicians must do more than give mere lip service to issues that are important to Christian voters. They must also take bold action to make changes in areas that Christians believe are important like abortion, same-sex marriage, conservative jurists, etc. If they don't, then they may find a deeper erosion of their stronghold among Christians.

Jerome
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Friday, December 29, 2006

Republican Presidential Candidates

Who will emerge as the leader among republican presidential candidates? Mitt Romney, John McCain? Sam Brownback? Newt Gingrich? Or will it be Mike Huckabee as suggested by Paul Weyrich? Weyrich seemed to have been spellbound by Huckabee's charisma and speaking abilities, and believes that if conservatives got behind him they could really catapult Mike Huckabee to the first tier of contenders for the 2008 republican nomination.

Jerome
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Thursday, December 28, 2006

Duke Lacrosse Sexual Assault Case

I don't often post about legal cases in this blog. Most of the time my comments are about politics, religion and publishing. But the criminal case pending against the Duke lacrosse players continues to take interesting and surprising twists and turns. If you're not familiar with the case I'm referring to, then you can get up to speed here, here and here. Recently, the prosecutor dropped the rape charges against the three defendants but other charges remain. The whole case has had problems from the beginning. The accuser's story continues to change as does the story from the woman who was with the accuser the night of the alleged assault. Also, DNA tests results failed to identify any of the three men accused of the crime. An employee with the lab that performed the DNA tests claims that the prosecutor, Mike Nifong, told him not to release the DNA tests results.

Today the North Carolina Bar Association filed disciplinary charges against the prosecutor, Mike Nifong. This is serious stuff. The accusations against Nifong is that he has committed some level of misconduct in his handling of this case. Misconduct or not, I think that anyone who has followed the developments in this case will agree that it certainly has been handled poorly by the prosecution.

This case would make a great storyline for a novel!

Jerome
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Saturday, December 23, 2006

More Publishing Industry Information

I linked to Michael Hyatt's post about the top publishers in America. Yesterday he posted about how bestseller lists are compiled. I'm new to the publishing industry but it completely amazes me that there isn't a better and consistent way to produce accurate bestseller lists.

On the political front, Sam Brownback is trying to make in roads in Iowa while Mitt Romney is planning to announce in early January that he is running for president. The primaries are over a year away and presidential political news is everywhere!

Have a Merry Christmas. I'll be back on Tuesday.

Jerome
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Friday, December 22, 2006

Publishing Industry Rankings

Information regarding the publishing industry is extremely hard to obtain. For example, how does the New York Times compile its bestseller list? Or the Wall Street Journal. Or for that matter, the Christian Book Association. It looks like Michael Hyatt at Thomas Nelson has decided to undertake the job of breaking down some of those walls. He has a post on his blog that provides rankings of the Top Ten Publishers in America. If you read the post you will see that Hyatt includes all major retail channels. That's because those avenues are the only ones you can really measure. As he points out, if other channels could be accurately counted, then it would impact the rankings.

Thanks to Terry Whalin at The Writing Life for highlighting this entry.

Jerome
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Leaning to the Right

Over the last few months that I've been posting on this blog I've covered a wide range of topics. One has been the Supreme Court and another has been a look forward at the 2008 presidential election. Joan Biskupic has an article in the USA Today about Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. The article talks about whether these justices can move the Supreme Court to the right. There will be some important decisions from the Supreme Court regarding social issues in the coming months. One of the most important will be the constitutionality of partial birth abortion. These opinions from the Court will be interesting to read and it will tell us whether we still need one more conservative jurist on the Court.

The blog over at RealClearPolitics has an interesting discussion about the electability of Rudy Guiliani in the republican primary. It is a thread worth reading but I hope that at some point in the next several months the conversation includes potential candidates like Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback and isn't limited to Rudy Guiliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Not too long ago I mentioned a book by Arthur Brooks which provided intrinsic data that conservatives give more to charitable organizations than liberals. Here is an interview with Brooks where he provides more insight into his findings. At this time of the year it warms the heart to see and read about man helping his fellow man. For example, members of my family have rung the bell for the Salvation Army and we've donated money to the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse to purchase Christmas gifts for children. But I suspect that giving by conservatives (particularly religious conservatives) isn't limited to the Christmas season.

Jerome
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Sunday, December 17, 2006

That Bookstore in Blytheville

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to do a book signing at That Bookstore in Blytheville. It is an incredible store in Blytheville, AR, with lots of history. TBIB celebrated its 30th year in business in October. The list of authors who have held signings there is too long to list but a few recognizable names are John Grisham, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Lou Holtz. TBIB has a unique custom of having the author sign a wooden folding chair. There is a chair for each year. I was awed to read the names of those who had signed those chairs. And I was honored to add my name to the chair for 2006.

If you get a chance to visit this cultural icon, then please take the time to browse through its endless shelves. You will not be disappointed. You can also sign up on the TBIB website to receive a regular e-newsletter. It, too, is worth the effort.

Jerome
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Politics of Abortion

Do politicians change there position on abortion depending on which way the political winds blow? Steve Chapman seems to imply such in this article. It's an interesting thought. Has Mitt Romney (and Ronald Reagan and others) changed his position on abortion merely for political expediency or has he had a genuine epiphany? I think only the candidate (i.e. Romney) can truly answer that question. But to me, a candidate's position on abortion will be important as I consider whether to support him or her or not.

Jerome
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Friday, December 15, 2006

Religious Songs in School Plays

I had not previously noticed anything about this issue before today, but there is a lawsuit that arose out of the Wilson County, Tennessee, school system where elementary children sang "Away in a Manger" in a school play last year. The ACLU sued the school system. The American Center for Law and Justice defended the school system and this year the elementary children were still able to sing "Away in a Manger".

What gets lost a lot of times in the agrument over separation of church and state (which isn't in the Constitution, by the way) is that the First Amendment also protects religious speech and religious speakers. I'm glad to see that at least on one occasion the ACLU's attempt to censor religious speech was defeated.

Jerome
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Thursday, December 14, 2006

What if a Supreme Court Justice Retires

President Bush has already appointed two (he actually nominated three, but one was withdrawn) justices to the U.S. Supreme Court: Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. There is speculation that Justice John Paul Stevens will retire. Justice Stevens was appointed by republican President Ford but has consistently been more liberal than was expected when he was confirmed. If he does retire, then President Bush will have an opportunity to appoint a third justice to the Supreme Court. That would be one-third of the entire court and the right person might have a significant impact on social issues like the legalization of abortions and same-sex marriage.

There was a sad development overnight that could impact control of the senate and thereby the confirmation process of a Supreme Court nominee. Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota is in critical condition in George Washington University Hospital in Washington following stroke like systems and a surgery late into the night. I certainly wish Senator Johnson a speedy recovery and will pray for him and his family. But many pundits are already discussing the impact this sad event might have on the balance of power in the senate. I'm all for a republican controlled senate but not as the result of someone's death. I hope and pray that Senator Johnson gets well and returns to work.

My next novel, The Divine Appointment, has a plot line concerning the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee. It would certainly be timely if there really was a confirmation battle ongoing at the time The Divine Appointment releases in June 2007.

Jerome
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Monday, December 11, 2006

Obama the Messiah and Cheney Family Values

An interesting dynamic is developing in democratic presidential politics. Barack Obama is turning heads with his potential candidacy. The New York Times, Washington Times, Washington Post and Slate all have articles today about a possible Obama candidacy. Some have even referred to him as the democratic "Messiah". Can he challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination? It will be interesting to watch how things unfold over the next year and a half if they both get in the race.

On a different front, Mary Cheney, Vice President Cheney's daughter, is expecting a baby. This is newsworthy by some accounts because Mary Cheney is a lesbian. The Houston Chronicle has an editorial lauding the Cheneys family values. James Dobson isn't as supportive.

Each of these news stories have their own interesting dynamics. The Obama v. Clinton campaign for the democratic nomination would pit a person trying to become the first African American president against a person trying to become the first woman president. The other story about family values is also intriguing. The republican party has positioned itself as being more friendly to family values than the democratic party but the second highest ranking republican official has a daughter that is lesbian and is expecting a baby. Is there some inconsistency on the part of the republican party when it doesn't condemn Mary Cheney's lifestyle? Each of these are worth watching to see what comments the pundits have.

Jerome
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Friday, December 08, 2006

Hatch-Obama Tithing Bill

I've been extremely busy the last several days and haven't had time to blog. But I saw a headline this afternoon that prompted me to stop and post. Some time ago I posted about a court decision that held that individuals who filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy could not continue to tithe. Senators Hatch and Obama proposed a bill that would amend the bankruptcy law to allow for these individuals to continue tithing. That bill passed Congress and is expected to be signed by President Bush.

Also, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance has a blog tour (blour) this week on Never Ceese by Sue Dent.

I was in Holly Springs, MS, yesterday evening for a book signing at Jennie's Flowers and Gifts. I had a great time and thanks to all that came by and especially to the staff at Jennie's for hosting such a wonderful event.

Jerome
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