Wednesday, July 18, 2012

An Atheist President?

The idea of American presidents who are in certain criteria are never popular. You know, non-citizens, teenagers, felons...non-Christians... undesirables.

S.E. Cupp, on her MSNBC show made a point, as an atheist, to say she couldn't and people shouldn't welcome an atheist to the presidency. The idea of a president not beholden to some idea of a supernatural higher power is somehow dangerous...I don't know if she's just this dumb, has this great a level of cognitive dissonance, or is just that blindly loyal to her right wing roots.

But, it's an accepted fact, that we each have problems with "others."

And current Gallup polling holds there are still some issues.

... While more than nine in 10 Americans would vote for a presidential candidate who is black, a woman, Catholic, Hispanic, or Jewish, significantly smaller percentages would vote for one who is an atheist (54%) or Muslim (58%). Americans' willingness to vote for a Mormon (80%) or gay or lesbian (68%) candidate falls between these two extremes. ...

It isn't surprising, as people often are uncomfortable with groups outside there own assumed peer group. But it is nice to see all groups are in fact improving, in the polling. From the 1950's and today, woman have gone from 54% support to 95%, blacks have gone from 38% to 96%, Jews have gone from 63% to 91%, and Catholics have gone from 67% to 94%.

And while numbers for atheists and others is far behind this, it is changing. Atheist had 18% support in the 1950's and now it is at 54%. ...It's a start. And as women saw, over the decades this can change (Granted, women have yet to see one of their subgroup elected to the presidency. But Hillary could've done it.). Also, for gays they've seen support, starting in the 1970's, go from 26% to 68%. Society is changing, regardless of how conservatives bleat about the horror of inclusiveness of "them" that they irrationally fear.



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