Matthew Dowd

bcamarda's comment is a far better piece than Dowd's. It is more intelligent, more insightful, more based on actual facts and, indeed, better written as well. It is a stirring defense of TRUE tolerance, while Dowd's is a dumping of toxic sludge into the stream of our political discourse.

But what else would we expect from ABC, the network that gave us the twisted and lie filled propaganda piece "The Path to 9/11?"

It is borderline amusing to read some of these comments. Here is a quote from Dale Carnegie to chew on: "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain.. and most fools do."

We certainly wouldn't want to hear from the former adviser of the current two term president. I didn't vote for Bush and think he is a failed president, but Matthew Dowd knows what he's talking about. Good to see the moonbats are out early today.

We certainly wouldn't want to hear from the former adviser of the current two term president. I didn't vote for Bush and think he is a failed president, but Matthew Dowd knows what he's talking about. Good to see the moonbats are out early today.

"We certainly wouldn't want to hear from the former adviser of the current two term president. I didn't vote for Bush and think he is a failed president, but Matthew Dowd knows what he's talking about. Good to see the moonbats are out early today."

Uh huh. Because those two terms have been such a proud era in American history. And things have gone so well for our country. Matthew Dowd must indeed "know what he's talking about".

I wish I had faith that voters would elect a president whose only job was to uphold the Constitution. Keep the faith, baby, but keep it in churches where it belongs.

Dowd is not a "guy in the middle." It's too late for that. He is a Rovian opportunist who has cast his lot with GWBush and is now oh so shocked!, shocked! at what has been wrought. Columns like these are supposed to assuage his own sense of guilt for being an unindicted co-conspirator. Rea; penance would involve coming clean on voting fraud and deliberate lies from the Admin that he participated in.

Does ABC News have a Magic correspondent? I think they're missing a good bet.

Blue Moon makes a very good point. Will ABC also be hiring some Enron alumni to write about business and finance? I'm sure they know what they're talking about, too.

I have nothing against faith per se. What I do have a problem with is mixing faith or religion with politics and with government. It always disturbs me to hear people who forcefully argue that we are a "Christian Nation" because there are people of many faiths who are Americans so the assertion that we are a "Christian Nation" marginalizes and ignores people who are not Christians. What we are is a free nation where each of us has the right to worship or not worship as each of us sees fit. I feel that if people want to practice religion they have every right to do so, but what gets my back up is the people who feel if I do not practice a certain faith, a certain way and in a certain place of worship that somehow I am outside of the mainstream and not worthy of recognition or deserving of the same rights as they are. I do not care one wit what any candidate's faith or religion is, what is important to me as a voter is a candidate's integrity, honesty and the ability to get the job done. More evil has been done in the name of God by almost every organized religion that exists. People have used religion and God to do great harm to others who do not believe as they do. In this country we rant and scream about how the “Godless Muslims” are evil and barbaric and in the same breath we express that God is love and that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Perhaps I am missing something, but I cannot reconcile preaching God’s love and screaming for someone’s blood because they happen to be of another faith or denomination. In the last presidential election the Republican Party used fear and hate in order to divide the nation and get elected so that they could satisfy the agenda of evangelical Christians and to abolish the right of women to have a choice regarding their bodies and to deny a whole segment of society, namely gay people, their full constitutional rights. I frequently hear from Christians that it is a sin to judge others, but these people of so called faith judge the rest of us by their own moral standards and seem to forget that in this country we all have the right to live as we see fit as long as we do no harm to others by doing so. Our founding fathers had the wisdom to prohibit the government to make laws respecting the establishment of religion and to prohibit laws that infringe on the free exercise of religion. It seems today that the trend is toward greater inclusion of religion in politics and government and I personally feel that this is dangerous and undesirable. In this country the practice of religion is everyone’s right but conversely it is also everyone’s right not to practice any religion should they so desire. I believe that we would all be better off if we kept religion in the churches and out of government and politics. Be religious if that is your desire but please do not force your beliefs or faith on me. Faith is a private matter and I believe that it ought to stay that way.

"People rely on their spiritual foundation in decisions they make every day –- decisions ranging from whether they should change jobs, to the right medicine for their parents, to whether they should stay in a relationship, or to how one should treat the environment. In truth, for the average voter, Faith is often a more important factor than any economic calculus."

That may be, but I would hope that the American people are honest -- to themselves, their fellow countrymen, and their country -- and set aside (temporarily) any "faith-based calculus" when it comes to choosing a president.

Romney, in his speech yesterday, made the same plea: "A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith."

To ABC: Please don't give this guy anymore space. He's an idiot. The most glaring of his errors and misconceptions is, to me, the mistaken notion that buddhists are theists. You would think that he would at least be able to get the particulars and the matters of fact straight.

I find it comical at how enraged so many loyal liberal readers of ABC News are at the sight of a moderate conservative's views on faith. They balk at the conjectured idea of "ABC, giving a soapboax to someone so compromised" instead of actually considering an idea different than their own. I think the true "narrow minded" individuals are not the ones who step back and observe, in such an unbiased manner as Matthew Dowd, the significance of faith in most American's lives but the individuals who are not able to respect the notion that some people view the world in a different manner than themselves.

According to a Harris poll published last December, only 73% of Americans profess a belief in a god. Where does your "more than 90%" come from? A significant and growing number of Americans make choices based on reason and logic rather than myth, and the government should respect the beliefs (or non-belief) of all citizens.

I appreciate Matthew's sincerity. His world view seems to encompass ALL human beings. So what if he at one point supported Bush? Who was to know the war in Iraq was in the forecast? At least Matthew has the courage to be publicly vulnerable. Only rare human beings risk that vulnerability, especially in the cut-throat political world.

Got faith? Such gibberish. You can always tell an old ad man, they see things in cool phrases. Sounds like guilt to me, which is the another name for religion.
For the love of god, we have become sheep.

Go back in the closet Matthew, its safe in there.

I don't have a problem with Romney or any other canddiate as long as they have a faith. I am tired of all the GD liberals who roll their eyes at the mention of God. I am a Democrat at heart. I believe in helping the poor and many of the programs which do so. I am 100 % against the war. But my party left me precisely because of all of you "eye-rollers" at the mention of God. GOD, GOD, GOD, GOD,--are you satisfied. And Merry Christmas---and I am proud to say that and if you don't like it-----TOUGH. I won't vote for Hillary and probably not any Democrat (although at heart I am one) because we'll go back to having to say Happy Holidays. The WHite House will have a Holiday Tree. The childrens's Christmas Party will be a Holiday Party. Think it's trivial or I'm trivial--need to get a life? We'll you all are the one's changing things. we don't want to offend anyone, right? The last thing I want to point out clearly to all of you eye rolling athiest/agnostics who will be at the Democratic Convention, I am sure--you all ain't gonna win. God ain't gonna be eliminated from the coins and the Pledge. Maybe for a minute we'll be sayin Happy Holidays---but overall--ya'll ain't gonna win--Deal with it or leave!

People should keep their faith to themselves. Many of us are disinterested in what fairy tales grown adults do or do not believe in.

Romney "you can not have freedom without faith"

Article VI, section 3, and states that:

“ ...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

I am an Atheist.

I am as patriotic as any american.

I am more moral than a list of the leaders of your mega-churches.

Screw you Mr. Dowd and Bishop Romney who would smear my patriotism because I will not join you and the Iranian Mullahs in putting 'god' before rationality and human rights.

A "christian" who advocates mass murder and tax cuts for the rich. WWJD indeed.

Stop masturbating to the Left Behind books, un-widen your stance, call Ted Haggard up for a party and leave us alone you worthless Pharisee.

Romney makes an appeal for hatred against "secularists" which is the same appeal evangelicals made when they persecuted his ancestors.

Matt,

If there was a just god, you'd already have herpes and terminal case of testicular cancer by now.

Welcome.