Before the Ice Cream

Food for thought this morning:

• Three posts from Jesse Curtis (walk on):
  1. Part 1 of a review of God's Own Party, this part focusing on Jerry Falwell;
  2. Part 2 questions the religious right's values:

     This raises a glaring question because, of course, shortly before the Christian Right there was another political movement, largely Christian, that transformed American society, and did so without tarnishing the image of Christianity. The question of why black churches succeeded where white conservative Christians have failed may seem obvious or silly to some, but to me the answer is not at all clear. I hope to get into this later. In the meantime, as Ta-Nehisi Coates says, talk to me like I'm stupid: why was the civil rights movement a good and legitimate assertion of Christian values in a contentious political question, while the efforts of the Christian Right seem like a power grab that has damaged the reputation of Christianity?

  3. Part 3:  Is there repentance?
• Terrance at Republic of T on all those jobs bills and no jobs.

  Romney’s "jobless plan" is the same old job-killing madness that went on under Bush, which resulted in a lost decade of zero net job creation. It’s likely to create more jobs in China than in the U.S. It won’t lower the unemployment rate, and will add thousands more to the ranks of the unemployed – like teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Apparently, Republicans think losing those jobs is a good thing. That’s why congressional Republicans sat on their hands while state and local governments laid-off thousands, and refused to save those jobs.

  There is a jobs bill that's been hanging around for almost a year, but:

  Let’s place blame where blame is due, Congress did act. Senate Republicans successfully filibustered it, but eventually allowed the Senate to pass one small piece of it. House Republicans whittled it almost down to sawdust, and then passed what was left.
  
  To be fair, Republicans got their usual assists from depressingly predictable Democratic bickering and cowardice. But most of the blame belongs to the GOP. Republicans should consult a mirror, if they’re looking for someone to blame for inaction on jobs – and the consequences.

• Aphra Behn at Shakesville points to government actions that make life easier for rural residents.