Coronavirus news

[Steven W Bohler]

The times also said that Biden‘s agenda is immensely popular throughout the country. The problem is unity or at least cooperation within the factions of the Democrats.

Gee, that's not what Chuck Todd told us.  https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/10/31/chuck_todd_2022_polls_looking_scary_for_democrats.html

[Steven W Bohler]

I see that Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for COVID and is out for the game this week against the Chiefs.  So too is the third-string QB, meaning Jordan Love is the only one left.  Last week the Pack was without its top three receivers (and lost their TE to injury during the game), but still won.  This week, only one QB on roster.  Can they repeat last week's effort?

[D. Engebretson]

It seems as if the public's perception of the ongoing pandemic is impacting some elections.  The NYTimes noted this morning in regards to the Virginia governor's election: "Why are voters so unhappy with Democrats? The main reason appears to be the pandemic, which has disrupted everyday life and the global economy for longer than many people expected."  It will be interesting to see if and how they address this going into the midterms next year, if the issue remains relevant for voters at that time.

The times also said that Biden‘s agenda is immensely popular throughout the country. The problem is unity or at least cooperation within the factions of the Democrats.

Don, I never thought you'd be carrying Brandon's water.

Yup, the Times says a lot of stuff, as the above shows, much of it baloney.  Which is why I don't subscribe.

When I shared what I saw in the NYTimes (which I only get in my email in summary form; I don't subscribe), I guess I didn't see it as a sign of support on my part for the paper, one way or the other.  Given the outcome of yesterday's gubernatorial race, namely that it was a huge victory for Republicans, I found it interesting that one thing working in the Republican's favor was disfavor with Biden.  Biden carried this state, as I recall, in the 2020 election.  But Youngkin was able to tap into rising disfavor with Democrats and issues especially meaningful to the suburban communities in particular, namely education and the economy. And, it would appear, frustration with COVID and the government's overall response. The supply chain disruption and delays, among other frustrations worked in his favor and some are seeing his victory as a kind of bellwether for the midterms in 2022.  As one supportive of Republicans I was pleased by this victory and am hoping the same is repeated in New Jersey, although they claim it's still too close to call.  I find it interesting that the Democrats may be their own worse enemy at this point.  Trump hardly factored into this race at all.  It was all issues, not personality.  And their disunity in congress is not helping matters either.  It would seem that a couple of moderates can indeed hold up almost everything and can keep radical progressives at bay.  At least for now.

[Charles Austin]

Pastor Engebretson:
It would seem that a couple of moderates can indeed hold up almost everything and can keep radical progressives at bay.  At least for now.
Me:
I do not believe The Two are moderates, nor do I believe those they are holding back are radical.
The Two have put their own ambition and egos ahead of what could be done for the good of the country. They get no respect from me.
LBJ Would’ve sweetly talked them into going along with the party or, had that failed, taught them the purpose of the woodshed out back.

[peter_speckhard]

Pastor Engebretson:
It would seem that a couple of moderates can indeed hold up almost everything and can keep radical progressives at bay.  At least for now.
Me:
I do not believe The Two are moderates, nor do I believe those they are holding back are radical.
The Two have put their own ambition and egos ahead of what could be done for the good of the country. They get no respect from me.
LBJ Would’ve sweetly talked them into going along with the party or, had that failed, taught them the purpose of the woodshed out back.

I doubt they're crying into their beer about the lack of respect they get from you, or that you seem to think the only way to explain their behavior is that they're putting ambition and ego ahead of the good of the country. Apparently it is not plausible to you that they're genuinely and in good faith disagreeing as to what constitutes the good of the country. Either way, politics in this thread should be related to coronavirus, and in the in loco parentis thread to education, etc. This isn't a general politics thread. If you want to start one about the theological aspect of the BBB proposal, feel free. 

[D. Engebretson]

Pastor Engebretson:
It would seem that a couple of moderates can indeed hold up almost everything and can keep radical progressives at bay.  At least for now.
Me:
I do not believe The Two are moderates, nor do I believe those they are holding back are radical.
The Two have put their own ambition and egos ahead of what could be done for the good of the country. They get no respect from me.
LBJ Would’ve sweetly talked them into going along with the party or, had that failed, taught them the purpose of the woodshed out back.

It seems that the Democratic party is divided along three lines: Those on the 'far left' (e.g. AOG, et. al.), those in the mainstream, and Manchin and Sinema.  Whether the 'far left' is 'radical,' I suppose, is a matter of perspective.  From where I stand they are radical, but probably not from the mainstream of the Democratic party.  Giving Manchin and Sinema the benefit of the doubt (from my side), their concerns resonate with Republicans regarding their stated concern about the size and scope of the social spending plan.  They seem reasonable to me, but then I am a fiscal conservative and have looked at the mammoth size of Biden's plan with great concern.  They also have constituents with whom they must contend and to whom they are accountable when it comes time for re-election. 

I also think that Democrats now own it all and must answer for it all, including the economy and COVID, to circle back around to the thread's stated topic.  Voters vote with their wallets and respond with frustration when their day-to-day lives are greatly disrupted (as with supply chain issues and plane delays, for example), especially when it doesn't seem to be for reasonable cause. Some of Biden's plan may resonate with many voters (such as provisions aimed at students and families), and I think that if that is the case they are again their own worse enemies.  But there are other issues that resonate with many voters, and education can be a truly contentious area in which to tangle.  And if inflation continues upward (and it seems it will), this will not serve them well come the midterms. 

[D. Engebretson]

My apologies for assisting a derailing into politics outside of COVID.....

[Donald_Kirchner]

do not believe The Two are moderates, nor do I believe those they are holding back are radical.
The Two have put their own ambition and egos ahead of what could be done for the good of the country. They get no respect from me.

I would suspect that they really don't care what Charles Austin thinks, especially if he thinks that The Squad is not radical!  Good grief, this is worse than I thought!   

If Charles were to live long enough for Ilhan Abdullahi Omar and others to come to power and order his beheading because he's a Christian pastor, perhaps he might think them somewhat radical.

[Charles Austin]

And if that’s what you fear, Pastor Kirchner, then…

[peter_speckhard]

And if that’s what you fear, Pastor Kirchner, then…

This from a guy who finds libertarianism terrifying.

[Donald_Kirchner]

And if that’s what you fear, Pastor Kirchner, then…

Who said I fear? You know what happens when you assume...

But I would find it radical!

[Steven W Bohler]

I just had a parishioner ask about religious exemptions for vaccine mandates.  I referred her to the LCMS's info page on this (https://www.lcms.org/resources/covid19/vaccine-mandate) but I was struck by the claim made in one of those documents that other medical products also were developed using fetal stem cells (such as Pepto Bismol, for instance) and the question of whether or not the person also objected to using THOSE products.  That seemed strange to me.  Pepto Bismol has been around forever.  So I looked it up.  Pepto Bismol was invented in 1901.  I doubt there was use of fetal stem cells then!  What am I missing?

[Marshall Hahn]

I just had a parishioner ask about religious exemptions for vaccine mandates.  I referred her to the LCMS's info page on this (https://www.lcms.org/resources/covid19/vaccine-mandate) but I was struck by the claim made in one of those documents that other medical products also were developed using fetal stem cells (such as Pepto Bismol, for instance) and the question of whether or not the person also objected to using THOSE products.  That seemed strange to me.  Pepto Bismol has been around forever.  So I looked it up.  Pepto Bismol was invented in 1901.  I doubt there was use of fetal stem cells then!  What am I missing?

I was approached by a parishioner who was facing a vaccine mandate at work and was planning to seek a religious exemption.  In our conversation she said she objected to the vaccine because of the use of aborted fetal products in the development of it.  I told her that our church body (the NALC) does not have a stated position concerning the vaccine or objections in receiving it based on religious concerns, but that we do have a "Word of Counsel to the Church on the Sanctity of Nascent Life" which lifts up the sanctity of life in the womb.  I told her that, on the basis of that statement, and on the strength of the description she had given me of her sincerely held religious objection to the vaccine, I would support her request for an exemption as her pastor.
I shared this with a group of NALC and ELCA pastors I meet for text study and we agreed that this would be consistent with our Lutheran understanding of the importance of honoring the religious conscious of believers.  I consider it to be in keeping with the practice that was enjoined upon me as a pastor with respect to supporting someone who claimed "conscientious objection" status during a time of war or when facing the military draft. 
This woman was also planning to claim a medical exemption on the basis that she is of child-bearing age and she and her husband plan to have children, and she is concerned about the unknown affects the vaccine may have upon a child in utero.  On top of this, she already had the virus a year ago and has natural immunity.  Plus she works from home - not for medical or quarantining reasons, but because her job does not require her to be in the office - so she is not in face-to-face contact with other employees on her job at any rate.
The entire vaccine mandate would seem to be an extreme overreach, particularly in her case.

Marshall Hahn       

[Jim Butler]

Pastor Engebretson:
It would seem that a couple of moderates can indeed hold up almost everything and can keep radical progressives at bay.  At least for now.
Me:
I do not believe The Two are moderates, nor do I believe those they are holding back are radical.
The Two have put their own ambition and egos ahead of what could be done for the good of the country. They get no respect from me.
LBJ Would’ve sweetly talked them into going along with the party or, had that failed, taught them the purpose of the woodshed out back.

In 1964, (according to http://acsc.lib.udel.edu/exhibits/show/89th-congress/democratic-majority) LBJ had a landslide win over Goldwater and "the largest Democratic majority since 1936." Therefore, it was easy for him to sweet talk or take them out to the woodshed. Even then, he needed many Republican votes to pass the Civil Rights Act.

Biden, by contrast, had a very narrow victory (only by a few thousand votes in certain states). He has the smallest majority in the House (Pelosi can only lose three votes) and an evenly split Senate. Had Trump not been such an idiot following the election, one of the seats in Georgia probably would have gone to a Republican and he wouldn't have a majority at all.

Biden has no mandate. Although you, and Mayor Pete, think his agenda is "very, very, very very popular" the ABC/Ipsos poll I pointed to earlier disagrees. The Third Way, a Democrat affiliated think tank has noted that what voters know about Biden's bills, they don't like.

Finally, while most journalists, like you, focus on Simena and Machin, there is an argument to be made that they are taking fire for others. Already this week, some Blue Dog Dems were indicating they weren't so hip on this. Two Senators--Mark Kelly from AZ and one of the Georgia Senators--are filling unexpired terms. Do you think they want to no longer be senators after next year? What about the Blue Dog House members?

You analysis is silly.

[Charles Austin]

Pastor Butler:
You analysis is silly.

Me:
That, of course, settles it. My head hangs low, and I am throwing ashes on my body.