Elizabeth Dole’s recent ad attacking her opponent, Kay Hagan, as being "Godless" sounds like something out of the Ann Coulter playbook. But then again, Liddy learned at the feet of the master. Her Husband, Bob Dole, earned the reputation as GOP "hatchetman" long ago. But Liddy is scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one. To overtly imply that Kay Hagan, a Presbyterian Sunday-school teacher, is an Atheist is simply beyond the pale.
Recall that in the recent past, Barack Obama has been accused of being Muslim as part of a coordinated smear campaign. A recent poll reveals that this tactic has been at least minimally-effective as something like 23% of Texans actually believe the rumor. But less than two weeks ago, in his now-famous Meet the Press endorsement of Barack Obama, Colin Powell posed the question "So what if Obama actually was a Muslim?"
In defense of Kay Hagan, I would pose a similar question, "So what if she is Godless?" Should that matter, particularly if she is a moral, upstanding, and law-abiding member of society that lives by the so-called "Golden Rule?" Atheists, agnostics, and non-believers in general have for too long been marginalized in the political process. Even people that practice "cafeteria religion" where they pick and choose, according to their own spiritual sense, fare no better in the eyes of those who wear their beliefs on their sleeves. What’s a good pagan to do?
It’s not reasonable to expect that an openly-Atheist individual could successfully run for dog catcher, never mind school board or city council without instigating a witch hunt. I doubt very much that state-wide or national political office would be within their grasp. This is prejudice of the highest degree and certainly the ultimate glass ceiling. Long before American society elects a non-believer, it will have already reluctantly tolerated openly-Gay candidates and the disabled. I only categorize these groups because they share a common thread; i.e., they are marginalized to varying degrees in the eyes of traditional American society. First, there were the "token" Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, and Women. Certainly there are closeted non-believers that currently hold political office. Will, at some point, a non-believer be accepted and judged fit to lead this nation? Not in my lifetime.
Even among the so-called "believers," there are many that go to church each Sunday simply for the sake of appearances. Others, perhaps for reasons of political expediency, have associated themselves with denominations far removed from those of their family tradition. John McCain, raised as an Episcopalian, is now a "member" of a Baptist congregation. Sam Brownback of Kansas, moved from mainline Protestantism to evangelicalism before his 2002 conversion to Catholicism. Yet no one questions their authenticity or their veracity as they are members of the "club."
Religion, like apple pie and patriotism, is carved into the "coat-of-arms" of American tradition. Perhaps the most egregious example is the insistence on the part of many that America is a "Christian Nation." The same folks that bristle at the sound of "The Islamic Republic of Iran," are the same ones that want to erect the Ten Commandments on every street-corner. A few years back, after vacationing in Japan, I was chastised by an acquaintance for visiting and spending money in a "Non-Christian Nation." Apparently, he was not aware of my non-believer status.
The dilemma for non-believers, particularly those that align with the Democratic Party (the party of tolerance), is that by asserting themselves in the political arena, they start a fight that they can’t win, given the inertia of tradition in this society. Furthermore, we must consider whether our own self-interests are worth compromising the recent gains of the political party that we support. But that is no reason not to try. So-called "faith-based initiatives" excluded non-believers and thus cast aside millions of dedicated and compassionate individuals at a time when society cried for "all hands on deck. In a similar fashion, the offer of help by our well-intended Gay brethren was cast aside by the Salvation Army at the risk of losing their ticket for the Bush "faith-based" gravy train.
The time is near for an Atheist ascendancy. Don’t expect it to be a smooth road. And prepare yourselves for the fire-hoses.