Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, November 05, 2012

Paul Ryan To Social Conservatives: 'Religious Freedom' At Risk If Obama Is Reelected

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) used some of the precious remaining hours of the 2012 campaign to reach out to social conservative voters in a town hall-style call on Sunday night, warning that "Judeo-Christian" values were at risk if President Barack Obama is reelected.

"This is a huge election," said Ryan. "Please know that Mitt Romney and I understand the stakes. We understand the stakes of where this country is headed. We understand the stakes of our fundamental freedoms being on the line, like religious freedom -- such as how they're being compromised in Obamacare."

The call was organized by Ralph Reed's socially conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition. The call was originally scheduled for Oct. 25, but was then rescheduled for Sunday night.

Ryan added that Obama's vision was "a path that grows government, restricts freedom and liberty and compromises those values -- those Judeo-Christian, Western civilization values that made us a great and exceptional nation in the first place."

Ryan's rhetoric on the call was much stronger than what he and Romney have generally used on the campaign trail when speaking to a broader audience.

The campaign did, however, go after Obama during the controversy over whether religiously affiliated groups should be required to cover the cost of contraception in their health care plans at no charge to the employee.

"President Obama used his health care plan to declare war on religion, forcing religious institutions to go against their faith," said the narrator in a Romney campaign ad in August. "Mitt Romney believes that's wrong."

On the call on Sunday, Ryan said that he believed the contraception clause was the worst part of Obamacare.

The Romney campaign also currently has a robocall that warns Christians that Obama is a "threat to our religious freedom."

Ryan is considered more conservative on social issues than Romney. For example, while Romney believes abortion access should be legal in cases of rape and incest, Ryan does not.

Original Article
Source: huffington post
Author:  Amanda Terkel

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