Cincinnati Enquirer's Politics Extra: Stealing Stories From Bloggers?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- So desperate for news items, the Cincinnati Enquirer appears to have resorted to outright theft on Politics Extra, its political blog. The paper's crack political reporting team apparently didn't know about this news until several long hours after it appeared in The Daily Bellwether, which is checked daily by the newspaper. The Bellwether's piece about U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt being invited to speak at the values voters conference was on the Internet since early Tuesday, nearly a half day before the Enquirer got around to reporting anything about it. The newspaper no doubt read The Bellwether, but it didn't give credit, or couldn't admit it was scooped again.

Glad to see Washington reporter Malia Rulon found the news worthy of reporting. But, geez, guys, don't you have any ethics?

[UPDATE: 5:55 pm 10/10/07 -- Malia Rulon e-mailed The Bellwether today saying she learned of the Schmidt appearance at the Values Voters confab from another source. Here's what she says: "I was forwarded you blog today. I had not seen your earlier post about Rep. Schmidt speaking aat the FRC meeting, so apologies if you think I copied you without credit. As you've seen in the past, I do credit when I get a tip from a blog. In this case, my colleague who covers Fred Thompson pointed Schmidt's speaking slot out to me since he's covering the event." I asked Malia if I could update with what she said, and she responded fine.]

OH-02 GOP Jean Schmidt: Lands Key Appearance At Major Values Voters Confab

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, who faces an OH-02 primary against a Republican rival angling for evangelical and family values voters, is going to get important face time at a national Values Voters Summit later this month in Washington.

Eight GOP presidential candidates will appear at the gathering, which is called the Washington Briefing 2007 and is billed as the largest confab of values voters ever. Schmidt is on the opening day schedule, and appears with two other right-leaning GOP congresswomen immediately before an address by Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator and Republican presidential candidate. Rudy Giuliani also plans to appear, which for him will be like walking into the lion's den.

Details about the conference are here and here. It is a huge conclave of actors in the Christian right, and is cosponsored American Values, Focus on the Family, FRC Action, Alliance Defense Fund and High Impact Leadership Coalition. There will be a presidential straw poll and FRC Action President Tony Perkins' organization calls it "the first pulse-taking of values voter activists now that the (presidential field) is complete."

More is in the press release that describes the straw poll, the speaker list and Giuliani's acceptance of an invitation to attend, which puts him a center stage in hostile territory. Many leaders int he values voters movement have said they cannot support the former New York mayor, who has been married three times, supports gay rights and is not adamant in repealing Roe v. Wade.

Ohio Church Choir Defames Beloved U.S. Hymn: Sings God Should Not Bless America

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Irving Berlin's
"God Bless America" is one our nation's great patriotic tunes, a song that is a marvelous celebration of the small and large mysteries of our national character. It shimmers with a sacredness, a flag-waving spirit without any mention of bombs bursting in air or terrible swift swords. It stirred our souls and raised our spirits during the darkest days of World War II. And again after 9/11, when Senators stood on the Capitol steps and spontaneously sang the words, "God Bless America" to rally their shocked and stricken countrymen.

Now the Christian right has stolen that beautiful tune, the enlightened hymn that has given Americans strength to confront a restless and sometimes hostile world. The uplifting poetics have been rewritten into something darker -- the lyrics have been changed to say America lacks the qualities of blessedness, that this kind-hearted, generous, freedom-loving nation deserves only mercy as a sinful, wretched, vile land.

The new words show no reverence or joy for the homeland. They fail to see any goodness or greatness in everyday life in the United States, a basic goodness that is America's best quality, the quality of home, sweet home that looms so large and shines so brightly. No, the Christian right sees this:

"Why should God bless America?

She's forgotten He exists

And has turned her back on everything

That made her what she is.

Why should God stand beside her

Through the night with the light from his hand?

God have mercy on America

Forgive her sins and heal our land."

Plunderbund has caught the choir of the Springfield Church of God on YouTUBE singing every verse of the revised right wing version. They conjured up a sinful landscape at a Values Voters conference earlier this week in Fort Lauderdale. They knocked their country, the greatest and kindest and biggest-hearted on Earth. They sang out like fools bowing before a golden calf that America "has turned her back on everything that made her what she is."

By uttering that verse, the right shows it cannot find the heart of America with a lifetime of looking.

Yes, America has its flaws and faults. But the good things of life in America far, far outweigh her flaws and faults. This is a nation that spends billions on the sick, and invests billions more to find cures, that has even curbed the biblical scourge of leprosy. This is a nation that spends billions feeding the world -- and debates whether it should spend more. This is a nation that has spilled its own blood in distant deserts, spilled it willingly so far on a mission intended to bring stability and freedom to the Middle East. And yes, Americans have the right to question that mission, or stop it altogether.

The church choir sang of the wickedness of a nation that allows complete freedom of worship -- all denominations and sects can follow the dictates of their faith. This is the nation where millions yearn to be, where humanity has found sanctuary from dictators and despots and Inquisitors, where all seek the opportunity to live freely in the plain light of day.

God has blessed America. He stands beside her. It's the land that I love.

Fla. Values Voters Straw Poll: Nobody Likes Romney

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Christian right political organizers have finished counting straw poll ballots cast by 340 delegates in Fort Lauderdale and report that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won 64% of the votes. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is courting values voters, skipped the event and collected zero votes in the straw poll. Some think that shows he's failed to connect with the religious right, an important GOP voting bloc. They point out that other no shows such as Rudy Giuliani received votes.

There is a huge amount of reportage and analysis available here. Be my guest and dive in.