Can there be an ‘atheist vote’? Nonreligious set sights on 2016

[rug]

By Kimberly Winston?|?Religion News Service May 28

A few years ago, when atheist activists asked U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, to tone down a Christian-oriented message to voters, they were told, “There aren’t any atheists in Louisiana.”

But according to a new Pew Research Center survey, not only are there atheists in Louisiana, there are agnostics and “nones” — people who say they have no religious affiliation — too.

The May 12 survey found that 2 percent of Louisianans are atheist, another 2 percent are agnostic, and 13 percent are unaffiliated “nones.” Those numbers are amplified nationally, where the religiously unaffiliated have grown to about 22 percent, or 56 million Americans, up 19 million people from 2007.

“It’s easy to ignore 2, 3 or 4 percent of the population,” said Kelly Damerow, interim director of Secular Coalition for America, who met with Vitter’s staff in April 2013. “But with this state-by-state breakdown we can now go into their offices and say, ‘Here’s your state.’ It’s hard to ignore almost 1 in 5 people.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/can-there-be-an-atheist-vote-nonreligious-set-sights-on-2016/2015/05/28/3d30e660-0569-11e5-93f4-f24d4af7f97d_story.html

If atheism is mute beyond nonbelief, it will be a one-issue campaign, like the Know Nothing Party was.

[Yorktown]

1. atheism is mute beyond nonbelief

But the GOP will feel an atheistic pain as long as they pander to the religious idiots

(YECs, 'anti'-Darwinians, etc)

[rug]

2. Except for the atheistS who do sUpport the GOP.

How did you like Silverman at CPAC?

[Yorktown]

3. Silver who?

As long as there are Sarah Palins and Michelle Bachmanns tolerated as GOP leaders,

it's reasonable to assume the GOP will bleed atheist votes.

[rug]

4. David.

http://www.rawstory.com/2014/03/david-silverman-cpac-is-crawling-with-closet-atheists/

[Yorktown]

5. It's safe to say he's not a major player

The exorcised Sarah Palin was.

[cbayer]

6. If they are mute on issues, but react negatively to messages that exclude them

that right there creates a significant voting bloc, don't you think.

[rug]

7. Not necessarily. It's a matter of identity politics.

My impression is that nonbelief is not the strongest identity of nonbelievers. If so, that would not carry over to electoral politics.

The history of one issue political movements in this country is abysmal.

[cbayer]

8. Good point. I think my view gets distorted here.

Most non-believers have that item way down their list of who they are.

But, there are some striking demographics when it comes to nonbelievers which could potentially lead to groups that pursue political actions.

[rug]

9. The echos in here tend to warp perceptions.