Congress declares Christmas significant — but not unanimously

December 12, 2007

Following up on an item from yesterday, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), easily among the top five looniest members of the chamber, successfully forced a resolution onto the House floor, putting the House on record stating that Christmas and Christians are important. Last night, as expected, it passed easily.

But it was not, surprisingly enough, unanimous, which is where the story gets even more interesting.

King championed his Christmas-is-important congressional resolution out of fully-acknowledged spite. He was annoyed when the House passed resolutions recently to honor the Muslim celebration of Ramadan and the Hindu Diwali, so to strike back, King crafted a similar resolution that, among other things, “acknowledged and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization.”

As it turns out, not everyone was impressed with King’s spiteful stunt. When the Christmas-is-important measure came up last night, nine Democrats voted against it. Moreover, 10 voted “present” — including one Republican — which is exactly how King voted on the Ramadan and Diwali resolutions. (Forty House members didn’t vote on it at all.)

King is more than a little peeved, and went on quite a tirade on Fox News this afternoon.

“I recognized that we’re a Christian nation founded on Christian principles, and we’re coming up to Christmastime…. It’s time we stood up and said so, and said to the rest of America, Be who you are and be confident. And let’s worship Christ and let’s celebrate Christmas for the right reasons.”

Oh my.

I found it interesting that King kept talking about “we” during his diatribe — “we” have to stand up, “we” should worship Christ, “we” have to celebrate Christmas. Who is “we”? Americans? Fox News viewers?

Moreover, one of the nine lawmakers who voted against King’s measure explained why.

One of those ‘naysayers,’ – Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, said the resolution had little to do with Christmas.

Instead, he said, “it was another sad attempt by conservative Republicans to skew the line between church and state and impose their belief that America is a Christian nation.

“America is not a Christian nation,” Hastings said. “It is a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and everyone in between. Our diversity is our strength and those who seek to use religion as a litmus test are doing a disservice to all of us.”

As for the “assault on Christianity,” Hastings said, “all someone has to do is visit a shopping mall, turn on the radio or TV or look at the Christmas trees sitting on the front lawns of the White House and the United States Capitol to realize that no such assault is underway.”

And in case you’re wondering about the brave souls who voted against King’s resolution, the roll call is here, but here’s a list:

Nine “nay” votes: Ackerman, Clarke, DeGette, Hastings, Lee, McDermott, Scott, Stark, and Woolsey.

Ten “present” votes: Conyers, Frank, Holt, Payne, Pence (the only Republican,, Schakowsky, Schwartz, Wasserman Schultz, Welch, and Yarmuth.

“Profiles in Courage” awards for all of them.

This is nothing but a loyalty oath.

How is it that a loony Rep. Rep can force an issue to a vote and the whole Democratic majority can’t?

  • Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary

    Authored by American diplomat Joel Barlow in 1796, the following treaty was sent to the floor of the Senate, June 7, 1797, where it was read aloud in its entirety and unanimously approved. John Adams, having seen the treaty, signed it and proudly proclaimed it to the Nation.

    …..

    Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

  • Glad to see my congressman among the nays. Sad to see so few joining him. Even sadder that Pelosi let this get to the floor. Leadership? What’s that?

  • Excellent quote Michael W. Of course, these arsehats would insist Amuricuh was Founded as a Christian Nation if the statue of Thomas Jefferson got up, walked over to the Capitol Building and threatened to stomp them flat if they didn’t StFu.

    “Profiles in Courage” awards for all of them.

    I hope you’re being snarky. If Courage now equals refusing to take part in a petty little charade we’re pretty much fucked as a nation.

  • And you’ve got a comma instead of a right parenthesis after Pence.

    It’s also worth noting that 40 people just didn’t show. 21 Rebs and 19 Dems.

    They were probably out taking part in the WaC, alert Mr. King!

  • House passed resolutions recently to honor the Muslim celebration of Ramadan and the Hindu Diwali,-and- …the House on record stating that Christmas and Christians are important

    ..and why the hell were our tax dollars wasted on all these moves???

  • King is apparently one of the many wingnuts who have absolutely ZERO grasp of our nation’s history.

    A majority of the founders were Deists, not typical Christians, which is probably why neither God (big g) nor Jesus appears in a single one of their official documents, but the generic “Creator” does.

    It truly is stunning — not to mention a bit scary — that people with so much power are so completely clueless about the country in which they live and claim to serve.

  • Wow, Michael W, that is a neat excerpt you found.

    Someone should e-mail that / show that to Antonin Scalia. Send it to the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights!

    Righties should pay more attention to Easter, if they’re real Christians, anyway (funny they don’t)– that’s the most important Christian holiday.

    The righties must run from it because Easter brings the true tenets of Christianity too much into relief, and contemplating it revolts the fundies, because they don’t really believe in stuff like that. They believe in their made-up, stand-in, materialistic and racist version of Christianity.

  • I mean, if the Founders really looked at the nation the way the righties and the fundies claim they did, they would not have unanimously approved the resolution Michael W excerpted.

  • More so than Christians, Deists made our nation what it is Constitutionally. Deists abounded during the early years of our republic, but their numbers dwindled during the 2nd Great Awakening. Rep. King is a bigot! -Kevo

  • How is it that a loony Rep. Rep can force an issue to a vote and the whole Democratic majority can’t?

  • Hey Jesus (post #8). I know it’s common for people to lie about their age, but you erred somewhere. Either you were born before 4BCE when Herod the Great died, or you were born after 6CE when Quirinius did the census in Bethlehem while Mary was pregnant.

    So which is it? Are you 2010 or older, or 2000 or younger?

  • I suppose the clerk could have gotten King (IA) and King (NY) mixed up when posting the roll on the web site, but if I read that correct, King – now ranting about the non-unanimity – was among those not voting on his own legislation.

  • Oh honey, ain’t nobody gonna steal any Christmas as long as Big Business makes billions and billions of dollars on it.

  • Hey. Rep King says Christian Nation, I say Sharia Law. You say tomato, I say tamato. In their zealousness to fight terrorism and other cultures other than christianity, these people found it mighty helpful to start adopting strategies from the other sides playbook and because of the poor vantage point you have when your head is up your ass, they don’t see any hypocrisy in what they do.

  • Hey, all you secular churchgoers, remember that the loonies have the bullhorn. They have the corporatists as allies, and these unHoly allies are trying to beat down the Democrats at every turn.
    And that’s why the “no” and “present” voters are courageous. If a bonafied hero (Kerry) can be made out to be a effite near-traitor by this unHoly alliance, any, and I mean ANY divergence from ideological purity can be punished.
    tAiO (#4) – I agree, we ARE pretty fucked up. Hell, we have Bush as president, don’t we? Do you think he’d be there if we had a functioning press?

  • In my vain, unsubstantiated fantasy, we are a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles!! And I use my appointed-for-life seat on the U.S. Supreme Court to push this false view on the American people!

    Toss me another cannoli, heh!

  • Glad to see Jim McDermott (D-WA) among the heroes.

    The rest of the Washington delegation stinks. They have nothing to fear in this most-unchurched of all the states.

  • As R. Johnston noted up thread, Even sadder that Pelosi let this get to the floor.. Good question, but I fail to find how (or if) Pelosi voted at all on this (and I scoured the roll call twice). Last I checked, the Speaker does have vote, but where was this one? Anyone know any more about that?

    At least Boswell (Bluedog worthless rep of mine) had the slothful tactic of slinking away and being “not present.” I figured he’d vote for this garbage. But Dave Loebsack and Keith Ellison? That surprised me. Boswell needs a primary challenger, and I hope those occasional rumors I hear about Ed Fallon doing it pan out. Time to fly off into the sunset, never to be hear from again Len.

  • The other day, a group of loudmouthed thugs on the New York subway started aggressively bellowing “Merry Christmas,” in a tone that sounded less like a friendly wish than a challenge. When a couple of Jewish students made the mistake of taking their bait and replying “Happy Hannukah,” the first group began to beat the crap out of them. Another guy quickly intervened to help them, and got himself pretty badly beaten. There you have it: Bill O’Reilly’s “war on Christmas,” as started and fought by people of Bill O’Reilly’s deep Christian faith and intellectual profundity.

    Oh, by the way, the Good-Samaritan bystander was Moslem.

  • How can an effort by retailers or individuals to make seasonal tidings more inclusive and universal be considered “a war?” A war is where you beat up on people who are different than you or have something you want. Sounds like some Christians are pushing a “War on Peace, Love and Understanding” and using the celebration of their dear Savior’s birth as a weapon.

  • In addition to the Treaty of Tripoli quote above, I’m fond of this passage from Jefferson to Thomas Cooper, in 1814:

    “. . . none of these adopt Christianity as a part of the common law. If, therefore, from the settlement of the Saxons to the introduction of Christianity among them, that system of religion could not be a part of the common law, because they were not yet Christians, and if, having their laws from that period to the close of the common law, we are all able to find among them no such act of adoption, we may safely affirm (though contradicted by all the judges and writers on earth) that Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.”

  • Voting nay seems extreme and even dignifies the resolution to a degree.

    “Present” was the best course. Who can deny the importance of Christmas and Christians?
    I don’t. I just don’t see the majority patting itself on the back as a proper use of time and tax money.

  • Good for him ! Truth is, we ARE a Judeo-Christian nation and we WERE founded on Christian principles and if you ARE a Christian, you DO worhip Christ.
    It’s really that simple !!!!

  • All,
    Why is their such hostility toward this congressman for acknowledging Christmas, AT CHRISTMAS TIME, just as the other religous holidays were recognized? As we all know, this country is primarily Christian. I’ve lived in Saudi Arabia, a proudly Muslim nation which has no problem stating that it is a Muslim nation. The US is not a Christian nation in the same since that Saudi is Muslim, but the US population is clearly mostly Christian. So again, I ask, why the hostility? Those other congressional resolutions passed without ONE nay, but the Christian related one, the one that relates to the majority of Americans, it gets nay votes? Why the anger toward Christianity?

    And I know someone said that there are Christmas trees in malls and at the White House. However, a Christmas tree at this point is just a secular symbol, not really related to any religious symbol of the actual Christian holiday. Heck, I know atheists who have Christmas trees in their houses. So, I ask again, why is there all this hostility toward the Christian religion, when these other religions, which are in the minority in this country, are treated with the utmost of respect?

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