PRopaganda machines, Volume 2

As promised, here’s more from the world of spinmeisters:

From Change America Now (CAN), a national grassroots effort to make college affordable, lower the cost of prescription drugs, repeal oil tax breaks and raise the minimum wage: “For Rep. Rodney Alexander to complain about being asked to support popular middle class initiatives in Congress next year simply because of his margin of victory in the November election, says a lot about the disappointing brand of politics the people of Quitman may be in for from their Congressman in the next two years,” said Jeremy Funk, press secretary for Americans United and a spokesman for the Change America Now (CAN) campaign (www.cancampaign.org).

Funk’s comments were made in reference to an item in the Baton Rouge Advocate about the group’s efforts to build support for Democratic proposals by targeting 84 members of Congress. Alexander, a Republican, was the only Louisiana legislator chosen.

Alexander called the group “liberal” and told the Advocate he did not know why he was being singled out. “I won with 68 percent of the vote,” Alexander said. “I thought that was pretty good.”

“This isn’t a popularity contest – this is about meaningful change for real folks in Louisiana,” Funk said in the press release. “Unfortunately, Congressman Alexander seems perfectly content with the direction our nation has headed and more content to rest on his laurels.”

From Louisiana Family Forum and the Alliance Defense Fund: “It’s OK to say Merry Christmas.”

On the first day of the Louisiana special legislative session, the two organizations provided each legislator a Christmas pin and a copy of the pamphlet, "The Truth About Religious Expression at Christmastime."

"Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays of the American people and surveys show that 95% of Americans celebrate Christmas. Yet, due to misinformation, and even the threat of lawsuits from the ACLU and its allies, religious expression at Christmastime is increasingly absent from the public square," said Gene Mills, executive director of Louisiana Family Forum.

"Sadly, this holy day is being deliberately turned into a secular 'solstice season,'” said Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. “It's ridiculous that Americans have to think twice about whether it's okay to celebrate Christmas in public, but misconceptions about the law in recent years have led to the improper censorship of Christmas in public places such as schools, parks, libraries, and government offices."