LDS Democracy Newsletter - 09/22/2023

Welcome everyone! This is the second edition of the LDS Democracy Network’s Newsletter.

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Of good report

But before we dive into l’affaire Tim Ballard, we want to draw your attention to a faith-in-action angle on the American Climate Corps the White House announced this week.

As reported in The Colorado Sun, that state served as a key proof-of-concept for the Climate Corps, with leadership provided by the Polis-Primavera administration and Serve Colorado, which runs AmeriCorps programs in that state. We note that the current executive director of Serve Colorado is John Kelly, who won the 2022 award for an outstanding state service director and in 2007-2008 ran Catholic voter outreach for the Obama-Biden campaign and then as a senior policy advisor in the Obama-Biden White House’s Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Utah also launched a climate corps as has, to Rob’s excitement, North Carolina.

Context matters

Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), was the subject of an official statement by the Church. The statement was included in the reporting of a legal investigation into Ballard and OUR by Davis County and the FBI. As we shared last week, the Church provided a statement to VICE—independently confirmed by The Deseret News—distancing President M. Russel Ballard from Tim Ballard (no relation) and OUR saying Tim, “betrayed [President Ballard’s] friendship, through the unauthorized use of President Ballard’s name for Tim Ballard’s personal advantage and activity regarded as morally unacceptable.”

What we didn’t fully expect was the way the reporting appears to have inspired certain individuals to voice dissatisfaction with the church leader on social media. The replies to President Ballard’s recent social media posts are full of references to “the statement” and disappointment that Elder Ballard does not fully support Tim Ballard and OUR.

We note that Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah) has “personally confirmed” that the Church’s statement condemning Ballard’s actions is real.

In case you were wondering, now you know.

Out of the best books

It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month! It starts on September 15th because it commemorates the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. (Mexican Independence Day is on September 16th, and Chile’s is September 19th.)

We’re passing along an interesting Washington Post article on the changing religious makeup of the Latino population in the US. A key section:

You can read the underlying Pew study here and learn more about Navarro-Rivera’s work through his InterfaithAmerica profile here.

Ward newsletter

Mitt Romney announced that he will not seek reelection for Utah’s junior senator seat. As we mentioned last week, the Atlantic published [paywalled] an excerpt from McKay Coppins forthcoming book, Romney: A Reckoning. The except describes Romney’s realization that his respect for democracy, reverence for the Constitution, and the mantle of legislating were not shared by many members of the Republican caucus. In a speech Romney delivered on the Senate floor on January 6th he asked, “Do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom? What is the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience?” As the months passed, the members of the Republican Caucus increasingly chose former President Donald Trump over strengthening the republic.

Reading Romney’s revelations on public service in the United States Senate from a Mormon perspective strikes many of us as strangely familiar. Romney describes lonely lunches with the Republican Caucus, jeering crowds in Utah, and an icy reception from his colleagues after voting with his conscious. Reading Romney’s thoughts, Nathan recalls feelings he had when he was called in to talk with his bishop as a 19-year-old. His bishop felt the need to reassure him that “being a Democrat,” a reference to the fact that he had phone banked for the John Kerry campaign, was acceptable. The fact that he felt the need to provide this reassurance was surprising and confusing. Nathan had voted in one election and did not feel like a Democrat—rather phonebanking for Kerry was a way to oppose US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Romney’s frustration with his Republican colleagues reminded Nathan of his own frustrated confusion about ward members attributing hawkish foreign policy to God’s will. The words of his fellow ward members did not harmonize with the message he personally got when he read the words of Christ. Instead, they made him aware of his differentness. If Mitt Romney ever reads these words, and wants to share a ketchup salmon burger with Nathan, get in touch! Nathan lives in the DC metro area. We may not eye to eye on everything, but are happy to bond over the quixotic pursuit of inspiring change from a lonely lunch table.

Of our own free will

Sometimes we worry whether it’s worthwhile to speak up when we see something that violates our sense of justice. One of the biggest concerns is that we won’t necessarily change the mind of the other person. But there are times when it’s important to speak up—to be true to our values and to let others know that a thing is unjust.

We were reminded of this command to stand as a witness when we saw the Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens—a group of over 100 congregations in Georgia—unanimously condemn the spread of antisemitic fliers in that community.

One more praiseworthy thing

At the end of August, the Biden Administration announced the first drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation. The list included a pleasant surprise for healthcare reform advocates, short-acting insulin.

The inclusion of insulin on the government’s negotiation list is a major win for people managing diabetes. Insulin is “a medication required for survival by 10% of those with diabetes.” It is such an important drug that the insulin patent, which was granted to the University of Toronto, was sold for $1 with the understanding that manufacturers would make cheap insulin available. And they did. Until they didn’t. In 2012, vials of insulin lispro and insulin glargine were $138 and $125, respectively. Prices continued to rise and patients increasingly found themselves in the difficult position of deciding whether to pay for food, housing, or insulin. So the fact that the Biden Administration is willing to negotiate prices on insulin, is in our view, praiseworthy.

And for our Jewish friends, we hope you have a meaningful fast.