Subject: Chat with Antonio M. Elias
From: "Antonio M. Elias" <antoniomelias@gmail.com>
To: barriticus@gmail.com

Antonio: Hey sorry we've fallen behind on some stuff
Antonio: it's been a media hell week sorta
Antonio: it's coming up on last chance to fill out surveys, submit Op-Eds, etc.
me: no problem
me: did you get my revised version of the op-ed?
Antonio: yep
Antonio: Wynne has looked at it
Antonio: tends to like it
Antonio: but has some changes
Antonio: that I am yet to see
me: do you need any raw material for questions to be asked of Forbes?
Antonio: that would certainly help, thank you
Antonio: Evan came up with one for today - climate change
Antonio: given the national Dem. talking-points on this
Antonio: I want to ask one about foreign money fueling campaigns
me: and the Chamber of Commerce affair?
Antonio: yeah
Antonio: I mean
Antonio: technically
Antonio: no candidate's campaign is "taking foreign money"
Antonio: but they're more likely to be on Forbes' side than ours
me: I'll think up some questions this weekend and get them to you soon
Antonio: excellent thank you
me: let me know if there's anything else in particular you guys need
Antonio: eh
Antonio: you've been doing good at general visibility
Antonio: we had a shitty morning
Antonio: a lot of fucking bigots in Hampton Roads
Antonio: basically just people who are Forbes-loving Republicans to begin with
Antonio: they never would vote for the Dem
Antonio: but they're black so they have to come up with a special excuse to tell their neighbors why they're voting R
Antonio: one guy, who admitted he's a Republican, called in on a radio show saying "in my neighborhood" (which goes 95% Dem) "there's only one LeGrow sign. That's because people there are Christian - and on election day *we'll find out who the Christians are*"
Antonio: what the fuck is that supposed to mean?
me: it means that all true Christians will vote for the guy who's incompetent
Antonio: apparently
Antonio: I hate to say this - because I truly do believe in complete separation of religion from government
Antonio: but it's sad that the relatively "smart" and tolerant churches - Episcopalians, Jesuits, the like - are the ones that never talk about politics in sermons
Antonio: instead you have megachurches
Antonio: by the way
Antonio: I was looking at our contribution list the other day
Antonio: we have supporters from 36 states plus DC
Antonio: some surprising ones too
Antonio: a few from Idaho
Antonio: N and S Dakota
Antonio: we're weak in New England which is unfortunate
Antonio: however the biggie that we're missing
Antonio: is Utah
Antonio: I want someone in Utah to give to the first atheist candidate
me: well, that can be done
Antonio: I know it can
Antonio: so can Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island
Antonio: Wynne and I were talking about it and we theorized that people in New England probably don't think it's as big a deal
me: although he's not the first, Pete Stark in Cali is
Antonio: however - it's the mountain West that has the highest rate of atheism
me: that's probably true
Antonio: true - Pete Stark
Antonio: but
Antonio: he was already an incumbent
me: ah, didn't know that
Antonio: Wynne's the first major party *challenger* to use the right terms
Antonio: yeah Stark is like 6th most senior in the entire House
Antonio: he's been around since like 1970
Antonio: "came out" in 2007 or something
Antonio: always said he was a Unitarian
Antonio: says he still is a Unitarian, just, the kind that doesn't belive in God (i.e. - many/most Unitarians)
Antonio: alright
Antonio: I'm grabbing lunch
me: yeah, I've been to a unitarian service in mexico, was amusing
me: okay, talk to you soon