Liberals have launched a new effort to recruit scientists to run for office. One of their favorite “scientists” is former Gov. Phil Bredesen, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee.
The new group, named ‘314 Action’ after the first three digits of the mathematical constant “pi,” TheHill.com welcomed them to the national political scene:
A group focused on recruiting and training scientists to run for office is eyeing two more key House and Senate races as it plans to ramp up involvement in the 2018 midterms.
314 Action, named after the first three digits of pi, is closely watching the race for Rep. Dave Reichert’s (R-WA) open seat and the Tennessee Senate race, which has garnered some national attention. But the group has yet to make endorsements in either race.
Former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), who has a bachelor’s degree in physics, is running for the open seat in Tennessee. He’s seen as a top recruit for Democrats in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly 30 years.
In the race to fill Reichert’s seat, the group is closely watching pediatrician Kim Schrier (D), who’s running in a crowded primary for a seat in a district that Hillary Clinton carried by 3 points in 2016.
In addition to supporting ‘scientists,’ 314 Action will also oppose those incumbents and candidates with who they consider “anti-science” with a program they call “Under the Scope.” Currently, the 314 Action website lists Lamar Smith (R-TX-21), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA-48), and Steve Knight (P-CA-25) as targets. In each case, the website begins their indictments against the lawmakers with “[NAME and TITLE] has never studied or worked in science.”
The group’s founder, Shaughnessy Naughton describes herself as an “entrepreneur with a degree in chemistry and a passion for understanding the role of science in our everyday lives.” As for the impetus behind the endeavor, she told The Hill there’s a “greater realization among scientists that it’s not just somebody else’s problem to deal with those wacky, anti-science politicians.”
314 Action’s mission statement offers a passing acknowledgement to science, but quickly steers into the mainstream leftist dogma that dominates Democrat rhetoric today:
314 Action is a nonprofit 501(c)4 that was founded by members of the STEM community, grassroots supporters and political activists who believe in science. We are committed to electing more STEM candidates to office, advocating for evidence-based policy solutions to issues like climate change, and fighting the Trump administration’s attacks on science.
Why “314 Action”? Because Pi is everywhere. It’s the most widely known mathematical ratio both inside and out of the scientific community. It is used in virtually everything we encounter in our daily lives — and like Pi, science is all around us. Too often, legislators choose to ignore science in favor of convenient beliefs or intuition. We are committed to electing more leaders who will use their training as STEM professionals to influence policy-making. Evidence-based reasoning should be the foundation of legislation related to issues like climate change, and gun violence.
314 Action is also devoted to aggressively advocating for a pro-science agenda in Washington, D.C. and in local and state legislatures. We will leverage our network of pro-science advocates to organize and effect change in areas where science is being maligned or disputed. As a unified STEM and pro-science community, we can combat the all-too-common attacks on basic scientific understanding.
The three main messaging strategies – or arguments – Ms. Naughton and her team at 314 Action seem to showcase in their writings to date are commonly called ‘the appeal to authority,’ ‘ad populum attack,’ and ‘the bandwagon,’ which are all listed as one of the 10 most common forms of argument that leads to a logical fallacy.
Three Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination in the August 2018 primary: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08), and Dr. Rolando Toyos.
In a recent Tennessee Star Poll of likely Republican primary voters, Blackburn has a 58 percent to 11 percent lead over Fincher, with Toyos in a distant third place at 3 percent.
Good for them. There are way too may people in politics who have never darkened the door of a science classroom of any sort, but can and do spout off the party opinion on any scientific matter at hand. I would like to see more “scientists” and people from academic disciplines other than “lawyers” in politics at all levels. I’m not exactly a fan of Bredesen, but he was probably studying for the differential equations exam on Monday while others were getting ready for the sorority social. There are plenty of conservative scientific professionals out there, no need to use the “Liberal” label so soon.