Jesse Lava is Co-Founder and Executive Director of FaithfulDemocrats.com, an online community and action center for Democrats of Christian faith. Before undertaking this initiative, Jesse served as Special Assistant to former Democratic National Committee Chair David Wilhelm and worked as an Account Executive for Wilhelm & Conlon Public Strategies, a public affairs firm that helps nonprofits and businesses with government relations. Jesse was also a campaign staffer on U.S. Senator Tim Johnson's re-election effort in South Dakota in 2002 and Jody Richards's bid for Kentucky Governor in 2003.

Today, Jesse's extensive civic and political commitments include serving on the board of Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century (DL21C) and as a leader of Public Action for Change Today (PACT). He lives in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.

Blog Entries by Jesse Lava

Words vs. Deeds on Health Care

Posted July 6, 2007 | 04:41 PM (EST)


The words vs. deeds debate continues, this time on health care.

Today, the New York Times's Robin Toner purports to show the differences between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates on the issue. He frames the topic in the familiar way: Republicans want to "empower consumers to buy it...

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Questions for an Unreformed Religious Righty

Posted June 10, 2007 | 04:37 PM (EST)


Rev. Rob Schenk of the National Clergy Council leveled below-the-belt broadsides against the leading Democratic presidential candidates after their faith-focused forum last week. He kept to the passé script about abortion and homosexuality being litmus test issues. I called Rev. Schenk's press contact, Dane Rose, to ask for...

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Long Live Agribusiness; Long Kill Human Beings

Posted April 8, 2007 | 07:00 PM (EST)


Shocking: giant agribusiness is more concerned with lining its pockets than with saving lives.

This time, AIDS patients in Africa are going hungry because the U.S. says they have to buy expensive gruel from heavily subsidized American companies. Never mind the fact that African farmers have plenty of food...

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Words Vs. Deeds: The Theology of Supporting the Troops

Posted March 19, 2007 | 07:40 PM (EST)


There's now a bomb-resistant vehicle called an MRAP that protects our troops far better than up-armored Humvees do. Evidently, no soldier has ever died in one. But, surprise, surprise, the Bush administration is willing to pay for a mere fraction of the number needed. United Press International:

"The...
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Poor and Sick Children Among Apathetic Christians

Posted February 22, 2007 | 03:53 PM (EST)


UNICEF's latest report on child well-being shows the U.S. failing miserably.

The report looked at six factors: material well-bring, health and safety, education, family and peer relationships, behaviors and risks, and kids' own perceptions of their well-being. The U.S. showed up 20th out of 21 countries surveyed. We...

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Blogging Coulter & Co.

Posted September 22, 2006 | 10:35 AM (EST)


America's self-proclaimed values mavens will gather in D.C. this weekend for what they call the Values Voter Summit. Among the values-driven speakers will be Ann "Kill Jack Murtha" Coulter and Newt "The Sanctity of Three Marriages" Gingrich. No major Democrats will speak, and Zell Miller doesn't count.

But

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To Believe That Jesus Rode a Donkey...

Posted September 5, 2006 | 11:14 AM (EST)


To say both that I am a Democrat and that I trust in Jesus Christ should be a rather uncontroversial statement. But somehow the Christian-Democrat combination has come to seem paradoxical among the political chattering classes.

The truth is millions of us Christians are Democrats not in spite of...

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