Bush/Cheney have the Baptists mad at them!

Baptists Angry at Bush Campaign Tactics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative denomination closely aligned with President Bush, said it was offended by the Bush-Cheney campaign's effort to use church rosters for campaign purposes.

``I'm appalled that the Bush-Cheney campaign would intrude on a local congregation in this way,'' said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

``The bottom line is, when a church does it, it's nonpartisan and appropriate. When a campaign does it, it's partisan and inappropriate,'' he said. ``I suspect that this will rub a lot of pastors' fur the wrong way.''

The Bush campaign defended a memo in which it sought to mobilize church members by providing church directories to the campaign, arranging for pastors to hold voter-registration drives, and talking to various religious groups about the campaign.


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...................One section of the document lists 22 ``coalition coordinator'' duties and lays out a timeline for various activities targeting religious voters. By July 31, for example, the coordinator is to:

--Send your church directory to your state Bush-Cheney '04 headquarters or give to a BC04 field representative.

--Identify another conservative church in your community who we can organize for Bush.

--Recruit 5 people in your church to help with the voter registration project.

--Talk to your pastor about holding a citizenship Sunday and voter registration drive.

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the effort ``is a shameless attempt to misuse and abuse churches for partisan political ends.'' Lynn said his organization would be ``watching closely to see how this plays out in the pews.''


NY Times

I am the first to admit that I've been in shadenfreud overdrive with everything the Bushies have pulled from their collective bums, over the last several months. But even I have to be amazed at the fact that their is no tempering of the rampant arrogance on their part. I know it's their downfall, and I'm cheering it each step of the way, but I am also gravely concerned that they've completely given up any semblance or lip service into listing to the voices of reason.

Is that really them pandering to their base: absolutism of action & thought, damn the consequence?

I cant find the link to this article in your post anywhere. Will you provide it please.

Wow he can't even keep his base from getting pissed at him LOL!

I will say though that the Baptists are right for once, this is terribly unethical and crooked of the Bush campaign to try. Glad they are being called on it.

May Peace Travel With You
~Astral

I think the Southern Baptists are just making sure that they look ok on the eyes of their congregations, but behind the scenes they are still backing up Bush and Cheney.

I don't trust any of them.

Originally posted by Ade1965x
I cant find the link to this article in your post anywhere. Will you provide it please.

In red, it says NY Times. Whenever you use the hyperlink button, it allows a "name" for the link.

Why do I get the feeling that Bush is doing this, regardless if it's right or wrong, just to make sure he stays in office another turn. The more he does, the more people he pisses off and he gets pissed as well. I agree that what he is doing here is wrong.