Baptists blast Bush campaign effort
People of faith have a right to take part in the political process, and we're reaching out to every supporter of President Bush to become involved in the campaign.
- Bush campaign spokeman Scott Stanzel
We are alarmed that this initiative by the Bush-Cheney campaign could lure religious organizations and religious leaders into dangerous territory where they risk losing their tax-exempt status and could be violating the law.
- The Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance
It would appear that the Bush campaign may have some serious boundary issues. That, or they are willing to do whatever it takes, including placing the tax-exempt status of churches at risk, in order to win in November.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- 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.
Other religious organizations also criticized the document as inappropriate, suggesting that it could jeopardize churches' tax-exempt status by involving them in partisan politics.
Tax-exempt organizations, churches included, cannot engage in partisan political activities. Period. Yet the Bush campaign is willing to violate this law, thereby potentially placing churches at some risk. So they really ARE willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if it means placing the financial health of a good portion of their base at risk. Nice.
This from a man who wears his faith on his sleeve. Can we now finally admit that George W. Bush is an emperor with no clothes?? It's not about his faith, it's not about his friends, it's not even about his self-absorbed political philosophy. It's about winning, pure and simple.
WE DESERVE BETTER.