President Bush, seeking to mobilize religious conservatives for his reelection campaign, has asked church-going volunteers to turn over church membership directories, campaign officials said on Thursday.
Had Bush sent the FBI in with warrants, I'd say you had a case. But he ASKED for those directories. Anyone is free to refuse without consequences. If there ARE consequences, then you've got a case and I'll join it.
Presidents have commonly tangled with their own religions:
sfgate.com
His son, George W. Bush, the first Methodist president in a century, disagrees with leaders of his denomination, too. In a TV ad sponsored by a group including the National Council of Churches, a prominent Methodist bishop preaches that the impending war with Iraq "violates God's law and the teachings of Jesus Christ."
Twenty bishops and other Methodist officials joined an urgent religious plea against military action, and the Methodists' social issues spokesman headed for a gathering of ecclesiastical doves in Berlin.
Bush knows that a fair percentage of members of conservative religious denominations agree with him. Those members are still free to vote against him and some will.
Until the 1960's, Democratic politicians in the South routinely played the race card, rallying their robed and hooded supporters. Many even appeared at such rallies. THis does not strike you as worse?
Jimmy Carter openly appealed to his co-religionist Southern Baptists. It worked too. More than 60% of them voted for him.
more than 60 percent voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976
yuricareport.com
In the 19th century, politicians commonly ran against Catholics in general.
Emile Vidrine would have us vote for Kerry because Kerry is more likely to let the Arabs kill Jews.
Unions quite commonly push their membership to vote Democratic. They take money from their members regardless of those members views, then use it to promote a particular party. You see no problem here?
Frankly, it appears to me that the problem you see here is a President you disapprove of is appealing to a group you disapprove of. |
