Both parties do what you describe. Playing to your constituencies is hardly new. This is new, however, and if it weren't in the interest of the party and candidate and policies you admire, you'd be as appalled as the Reverend Land is.
Has any President, Democrat or Republican, issued a guide listing "duties" including church members turning over church directories to state campaign committees?
Here's what a Baptist Bush supporter says:
.."the Rev. Richard Land, who deals with ethics and religious liberty issues for the Southern Baptist Convention, a key Bush constituency, said he was "appalled."
"First of all, I would not want my church directories being used that way," he told Reuters in an interview, predicting failure for the Bush plan.
The conservative Protestant denomination, whose 16 million members strongly backed Bush in 2000, held regular drives that encouraged church-goers to "vote their values," said Land.
"But it's one thing for us to do that. It's a totally different thing for a partisan campaign to come in and try to organize a church. A lot of pastors are going to say: 'Wait a minute, bub'," he added." |
