Oh, well, Kerry wasn't going to get their vote anyway.
Heinz Kerry Criticized Christian Right in Speech
In a 1994 talk, nominee's wife said the group 'broadcasts its hatred.' Kerry camp stands behind the comments.
By Ralph Vartabedian
Times Staff Writer
September 4, 2004
Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry, issued a broadside against the "Christian right" in a 1994 speech, saying that it "broadcasts its hatred" and appealed "to the dark corners of the human soul."
Since the mid-1990s, conservative Christians have grown in importance to the Republican Party and now form a key base of support for President Bush's reelection effort.
This week, Kerry campaign officials stood by her comments.....In discussing world events, she observed that "fearsome shadows" were lurking in America, threatening to create a "fractious and mean-spirited place where it is dangerous to be different."
"Americans have a … newfound suspicion of those who are not like us," Heinz Kerry said. "We see it in the political rise of the so-called Christian right.
"Rather than preach Christ's gospel of love and tolerance, this group broadcasts its hatred for homosexuals and liberals and minorities and feminists," she added. "The movement calls itself Christian, but its appeal is to dark corners of the human soul — fear, loathing, the desire for uniformity, the need for conformity."
latimes.com |
