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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 3:44:11 AM
From: c.hinton	Respond to of 281500

"Only a few days after 9/11, a shaken George W. Bush invited a small group of evangelical leaders to the White House to offer him spiritual counsel. There, they quietly discussed Scripture and the implications of 9/11 for a few moments. Then former Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president James Merritt turned to the president with a few words of encouragement. "Mr. President, you and I are fellow believers in Jesus Christ," Merritt said. Bush shook his head affirmatively. "We both believe there is a sovereign God in control of this universe." Bush nodded again. "Since God knew that those planes would hit those towers before you and I were ever born, since God knew that you would be sitting in that chair before this world was ever created, I can only draw the conclusion that you are God's man for this hour," Merritt stated. It was then that Bush lowered his head and cried. alternet.org -

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 3:44:28 AM
From: c.hinton	Respond to of 281500

For God's sake The strong influence of the Christian right on US policy will only increase if George Bush wins a second term, says Philip James Philip James guardian.co.uk, Friday April 23 2004 Article history · Contact us Evangelical lobbyists used to talk about access to previous Republican administrations. Today, they can say with confidence: "Who needs access when we are already on the inside?" The influence of the Christian right on the Bush White House is self-evident. As well as George Bush, cabinet members Condoleezza Rice, John Ashcroft and Don Evans all consider themselves to be born again. This administration has embarked on a bold agenda to roll back liberalism in the US, and won't let up if it gets a second term. The September 11 attacks, Afghanistan and Iraq have overshadowed Bush's conservative domestic agenda, but it should not go overlooked by voters as we approach the November elections. Bush's self-description as a compassionate conservative belies a much harsher reality. And as America's attention has been focused on historic events overseas, the ground at home has shifted just as dramatically. The administration is acutely aware of the power of the Christian voting block in the US. Gallup surveys consistently count 46% of the population as being self-described born again Christians, the bulk of whom live in middle America. It is a stunning statistic, and one that escapes the attention of the chattering classes who populate the much less devout coastal strips. Many of these churchgoers voted for Bush in 2000, and Carl Rove is determined that all of them should do the same this year. The latest data should put a spring in his step - Bush's job approval among grassroots Christian social conservatives hovers between 92% and 96%. If Bush wins the election, it will mean that, after 30 years as the law of the land, a woman's right to choose to have an abortion will be under serious threat. The ultimate goal of the Christian right is to overturn Roe versus Wade, the landmark 1973 decision enshrining a woman's right to choose. In the likely event of one of the ageing supremes stepping down in the next few years, the balance of power in the US supreme court will be up for grabs, and Bush will not hesitate to nominate a pro-life candidate. Having already signed a ban on late term abortions, he believes he has the momentum on this issue. If he wins, he has four more years in which to push a constitutional amendment to "protect" marriage from same-sex unions. He will not have to weigh pre-election expediency against his belief that it is the right thing to do. If Bush wins, it will mean four more years of Middle East policy influenced by the evangelical belief that the Messiah will not return until Israel rebuilds a temple on the site of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. It should come as no surprise that there is not much daylight between the beliefs of hardcore evangelicals and the Bush White House. When asked, during the 1999 Iowa caucus debate, who his favourite philosopher was, Bush replied: "Jesus." At the time, pundits thought this was a canny signal to grassroots religious voters from a sophisticated campaigner. It was - but what people didn't realise at the time is that Bush actually believes it as well. The story of how he found faith at the bottom of a whisky glass was thought to be a rote rallying yarn intended strictly for the Republican faithful during the campaign. However, Bush has passionately and consistently repeated the story at after-dinner speeches throughout his time in office. He dispelled any doubts about the strength of his Christian faith during his last press conference on Iraq, when he made it clear that God was personally directing him to fundamentally reshape the Arab world. As surely as fundamentalism has kept much of the Islamic world in a state of cultural regression, so the fundamentalists of the US threaten to do the same thing in the States. John Kerry should steal a powerful line from Bush's speech on Iraq and rephrase it thus: "Now is the time, and America is the place, where the forces of fundamentalism are arraigned against the forces of enlightenment." He should make this election about a choice between two visions: one that wants to take the country to a dark, puritanical tyranny, as opposed to one that wants to restore the US as a light unto nations, a place of freedom, diversity and opportunity. And he should fire up women voters, the one voting block that rivals the size of the born-agains and tell them: "If you want to protect your right to choose, make sure you choose correctly in November." · Philip James is a former senior Democratic party strategist

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 3:49:40 AM
From: c.hinton	Respond to of 281500

religion and the presidential vote. "The rising political clout of evangelical Christians is not the result of growth in their numbers but rather their increasing cohesiveness as a key element of the Republican Party" people-press.org

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 4:59:42 AM
From: c.hinton	Respond to of 281500

new testament cigarettes....woody allen. youtube.com

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 5:02:37 AM
From: c.hinton	Respond to of 281500

flash back from the past .... "Old-fashioned political activity on the part of some organized religious conservatives also may have aided Mr. Bush. Despite reports that the Christian Coalition is weaker in South Carolina than it once was, the organization's founder, the religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, said tonight that members had worked hard to warn religious conservatives about Senator John McCain. Mr. Robertson said he had told members, in a conference call two weeks ago, that campaign finance legislation sponsored by Mr. McCain threatened the political expression of organizations like the coalition." query.nytimes.com

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 8:29:43 AM
From: SARMAN	Respond to of 281500

Was there a Bush-mania Are you stupid or what? Americans were too scared to vote anyone but Bush. Do you remember the chatters or the level of threats from purple to red to yellow to blue. Do you remember yourself fear mongering?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 10:26:45 AM
From: bentway	Respond to of 281500

"Did the Evangelicals ever say it was a Christian duty to vote for Bush, and all true Christians had to be Republicans?" LOL! In churches all over the land on Karl Rove's rolodex! You've got a very CONVENIENT memory Nadine.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (257424)	2/24/2008 11:54:27 AM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 281500

Throughout the South, Southwest, and Midwest churches passed out flyers identifying candidate voting records on social issues and encouraging their congregations to vote accordingly. A similar flyer was passed out to help people 'know' how to vote in state and local races and identified newcomers as those 'most likely' to support conservative issues of 'God, Guns, and No-Gays'. These flyers were passed out in workplaces, such as my own. It was actually a little intimidating....even on me, a person a little too old for such tactics to really work. There were also announced prayer vigils for the Bush administration, frequent ones, during the early years after 9-11 and through the Iraq war. After 10-15 years of this, lawsuits arose challenging these tactics. The largest Baptist church in my area....rich and with congreagation in the thousands....fought back and almost lost it's non-profit status. I doubt though that this has stopped, its just less overt now, I suspect.