Cross posted at Street ProphetsFor the last 16 years, there has been a Republican sitting in the
Governor's Mansion in Ohio. If you believe
any of the
polls, that's going to change in November.
But not without a fight from the most right-wing, fundamentalist elements of the GOP. Ken Blackwell and his supporters have already waged a nasty campaign of lies, personal attacks, and mudslinging, all in an attempt to divert Ohioan's attention from the issues most neglected over the last 16 years of GOP-rule: an unconstitutional state public school system, a collapsing economy, growing povery, and a brain drain of the state's educated citizens.
Yesterday, Blackwell got a big, public vote of support from...you guessed it...ultra-conservative clergy.
Implored by the Rev. Russell Johnson of Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster to "show your heart," the 28 ministers calling themselves Clergy for Blackwell said they had a legal right and moral responsibility to endorse the Republican secretary over Democratic Rep. Ted Strickland. The group noted the candidates' contrasting positions on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and placement of the Ten Commandments in public buildings.
Ah, yes...a "moral responsibility" to endorse Blackwell. Once again reducing Christian teaching to "abortion, same-sex marriage and placement of the Ten Commandments in public buildings"...three topics which Jesus did not address. (Not to mention, ignoring the topic - treatment of the poor - that Jesus talked about a lot.)
Blackwell took to the stage to declare his First Amendment bona fides:
"The public square should not be stripped or scrubbed clean of religion or faith or God," he said as the ministers nodded their approval. "We understand that the flip side of a theocracy is not the secular state. The flip side of a theocracy is religious liberty.
"I stand with you this morning as a defender, as an advocate, for religious liberty, and I will fight for the right of the nonbeliever to nonbelieve because we all have a right to be wrong."
Lovely. Makes everyone who doesn't fall into that narrow definition of "Christian" that Blackwell espouses feel all warm and fuzzy. It's a scary thing when George W. Bush sounds more reasonable, enlightened and tolerant on this topic...
And just who are these clergy who came out in support of Blackwell yesterday? One of them was Bishop Harry Jackson,
who, along with Blackwell, is a member of the
Arlington Group. The ArlingtonGroup is "a powerhouse, by-invitation-only organization of evangelical Christian leaders who have direct access to the White House. Co-founded in 2003 by Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation in Washington, D.C., and Donald Wildmon, chairman of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss., the group coalesced around a single issue: same-sex marriage."
BTW - what did Democratic nominee (and ordained United Methodist pastor) Ted Strickland have to say about all this?
"For Mr. Blackwell or his supporters to get into an argument about which one of us is more religious is so inappropriate. The two of us are running to become governor of Ohio, and there are so many issues that need to be discussed and debated: Job creation, health care, quality education, affordable college. I don't think people care which one of us is more quote, religious, close quote."
Good on you, Ted. Keep your eyes on the prize!