Texas Governor Mobilizes Evangelicals

[southernleftylady]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050612/ap_on_el_gu/texas_governor_religion
DALLAS - Even for Texas, the scene was remarkable: The governor, flanked by an out-of-state televangelist and religious right leaders, signing legislation in a church school gymnasium amid shouts of "amen" from backers who just as well could have been attending a revival.
It wasn't just the blatant blend of church and state that made the gathering in Fort Worth unusual. Advance publicity also attracted about 300 angry protesters — unheard of for the routine business of ceremonial bill signings.

Now some wonder whether Gov. Rick Perry overplayed his hand last week trying to stick to the playbook used by old friend George W. Bush and political whiz Karl Rove, mobilizing evangelicals for last year's presidential race.

"Governor Perry and his people are just not as good as Bush and Rove," Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson said. "Governor Perry knows the steps, but he's got no rhythm."

[SpiralHawk]

1. Pope Ratzinger can clue Good Hair Perry in on The Rhythm Method

This could also help reduce the tragic number of Republican offspring.

[DBoon]

15. No such luck

people using the rhythm method are known as "parents"

[VaLabor]

2. "blatant blend of church and state..."

But don't claim the Republican Party tries to appropriate Christianity and use it to divide! This was all a coincidence, Chairman Dean.

Like the Gov says in the article, they could have held it in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

So their two choices were: rightwing church vs. Wal-Mart parking lot. Wow. They're the party of fundamentalist zealots and worker exploitation. Gotta love the GOP.

[tsuki]

3. So what is the big hoop about being called the party of white

Christains? Sheesh. Must be a slow news day, no white women missing.

[leesa]

4. It is NOT routine ceremonial bill signing in a church school.

Why is Rick a hero to the silly Fundies? Why do they like their heroes to be deceitful and immoral?

[Shallah Kali]

19. What better way to control politicans than to have dirt on 'em?

?

[Iowa]

5. The more blatant they become...

the sooner they'll fall. This is frightening stuff, though. Religious zealotry in the hands of demagogues like Perry and all of these sleazy "preachers" is a very dangerous thing. Fortunately, anyone with a brain doesn't buy their nonsense, and there are still enough of us left to swamp these idiots.

[jaysunb]

6. Would these be members of the white,

un-Christian party that have hijacked the old Republican Party ??

[rainbow4321]

7. Oh, it gets worse...look at one of the speakers at the gathering

This Ohio skanky neocon TV preacher was also a speaker..Perry later tried to distance himself from the guy. Too little, too late, Guv. Apparently, this guy and his beliefs are what we in Texas have to look forward to during the next gov election.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/061105dntexperrysbase.135e45c34.html

"Homosexuals are anything but happy and anything but fine," said Ohio evangelist Rod Parsley, who called gay sex "a veritable breeding ground of disease" and said lesbians can expect to live only to age 45 in the United States.

Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt later sought to distance the governor from the white-hot rhetoric at Sunday's bill-signing arranged by the governor. But she also reasserted Mr. Perry's opposition to gay marriage and abortion.

"People know where he stands," said Ms. Walt. "What others who participated in that event chose to say was entirely up to them."

Political analysts say the episode underscores a dilemma for the Republican governor as he seeks re-election next year. Mr. Perry's active pursuit of social conservatives could attract new voters but come at a cost – alienating moderates uncomfortable with the religious right.


http://ohiorestorationproject.com/plan.php

http://www.jregrassroots.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=14893

The Texas effort mirrors the Ohio Restoration Project, which has held several pastor briefings featuring Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a conservative Republican who is running for governor in 2006.

Ohio evangelist Rod Parsley, who spoke at the Austin event, said abortion, marriage and religious expression are issues that can galvanize Christian voters.



Another DU thread about the gathering:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3831763&mesg_id=3831763

[johnaries]

11. Lesbians? By "disease" I assume he's talking about AIDS,

but the last I heard Lesbians were the lowest risk group in the country.

[99Pancakes]

18. Did he tell Dick Cheney's daughter that?

[Maestro]

8. Lately, I have spoken to even hard core Rethugs

and Gov. Goodhair is losing popularity fast. He needs to attract this even more hard-core support from the fundies to try to politically survive. I know of nothing that this idiot has done during his time as governor.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. He must figure it worked for Chimpy

[blm]

10. Bush will disppoint Texas fundies when his people work for Kay Hutchison.

The Sen. is prochoice.

Will Bush's hypocrisy be examined? Will it finally dawn on fundies that Bush doesn't REALLY give a rat's ass about abortion? Hell, an abortion saved Bush's future for him, didn't it?

[rainbow4321]

12. They will downplay it like they always do

Remember the headline from TX a few months ago where the State House members passed their version of a bill that was going to ban gay households from being foster homes?? Splashed headlines all over the place/nationally.
Know what happened to that "bill"? The TX Senate refused to pass it. Yet this refusal info was buried deep in some online article, bearly a two sentence announcement..can't have the fundies seeing that their repuke state senators didn't support such a bill. So the "news" quietly slipped away.
Same will happen with any news about KBH (or anyone else) that might embarrass shrub. They know how to work the media, especially down in TX.


They did the same with the new law that mandates TX schools are not to open before Labor Day (starts 2006). The lawmakers knew it would not go over well at all...so lo and behold, we wake up one morning and guess what is in the news? Lawmakers passed it late the previous evening and Texans never knew they were even discussing it this session, hence no protests or arguments/hearings occured.

[Shallah Kali]

20. maybe they are happy to keep collecting donations to fight abortions

without actually winning. Maybe they don't want to put themselves out of a job. maybe they are too dumb to realize that if bush really wanted to he could twist arms and get the bills passed. Look at jeb bush's legislation to block the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube - it was deliberately written to apply only to her which it would automatically be overturned as unconstitutional. Ditto with W's bill for the same. They don't want to win because they the fundies would stop supporting them in the fight against the evil libs.

[truthpusher]

13. Texas Governor Mobilizes Evangelicals (myth: you can't legislate morality)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5069824,00.html

Texas Governor Mobilizes Evangelicals
---------------------
Monday June 13, 2005 12:16 AM
----------------------
By MATT CURRY
Associated Press Writer
----------------------
DALLAS (AP) - Even for Texas, the scene was remarkable: The governor, flanked by an out-of-state televangelist and religious right leaders, signing legislation in a church school gymnasium amid shouts of ``amen'' from backers who just as well could have been attending a revival.

It wasn't just the blatant blend of church and state that made the gathering in Fort Worth unusual. Advance publicity also attracted about 300 angry protesters - unheard of for the routine business of ceremonial bill signings.

(snip)

It's a gamble the governor seems willing to take. Last month, he spoke to about 500 pastors in Austin at a meeting of the Texas Restoration Project, which plans to register 300,000 new ``values voters'' in Texas and elect candidates who reflect their conservative views.

In the private meeting, Perry championed promotion of spiritual values on the public square.

``One of the great myths of our time is that you can't legislate morality,'' the governor told the ministers, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press by his campaign.

complete story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5069824,00.html

[Moderator]

14. duplicate topic.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1543125

[Ms. Clio]

16. "One of the great myths of our time is that you can't legislate morality,"

And one of the most enduring embarrassments of this frequently-shameful state is that this vacuous and reptilian creature is its governor.

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. You CAN legislate morality, you just can't expect folks to pay any

attention to said legislation.

[Ms. Clio]

23. Exactly--for example, Prohibition was such a roaring success

His idea of "morality" in no way resembles mine.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[digno dave]

22. I was at this event protesting it

The church sponsored some guy who was traveling around the country with the 10 Commandements on two huge, 8 ft tall stirofoam "stone" tablets. They were pointing them in the direction of the protesters.
What was their point.....were they trying to say that we were FOR Adultry, Murder, Thievery, etc? Kinda funny as a big wind came up and almost blew one of the "tablets" down.