I just wrote a post about the traditional claim from Religious Right leaders and activists that their votes are beholden to God and not tied to any one particular party. It’s an obvious fraud, as demonstrated by the fact that they’d rather vote for Satan than a Democrat, but it’s what they have to say to convince themselves that they are somehow more principled than your run-of-the-mill partisan voter.
In my last post, I didn’t provide any concrete examples of this contradiction because it is frankly so prevalent that I didn’t think it really needed any. But then I came across this article that perfectly sums up exactly what I was taking about:
From wall to wall, each pew was full on the Sunday before Election Day at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
“It is Election Day on Tuesday. We as Christians and we as Americans- this is something that we have been paying attention to,” said Pastor Jonathan Falwell.
Falwell introduced a friend, former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee – who the pastor previously endorsed. Huckabee, known as a conservative Republican, says he wants people to vote Christian.
“I would never use a pulpit of the church to try to tell people to vote Democrat or Republican or which candidate. That’s something they have to decide on their own conscience. But I never would hesitate to say vote on your principles,” Huckabee said.
He said parties are not as important and church members we talked to agree.
“Dr. Fallwell [says] don’t vote Republican, don’t vote Democrat, vote Christian. That’s how I voted,” said Linley Harrison.
If you just read that part, you’d think there might actually be something to this right-wing claim that they vote on their Christian principles regardless of party affiliation. But then you read the rest of the article and find out that the church was passing out pro-McCain voting guides from the American Family Association and had McCain surrogates in attendance who were making the case for him:
The church passed out flyers from the American Family Association that listed key issues and whether McCain or Obama support or oppose them. Many in the congregation say it is Republicans like Huckabee who support the issues most crucial to them.
…
One of John McCain’s fellow POW’s during the Vietnam War was also at the service. Orson Swindle has been friends with John McCain now for 37 years. He was by his side in captivity, and now he’s helping in the campaign … Two more of McCain’s fellow POW’s were also at the service.
