Jesse Jackson and John Kerry sound awfully worried and defensive about the potential for the same-sex marriage issue to pry off African-American voters from the Democratic ticket:
“How many of you � someone from your family � married somebody of the same sex?” Mr. Jackson asked of the congregation of about 500. After nobody raised a hand, he asked, “Then how did that get in the middle of the agenda?”
“If your issues are cancer and Medicare and education and jobs and Social Security and decent housing, then how did someone else put their agenda in the front of the line?” he asked.
Following him a few minutes later, Mr. Kerry urged his audience to try to ignore diversions from the issues Mr. Jackson had mentioned.
“All they’re going to do is attack and attack and try and divert, and push some hot button that has nothing to do with the quality of your life on a daily basis,” the senator from Massachusetts said.
And, I’ve heard of demonizing your opponents, but I always thought that was in a figurative sense:
[Kerry] appeared at yesterday’s service with Mr. Jackson and Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas; Rep. Kendrick B. Meek of Florida; Mr. Meek’s mother, former Rep. Carrie Meek; and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who campaigned against Mr. Kerry for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“He’s fighting against liars and demons,” Mrs. Meek said.
The article does not mention if Kerry disagreed with the characterization of Republicans as “demons.” Then there’s the usual hyperbole:
Mr. Kerry told the congregation he is taking steps to allay the grievance of many Florida blacks that their votes were not counted in 2000.
“Never again will a million African-Americans be denied their right to exercise their vote in the United States of America,” he said.
Why only a million? Why not a billion, or a trillion, if you’re going to make up numbers out of thin air?
Oh, and don’t forget all the hyperventilating we get from the Left over the idea that “Bush actually believes that God told him to become president.” (But it’s OK for a writer to knock that if “[s]ome of my best friends believe in God . . . “). Now, Kerry would never nod along at a suggestion like that, would he?
Pastor Gaston E. Smith at the Baptist church was trying to send a message to his congregation.
“For every Goliath, God has a David,” he said. “For every Calvary’s cross, God has a Christ Jesus. To bring our country out of despair, discouragement, despondency and disgust, God has a John Kerry.”
Mr. Kerry mostly sat stolidly during the 20-minute sermon, nodding slightly. Mr. Smith said God can work His will through the election. “If he did it for Clinton, he can do it for you,” he said.
But don’t hold your breath waiting for the denunciations of this from Slate and its ilk.
I’m sure Andrew Sullivan will jump on this example of the Bush right-wing Christian Coalitionists taking over of the gov’t.
Alas, he’s too busy telling everyone how conservative John Kerry is (I wonder if he actually thinks anyone is buying what he’s selling?)