know that the Texas Republican platform (America as a Christian nation) has been widely discussed already within the progressive blogosphere -- but I think there's an angle as yet undiscussed.
Namely -- how do we pressure the media to get, at minimum, Tony Snow on the record in a clear manner about how the Bushes (hey, Laura is a political actor & a Texas GOPer) think about this statement, and what it implies about those of us who aren't Christian?
NJDC's blog entry on the matter follows, and can be found at
http://njdc.typepad.com/...
Is Bush a Texas Republican?
I don't ask whether Bush is a Texas Republican as a rhetorical device -- I ask because if he is, then he either should stand by his party or work to change it.
And what is wrong with his state party -- I mean, beyond preferring the economic interests of the few to the many, politicizing anti-gay bigotry, and all those other lovable Republican characteristics?
It is that his party thinks "American Jews" -- or "American Muslims," or "American Buddhists," etc... -- is a contradiction in terms, since Texas Republicans believe America is a "Christian nation."
The party platform, adopted Saturday, declares "America is a Christian nation" and affirms that "God is undeniable in our history and is vital to our freedom."
"We pledge to exert our influence toward a return to the original intent of the First Amendment and dispel the myth of the separation of church and state," it says. [emphasis added]
George Bush -- non-rhetorically, we ask you, "Which is right, the Constitution of Madison or the platform of your party, on the not unimportant question of whether we as Jews are true Americans?"
Better yet -- let's have a member of our media ask Tony Snow whether the President believes America is a Christian nation, and if so, what that means... for the rest of us?
NJDC noted this plank in the 2004 Texas Republican platform, and commented as follows:
The Austin American-Statesman reports that at the recent Texas Republican Convention, "religion and politics commingle with comfort, purpose and zeal. Delegates on Friday [June 4th] approved a platform that refers to 'the myth of the separation of church and state.'" The article notes that the Texas GOP platform "offers tangible evidence of how religion -- a specific brand of religion -- guides Texas' party in power. A plank in a section titled 'Promoting Individual Freedom and Personal Safety' proclaims the United States a 'Christian nation.'" The news account closes: "At a 7 a.m. Friday prayer rally, thousands of delegates turned the convention floor into a house of prayer. As delegates prayed and sang, oversized religious images, including Jesus on the cross, were displayed on the hall's giant video screens. Christian clergymen took turns leading the prayers, some with political overtones."
"The Jewish community could not find a better indicator of the radical differences between the two parties than by looking closely at the Texas Republican convention," said National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman. "At the very least, the religiously exclusivist nature of this convention helps one understand why George Bush has initiated such an unprecedented array of faith-based policies and executive orders -- measures that continually erode the separation of church and state that guarantees religious liberty for every American. The tenor of such a convention makes it clear even to Texas conservatives of other faiths that they are not welcome in the Texas GOP. President Bush and his fellow Texas Republicans simply cannot understand that ours is not a Christian nation -- it is a nation for all Americans, of varying types and degrees of faith. This convention is yet another indicator that the GOP and its Christian conservative base just don't get it," Forman added.