From NYT, everyone's favorite Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, is getting the support of a radical Christian group, the Ohio Restoration Project. The OHP is trying to organize 2000 radical Christian leaders (referred to as Patriot Pastors) to take over the Ohip Republican party and then the government of the state itself.
Movement In The Pews Tries To Jolt Ohio
There are so many ways that this is just wrong, I don't even know where to begin. We could start with the nearly transparent effort to use radical churches for political organizing. Then we could move on to the political payback for Ken Blackwell's dirty work in '04. Toss in some incendiary commentary about gay marriage and abortion and we're really cooking!
The church leaders say they will try to harness the energy of religious conservatives who were vital not only to Mr. Bush's narrow victory in Ohio but also to passage of an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage. The amendment, known as Issue 1, was credited with drawing large numbers of rural and suburban conservatives to the polls and increasing Mr. Bush's support among urban blacks.
While we may argue that these are perceptions not supported by the data, Christian Conservatives in Ohio and elsewhere believe them. The media is more than willing to play along. And regardless of motivation, the rightwing GOTV efforts, including that of radical Christian organizations, had an enormous impact on the '04 race.
The radical Christians in Ohio are looking to build on what they see as their victory in '04. And they're not willing to wait for Ohio Republicans to deliver it. They're ready to gatecrash the party if it doesn't acknowledge their power and give in to its demands.
Take a look at the '06 governor's race. Of the three candidates in the runnning one opposed the anti-gay amendment because it could invite litigation and another has moderate pro-choice views. The only candidate who passes the purity test is our good friend J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State.
There's talk in the article of the White House intervening to get Blackwell to drop out. For some reason I just don't see that happening.
If the Terri Schiavo debacle hasn't made this clear enough, 2006 may make it crystal, the radical Christians think they delivered the vote for Bush in '04 and they want their due. The party belongs to them and if it's not delivered they'll take it by force of numbers in '06.
It's time we started focusing on Ohio for '06. Who are our candidates for governor? Who is organizing voters and volunteers in Ohio? We've got join this battle early and make the choices available to the people of Ohio clear. Good government or the in-law state with a good dose of voter manipulation thrown in.
