Churchgoers Get Direction From Bush Campaign
 

The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has sent a detailed plan of action to religious volunteers across the country asking them to turn over church directories to the campaign, distribute issue guides in their churches and persuade their pastors to hold voter registration drives.


Campaign officials said the instructions are part of an accelerating effort to mobilize President Bush (news - web sites)'s base of religious supporters. They said the suggested activities are intended to help churchgoers rally support for Bush without violating tax rules that prohibit churches from engaging in partisan activity.


"We strongly believe that our religious outreach program is well within the framework of the law," said Terry Holt, spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign.


But tax experts said the campaign is walking a fine line between permissible activity by individual congregants and impermissible activity by congregations. Supporters of Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, charged that the Bush-Cheney campaign is luring churches into risking their tax status.


"I think it is sinful of them to encourage pastors and churches to engage in partisan political activity and run the risk of losing their tax-exempt status," said Steve Rosenthal, chief executive officer of America Coming Together, a group working to defeat Bush.


The instruction sheet circulated by the Bush-Cheney campaign to religious volunteers lists 22 "duties" to be performed by specific dates. By July 31, for example, volunteers are to "send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney '04 Headquarters or give [it] to a BC04 Field Rep" and "Talk to your Pastor about holding a Citizenship Sunday and Voter Registration Drive."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...9082_2004jun30

It's a wonder why people associate republicans with the relgious right.

There are plenty of democratic-leaning churches that have been doing this for awhile now.

It's not exactly a new strategy.

Of course the dems gonna bitch about any way the Bush campaign tries to get voters. And by the way, I'm proud to be associated with the religious RIGHT.

<-- part of the religious LEFT- we dont force our beliefs on others...

I don't associate it with the right or left. I'd just be irritated to get pamphlets from either candidate via my CHURCH. Can at least one place that has my address keep it private. That's just freaking annoying.

As if you've never heard of Democratic church leaders (Jesse Jackson) *ACTUALLY ENDORSING* candidates. I believe he's still tax exempt for some reason.

Uhhh...Jared...so are you saying I am not right? :confused:

Oh yeah?

How's that?

Does the left want to pass new laws? Please answer yes, or no.

----

If you answered "Yes", then your above statement is wrong. The purpose of laws is to force your beliefs onto someone else.

ktsnake, human beings cannot be tax exempt. Institutions can be tax exempt.

A church which turns over its membership list to a reelection campaign (as opposed to an issue-oriented organization like, say, National Right to Life) forfeits its tax-exempt status. If you know of any church that has done so, for either party, do the taxpayers a favor and let us know.

Ivy, JD

Nationally my Church does not endorse candidates for office. We believe that every church member has a right to vote for the candidate they feel will do the job best. Not to say that we aren't politically involved, we have State Public Policy Advocacy Offices all over the country. We are about issues, not particular candidates.

Also, our buildings are often opened up to the community for polling places, if we are endorsing candidates that could be a definite conflict of interest.

This sounds a lot like my church as well. We have had various elected officials who reflects the same issues that we believe in speak at our church (i.e. State Attorney General, etc.).

But we do not endorse any political party.

True..but the organizations he oversees..that push his political agenda is tax exempt..I think that is what ktsnake is referring to.

And don't forget the REV. Al Sharpton

By "he" I meant the Rainbow Push Coalition.

What I mean, not what I say:D

Being descended from the big daddy of the Protestants (I'm Lutheran), we take the Protest in Protestant pretty seriously. However if Luther didn't have cool castles to hide out in, it would have probably been the Moravians instead of us :)

Sin Boldly!