Posted on 05/30/2006 4:57:17 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
Howard Dean says Democrats must have faith in their ability to attract religious voters.
The former presidential candidate, who will speak at this weekend's Oregon Democratic Convention in Eugene, says his party must do a better job of winning the support of evangelical Christians, who have voted Republican in recent elections.
To that end, Dean recently appeared on Pat Robertson's "700 Club." The appearance wasn't without its bumps. Dean had to later apologize to gay-rights leaders for incorrectly stating during the program that the party's platform said "marriage is between a man and a woman."
Still, Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in an interview with the Register-Guard newspaper that he hopes to eventually make another appearance on the Christian Broadcasting Network — and that he's encouraging rank-and-file party members to discuss faith and morality.
"Our Democratic values are American values," Dean said. "Most people in this county, including evangelicals, think it's immoral to let children go to bed hungry at night. They think it's immoral not to have everyone in some kind of health insurance."
The convention will give party members in Oregon a chance to get more acquainted with the idea. It offers a half-day training session on religious outreach, an important part of the Democratic Party's attempt to extend beyond its core secular issues.
But Amy Langdon, executive director of the Oregon Republican Party, said Democrats are so out of step with religious voters on issues such as abortion and gay marriage that the approach has little chance of working.
"I think they'll be hard-pressed to make the case to the faith community that somehow the Democratic Party serves their interests," she said.
The religious outreach is part of an overall emphasis in this convention on training Democratic activists for success at the ballot box and in policy-making.
Session and speech topics include Internet strategy for grass-roots activists, how to use the party's new voter file database, and ways Democratic leaders can broaden their appeal to work for all Oregonians.
Democratic Party of Oregon Chairman Jim Edmunson said debating the party platform and voting on the policy positions that Democratic candidates will be expected to stand for in the general election will continue to be an important part of the convention.
Well muslim terrorists bent on destroying America are religious, aren't they?
They are always yelling God is great and they have the same talking points as the democRATS.
Kos and the DUers will roast Dean on a spit if there's any 'outreach' to Christians. Besides, I don't think the Democrats could do a convincing job of it. In other forums where I get into arguments with what I assume to be Democrats, the raw anti-Christian hatred is breathtaking. Even though I'm not a Christian myself, I get a kick out of telling them what a gaggle of bigoted dimwits they are for spitting on a religion that's done nothing to them except dare to exist. It always gets me called 'fundie' and worse.
It makes one stop and wonder: If Democrats had not been Pro-Abortion leaders the past several decades, their political numbers and clout would be much greater. The babies aborted in decades past would have grown to be voters and parents & grandparents of voters today. They have effectively aborted millions of potential little Dem. voters out of existence. Dean is a sick man leading the sick and his appearance on the 700 club shows how far he will go to succeed his sick party goals.
The Party of Death wants to change it's image, how cute. Next thing you know they will be saying there is a God?
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Wow. The Democrats are turning Pro-life!
Hey Howard, you can't look at evangelicals like just another ill-fitting voting block in your party just like all the others. You have enough keeping the rest of them together.
Let's just kill them outright before birth, yes? Much better!
17 post above mine, and I agree with every single one. Just this about Dean's "hungry children" comment. There AREN'T any.
Unless some parents sent the kid to bed without supper, as a punishment, or unless some irresponsible parent spent the money on drugs or alcohol, there is already No Reason For Any American Child to Go Hungry.
I told that to a liberal once. He said, "I know there are hungry children because I walked in a fundraiser to feed them."
I asked him why he stopped walking. What he expected the hungry child to do now.
Could have been. Satan is spritual, don-cha know...
Democrats are so clueless that they have to hold a summit to figure out how to pretend to be religious or anything else necessary to draw in as many of the serfs as possible before election time.
"HMMMMM! WELL HOWARD DO YOU MEAN SATAN????"
You have the Ljews......isn't that enough?
Psssst. Howie. EVERYONE IN THE ACLU IS A DEMOCRAT! As long as you and your ilk are out there destroying and trashing religion, you'll never get REAL religious people to vote for you. Come on Howie. It's not rocket science Bubba.
Democrats are funny. The Democratic party embraces everything evil and the only higher power they look to is government. If they think that is the teaching of Jesus, then they have got another thing coming.
Evil never rests.
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