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.
Lol, the many faces of mean Dean!!
I KNOW the madman is posting here. The Bush bashing is at such a level that it could NOT be the work of conservatives.
Most people in this county, including evangelicals, think it's better to let children be hungry once in a while than to kill them before they're born.
Most people in this county think health insurance isn't nearly as important as health care, and that government run health care is immoral.
Shalom.
And they will be flocking to the polls by the tens of millions to vote for the democrat party (extreme sarcasm).
Excellent evandemical graphics!
The man's an inspiration, I tell ya.
"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."
Translation: We will LIE to Christians to get their vote!
Lol, and I have more where those came from!
I love Howard Dean. Every time the Republicans make a major misstep which is getting to be quite often, Howard Dean calls their misstep and raises one.
As long as I live, I will never forgive the klinton klan and their ilk.
Wrong Howard. We think it's immoral to take money from hard working people by threat of force and give it to other people who won't work for a living. That's what Democrat style universal health care amounts to. The Apostle Paul told 1st century Christians, and by way of scripture us today, that if a man will not work neither shall he eat.
Now on to just a few of the actual concerns of the religious right bloc in regard to electing Democrats. Abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, liberal "living Constitution" type judge and Justice appointments, immorality taught in public schools instead of moral values, teaching grade schoolers how to put condoms on bananas and why it's a good thing that Tommy has two dads, etc, etc. IOW the fetid swamp of immorality that liberal Democrats wallow in like pigs in slop.
If you Democrats announced that the party platform has been radically changed from the wrong side to the right side on those issues it would be a start in the right direction, but only a start. Your party's left wing voters are so deeply mired in almost everything we evangelical and practicing Catholic Christians find detestable, immoral, and unGodly in general that it would cost your party 2/3 of its present voter base if you turned it around 180 degrees on moral and traditional values issues.
Howard Dean says Democrats must have faith in their ability to attract religious voters
I suggest dean wear a t-shirt with 666 on the back and front.
and if they stopped the Human sacrifices they might not loose so many supporters.
"Wow. The Democrats are turning Pro-life!"
Yeah, when pigs fly.
You can tell a tree by its fruit.
Dean says....the left must attract religous voters????If you have religion...it ain't left.
Way to go dean. As long as you keep "believing" that killing babies and same sex marriage is part of the Bible, you will never get this Christian to vote for your party.
As our pastor once said; "I don't know how anyone can go to Church on Sunday and vote for a dimocrat the following Tuesday."
They also think it's immoral to abort children before they have a chance in life
They also think it's immoral to have their religion attacked non stop by the ACLU
Translation for Dean .. You ain't gonna get their vote
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.
Maybe but I am not so sure that he can't convince 10,000 clueless voters. It seems to me that conservatives don't realize just how small a margin we have for winning elections. The country is pretty dang near 50-50 so a few independents who are not happy with the Republicans and the conservatives as a whole not happy could put us all in a pickle in 2006. We will never have another opportunity of getting our most important issue of judges possibly again. That is the most disappointing part of this whole thing. Hopefully I am way off target on this and that I am completely wrong.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.