Posted on 10/13/2006 2:04:59 AM PDT by CutePuppy
Book: Bush Aides Called Evangelicals 'Nuts' White House advisors sought the support of conservative Christians but mocked them in private, writes a onetime administration official. By Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer October 13, 2006
WASHINGTON — A new book by a former White House official says that President Bush's top political advisors privately ridiculed evangelical supporters as "nuts" and "goofy" while embracing them in public and using their votes to help win elections.
The former official also writes that the White House office of faith-based initiatives, which Bush promoted as a nonpolitical effort to support religious social-service organizations, was told to host pre-election events designed to mobilize religious voters who would most likely favor Republican candidates.
The assertions by David Kuo, a top official in the faith-based initiatives program, have rattled Republican strategists already struggling to persuade evangelical voters to turn out this fall for the GOP.
Kuo is scheduled to appear Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes" as part of a rollout arranged by his publisher, Simon & Schuster, which shares a corporate parent with CBS.
Despite a publisher-enforced embargo, a copy of the book was purchased early at a Manhattan bookstore by a producer for MSNBC's "Countdown," a spokesman for the cable channel said. Program host Keith Olbermann began reading excerpts on his Wednesday show.
While many Democrats opposed the initiative as a violation of church-state separation, the White House used the program to build alliances with prominent African American ministers, some of whom switched political allegiances to back Bush. It was part of a larger minority outreach program designed by Rove and other conservative activists to slice off pieces of the traditional Democratic coalitions in order to build a lasting GOP majority.
peter.wallsten@latimes.com
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
That article was written in December 2001.
dot.bomb was a good book, actually. He talked a lot about his activism within the GOP. Surprised to see this.
....and yet another suspicious timing before elections....Simon & BS Schuster...one and the same that paid both clintons millions of dollars for their so-called "my life story" novels.....
Lifelong Republican, eh?
it's only motivating me all the more.
I have noticed that too. They are hitting the Christian forum I post on hard and they keep using these disgruntled obscure folks as proof that the "Republicans take the evangelical vote for granted".
My tagline is what is motivating me. No sane person is willing to have Nancy Pelosi two heartbeats from the Presidency.
If you believe that, what are you doing on a political forum? I don't mean to be glib. I'm genuinely curious. Some of my Christian friends feel the same way you do; but they are completely disconnected from politics.
Kuo is one cog in that strategy.
He's a mole, IMO.
I think I have a different stand than your friends.
We (Christians) are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Man. God rules over both. When I am in the Kingdom of Heaven, which is modeled by the church, I need to hear Christ preached, not who to vote for. I do not abdocate any of my rights in the Kingdom of Man because of my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. I can run for office, vote, and even volunteer to work for a candidate.
The difference between me and other Evangelicals is I cannot stand up and spout off that God wants candidate x to be elected. Scripture is silent on who is to run the country. Scripture doesn't forbid me from participating in most earthly activities. If I holed myself off from the Secular world, how can I do my duties of the Kingdom, which means spread the Gospel and helping my neighbor?
Hope that helps
Trying to dampen the conservative vote again. Consider the source. I think the liberal media will find out that all of this garbage is only making conservatives more mad to go out and vote against Democrats.
I rarely hear Evangelicals say that God wants candidate X elected. A few loonys but that's it.
Other than that, I misunderstood your original post and I agree with your second post.
Let me guess, David Kuo is GAY.
There are anti-Christian tools in every administration. Does this dimwit think there will be any less if the Democrats take control? Hardly. When Democrats are in control, being anti-Christian is mandatory.
I agree that they can't win unless they suppress the GOP base and it's so transparent to what they are up to it's almost comical. I haven't really heard much of this David Kuo. The timing of his book is just so obvious to what he's up to.
It's not working. The real issues are:
We are at war with a real enemy who uh likes to behead us infidels if we don't bow down to their god. So the Christians aren't ready to part with our heads just yet. Democrats would have us turn tail and run with our tails between our legs making us sitting targets.
The judges, Stevens is 84 or is it 86? We aren't done getting strict constructionists on the bench. We are going to make sure we win more senate seats if at all possible.
Energy issues, we need to get the ball rolling on many fronts and the dems are too beholden to the envirowhackos. So in order to get something done to lessen the dependence on OPEC we can't afford to let the dems win.
And of course, Nancy Pelosi. The thought of her being two heartbeats away from the presidency if the dems take the house is truly frightening.
This is a clear divide-the-base maneuver by the Times.
oh for goodness sake...I call groups and people nuts all the time...I myself have been referred to as a right wing nut...and by a fellow republican. No offense taken, I can be quite nutty. I'm sure there are quite a few nuts in the evangelical community as everywhere. The difference between us and them, is the various leftist groups will stay home, after they've had their feelings hurt.
Good morning, boys and girls, can you say, "ooo - let's drive a wedge throught the middle of the Republican party and cause their supporters to stay home on Election Day"?
I thought you could.
He's married and I believe he has children. He was active in the Christian Coalition in the late '90s if I remember dot.bomb correctly. He went to work for Value USA and tried to hook up their founder, Craig Wynn, with people like Ralph Reed in the early 2000s.
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