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Anti-Catholic Bigotry?
July 31, 2007 6:13 PM
We've already seen allegations of anti-Mormon bigotry in this campaign ... now come charges of anti-Catholic bias.
This fight is between the presidential campaign of Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, who converted to Catholicism, and the campaign of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
According to the Catholic League, a letter "is being circulated among evangelicals in Iowa asking them not to split the Christian vote between former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback; they are urged to vote for Huckabee, an evangelical, over Brownback, a Roman Catholic."
The letter was written by Pastor Tim Rude of Walnut Creek Community Church in Windsor Heights, Iowa. A Huckabee volunteer.
He writes that "Huckabee is an evangelical. He has not learned how to speak to evangelicals; i.e. Bush 41 & 43. He is one of us. I know Senator Brownback converted to Roman Catholicism in 2002. Frankly, as a recovering Catholic myself, that is all I need to know about his discernment when compared to the Governor's. I don't if this fact is widely known among evangelicals who are supporting Brownback."
Says the Brownback campaign: "Governor Huckabee should apologize and denounce this prejudiced whisper campaign," says Brownback's Iowa communications director John Rankin. "Political campaigns should focus on the issues that Americans care about, not make bigoted slurs aimed at a person's faith and character.
We are waiting for a response from the Huckabee campaign.
But in the meantime, I spoke just now to what seemed a very frantic and upset Pastor Rude -- a Huckabee campaign volunteer -- who said this was an email meant for two friends, not wide dissemination. (I called him for a comment before posting.) He sent me an apology letter, which reads in part:
"I was careless in the first place with my words. And obviously, if I knew this private e-mail would somehow not remain private, I would have taken great care not to convey anything that would be offensive to anyone.
"As you know, I support Governor Huckabee first and Senator Brownback as a close second. I have a number of friends working for the Senator and he would make an outstanding president. The reason I wrote this, in the first place, is that this was a major factor in choosing Governor Huckabee over Senator Brownback. I frankly agree theologically more with a Southern Baptist. Perhaps, Mormons are rallying around Mitt Romney and Catholics around Senator Brownback. I don't know.
"In no way do I think a Catholic would not make a great president, in fact, if Governor Huckabee drops out of the race I will support Senator Brownback. But I do apologize for my statements because it could be taken as anti-Catholic which isn't the case at all.
"Again, please accept my apology and I ask for your forgiveness."
This seems, once again, of a case where a candidate is being held responsible for what his supporters are saying -- which is a tough standard for anyone. Especially in the age of the internet, when careless and offensive thoughts can, in mere minutes, make their way onto the website of ABC News.
But what do you think?
-- jt
UPDATE: The Radio Iowa blog provides Huckabee's response -- LINK.
July 31, 2007 in Religion | Permalink | Share | User Comments (22)
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What?? There's a Republican primary campaign??? Well, Gollllly. I guess I'll have to stop paying so much attention to the mainstream media.
Posted by: SteveW | Jul 31, 2007 8:09:52 PM
Two things.
First, the main problem Senator Switchback (officially known as Brownback) has is his strong pushing of McCain's Amnesty Bill (and his silly switching back of his vote on it). That's the main reason Iowans are not going to vote for him.
Second, this squabble between Huckabee and Switchback does point up an interesting problem going on with the several social conservative candidates. How are they going to get the social conservative voters to vote for them and not one of the others? Religion seems to be one of the answers (in several variations). Switchback himself has enrolled a large number of Catholilcs to get out other Catholics to vote for him. So apparently this Huckabee representative is trying to do basically the same kind of thing for Huckabee, except with Evangelicals.
Well, soon most of the Republican candidates will drop out and that will take care of some of the problem. But, of course, the battle now is over which ones will have to drop out after the Ames straw poll and which ones won't. And very soon we will know, won't we?.
Posted by: Jhopolong | Jul 31, 2007 6:47:42 PM
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