Blackwell and the incestuous relationship between religion and politics

[MelissaB]

Ken Blackwell, you know him...the Ohio Secretary of State who played dirty to make sure Ohio's electoral votes went to Bush. Well, he wants to be governor now.

What do you know about the Ohio Restoration Project? Did you know they are having voter registration drives, recruiting pastor patriots to spread the word in churches, and more? The information that follows is just a bit of the stench of what is happening in Ohio.

The Ohio Restoration Project, headed by evangelical minister Russell Johnson, aims to rally so-called value voters around conservative candidates. It is conducting voter registration drives, distributing voter guides and holding rallies that combine patriotic songs and images with sermons about social issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

Johnson founded the Ohio Restoration Project after the 2004 election, emboldened by the belief that evangelicals, who organized church-goers around that year's successful ban on gay marriage, helped President Bush win Ohio. A group of religious leaders in Ohio has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service, charging that the group is mixing religion and politics.


Link: http://www.cleveland.com/open/story.ssf?/open/more/pastor.html


Watch the slide show! Ken Blackwell makes an appearance. http://www.cleveland.com/open/slideshow/index.ssf?patriotpastor.html

Here's a little more info.

Evangelicals Flex Political Muscle

By Bill Cohen - Evangelical Christians, energized by ballot victories in the 2004 election, are gearing up to have an impact on the state's 2006 races for governor and other statewide offices.


Columbus, Ohio - - infoZine - Groups headed by the prominent pastors of two evangelical Protestant mega-churches in Ohio plan to push conservative religious values on issues such as abortion and gay rights into the political arena, convert 100,000 Ohioans to Jesus, register 400,000 Ohioans to vote and distribute millions of voter education guides that will rate major candidates on their support for "family values."

The biggest beneficiary this year could be Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, who faces tough primary competition for the seat being vacated by Gov. Robert Taft (R) in this heavily Republican state. But the groups' foray into elections also has proven risky because of the possibility of scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service.

Ohio "will be the blueprint for change in our nation as a whole," predicts the Rev. Rod Parsley, a nationally syndicated TV evangelist who heads the 12,000-member World Harvest Church, just southeast of Columbus, Ohio.

...snip

Parsley has formed two political offshoots: the Center for Moral Clarity and Reformation Ohio . Johnson, whose congregants are beginning to run successfully for political posts such as county sheriff and city council, also has formed an offshoot called the Ohio Restoration Project. The groups aim to organize "patriot pastors" to use their churches to register voters, develop sermons that focus on conservative themes and remind residents to "vote their values" on Election Day. Under IRS rules, the groups can register voters and discuss issues and candidates but cannot endorse candidates or engage in partisan politics.


More: http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/13807/

[MasonJar]

1. It appears that Ohio is a lost cause. The state pugs have probably

noticed that they have to be crooks to win, and obviously have no compunction about being just that. The legislature (PUG) passed some egregious laws, saying that there could be no recounts in Presidential elections and no telling what else. I guess the pugs saw the handwriting on the wall and decided to cover it up for good. Ohio DUers, can we help? I came to Cincy (from Kentucky--currently also a lost cause--but ripe to re-enter the real world) for the 2004 election to walk the neighborhoods for the Dems and on election day. The precinct I monitored cheated I am confident.

[MelissaB]

2. I don't know if it's a lost cause or not. I just know we have to fight it

The question for me is: What can I do from Alabama?

[rg302200]

3. Ohio does have it's problems

But Blackwell is losing support fast among many municipal Republican officeholders due to his controversial TEL-TABOR amendment. In fact the Ohio Trustee's Association recently came out against this amendment as did our U.S. Senators DeWine and Voinivich. Many Republicans are starting to see Blackwell for what he really is...a corrupt POS that cares only about his own career and cares nothing about Ohio.

Blackwell will not beat Strickland in November, voting fraud or not. Petro and his supporters won't lift a finger to help Blackwell and could in fact end up backing Strickland. Trust me when I saw that Ohio will go Blue in November.

[MelissaB]

4. It 's good to know that people are waking up where Blackwell is

concerned. I hope you are right about the election, but until somebody beats him, I'll worry.

[MelissaB]

5. I'm hoping this is old news to most DU'er, but in case

someone doesn't know about it I'm giving it one kick.

:kick: