Elizabeth Dole pushes religious hatred
During this election season, I've tried to criticize mostly Democrats, in an effort to bring balance to the Force. And I've tried not to explode utterly. But Senator Elizabeth Dole's resorting to religious hatred in her campaign is entirely too much. That article embeds the ad in which she denouncs opponent Kay Hagan for accepting "godless money" from the Godless Americans PAC.
The implication is that voters should reject a candidate because of the religious views of those they speak with, that candidates for office must not listen to the views of non-religious people. Dole is appealing to right-wing Christian bigots and the KKK mentality.
Hagan has responded with a lawsuit -- and in doing so, appears to be accepting Dole's standards. The only assertion that the ad makes about her is that she attended a "secret" fundraising meeting of the Godless Americans PAC. As far as I've been able to tell from the news stories, Hagan hasn't disputed that. Dole asks what Hagan promised in return, but that's always a legitimate question. The ad shows Hagan's picture with a female voice-over saying "There is no God," but this follows a series of similar statements by various members of the PAC who are shown in the ad. Despicable, yes. Legally defamatory? I'm not so sure. If the words had been "Taxes should go up," would that have been grounds for a defamation lawsuit?
Hagan has effectively accepted Dole's claim that she would have been despicable if she had actually talked with an atheist group.
Hagan responded Thursday with an 30-second spot of her own. Referring to the Ninth Commandment in the Old Testament, Hagan says the campaign is about creating jobs and fixing the economy, "not bearing false witness against fellow Christians."
"Elizabeth Dole's attacks on my Christian faith are offensive," Hagan says in the ad. "She even faked my voice in her TV ad to make you think I don't believe in God. Well, I believe in God. I taught Sunday School. My faith guides my life, and Sen. Dole knows it."Hagan responded Thursday with an 30-second spot of her own. Referring to the Ninth Commandment in the Old Testament, Hagan says the campaign is about creating jobs and fixing the economy, "not bearing false witness against fellow Christians."
"Elizabeth Dole's attacks on my Christian faith are offensive," Hagan says in the ad. "She even faked my voice in her TV ad to make you think I don't believe in God. Well, I believe in God. I taught Sunday School. My faith guides my life, and Sen. Dole knows it."
Someone needs to tell Hagan that there's nothing in the Ten Commandments saying false witness against non-Christians is OK. (In fact, everyone was a non-Christian in Moses's time!) Besides, unless Hagan actually didn't attend the meeting, I don't see any "false witness" in the ad, and she doesn't seem to have denied it.
Dole is contemptible. She is garbage. She is unfit to hold any political office in the United States. But by answering that she's a Christian and it's libel to hint otherwise, Hagan has followed her down the low road, accepting bigotry as the standard of political debate in North Carolina and defending only her religious credentials.