North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole and her communications staff put out a press release today criticizing her Democratic challenger Kay Hagan.
What did Hagan do to deserve the criticism?
She plans to attend a fundraiser hosted by atheists.
On September 15th, Kay Hagan is heading to Boston, Massachusetts to attend a fundraiser for her Senate campaign. What may surprise mainstream North Carolinians is that the fundraiser will be in the home of leading anti religion activists Wendy Kaminer and her lawyer husband Woody Kaplan — who is an advisor to the “Godless Americans Political Action Committee.”
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Kaminer is also an advisory board member (Woody is the chairman) of The Secular Coalition for America which is “the national lobby for atheists, humanists, freethinkers and other nontheistic Americans with the unique mission of protecting their civil rights.” (Secular Coalition For America, Press Release, 1/16/08)
Kaminer’s husband, Woody Kaplan, is also an advisor to the Godless Americans Political Action Committee which sees itself as a counter-force to religious groups in public policy debates.
So, Republicans hate civil rights?
In fact, the Dole people think protecting rights for all people would horrify North Carolinians.
You know why I say this?
Because Dole’s campaign says it right in the press release:
“Kay Hagan does not represent the values of this state; she is a Trojan Horse for a long list of wacky left-wing outside groups bent on policies that would horrify most North Carolinians if they knew about it,” [Communications Director Dan] McLagan said. “This latest revelation of support from anti-religion activists will not sit well with the 90% of state residents who identify with a specific religious faith.”
Actually, I think most people of faith would be fine if minority groups received equal rights. I don’t know of any atheist groups asking for special rights. We just want to be treated fairly and we don’t want to see religious groups getting privileges the rest of us cannot get.
Next, we’ll see the Dole campaign ripping on Hagan for “associating with known Jews.”
That makes equally as much sense as this press release.
Chris Ray points out that North Carolinians aren’t as devout as the Dole people would have us believe.
According to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 20% of people in the state attend a worship service “seldom or never.”
Less than half the people in the state attend a weekly service.
The fact that the Dole people are using Hagan’s mere association with atheists as a point of attack on her says a lot more about how desperate and crooked they are than it does anything about Hagan.
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Siamang adds:
While you’re at it, Email the Dole campaign and tell them why you just gave money to their opponent.
