Patriot pastors, Blackwell, and Ohio politics

[MelissaB]

'Patriot pastors' recruited
Churchgoers will be urged to vote

By Howard Wilkinson
Enquirer staff writer


KINGS MILLS - The luncheon Thursday at the Kings Island Conference Center could easily have been mistaken for a political party affair, with politicians, speaking over the clank of forks and knives, exhorting the guests to go out and register new voters and make sure they get to the polls.

But the hundreds of people dining at the ballroom tables Thursday were not ward-heelers and precinct captains.

They were, for the most part, men and women of the clergy - evangelicals, Pentecostals, Baptists and a smattering of Catholic clerics and laymen.

They were being recruited for the Ohio Restoration Project, the brainchild of the Rev. Russell Johnson, pastor of a 2,500-member evangelical church in the southeastern Ohio town of Lancaster. He wants to build a force of Christian conservatives - the "values voters'' who oppose abortion, want to protect traditional marriage and oppose higher taxes - to dominate Ohio politics, starting with the 2006 gubernatorial election.


More: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050826/NEWS01/508260404/-1/CINCI

[MelissaB]

1. More:

And he plans to do it by recruiting an army of more than 2,000 pastors - "patriot pastors,'' as he calls them - to do the grassroots work.

...snip

As a non-profit organization, the Ohio Restoration Project can't endorse candidates, but it was clear at Thursday's luncheon that, for many of the group's faithful, the favorite among the three Republican candidates for governor is Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who was given a long standing ovation after his speech.

Clutching a microphone in one hand and a Bible in the other, Blackwell quoted Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. as he urged Christian conservatives to get involved in the political process.

"We cannot sit back and let the public square be stripped naked of faith, religion and God,'' Blackwell said. "The true warrior in this cultural battle must be willing to serve.''

[mod mom]

5. Fundie Christians that don't vote? This is a ploy to make excuses for

Blackwell's next theft, his own.

[MelissaB]

10. It's scary that I thought the same thing.

[MadeinOhio]

24. Blackwell will attempt to steal it, or outright steal it.

He is beyond no retribution now and is a vowed criminal. The "patriot pastors" are nothing more than fundies, many who work on board of elections. The fraud (yes, fraud) is what will get them Blackwell and dishonesty into office.

For the sake of Ohio we must litigate them and fight all hostile, fourth reich style takeovers of Ohio's government.

:toast:

[Joanne98]

2. This was to be expected.

[MelissaB]

3. I've read about this group before, but this ticks me off.

[Joanne98]

6. I just read "What's the matter with Kansas" It explains everything.

[MelissaB]

9. I've got to find the time to read that.

Hubby just finished "The Republican Noise Machine" and keeps telling me to read it.

[Joanne98]

11. What's the matter with Kansas is brilliant. The christian right exposed.

If you're going to do battle with these guys it's required reading. I'm in Ohio and the way I see it is the only political battle worth fighting will be with the "faithful." I'm getting ready for an all out war with them. I saw that Ohio Restoration Project a few months ago and I was *&^% pissed.

[MelissaB]

13. I just posted about that below. Are the working for or against election

reform?

[Joanne98]

19. GOP is blocking reforms.......

[MelissaB]

21. I want to be certain I'm understanding this correctly. Check me.

This "christian" conservative group is encouraging pastors to register voters and organize to vote against amendments by Reform Ohio Now to help improve elections in November?

[Joanne98]

22. That's right. I guess the non-for-profit status protects them.....

[Joanne98]

4. Here's more....LET US PREY

Friday, August 26, 2005
http://www.ohiohonestelections.org /
THE PATRIOT PASTORS....(christian mafia alert)
“With Bible in hand, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell warned the assembled “Patriot Pastors” that the battle they won last year to constitutionally ban gay marriage in Ohio must be fought on other fronts in 2006. “We cannot sit back and let the public square be stripped naked of truth, of religion, and of God,” Blackwell said yesterday at the Kings Island Conference Center. “People think November 2004 was just an accident of history. They doubt your ability and your will and your commitment to your faith and your drive to stay engaged and sustain the battle.”

“Inspired by the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s words, many of the more than 300 pastors headed back to their Ohio communities, each committed to registering 300 new “values voters” for the 2006 statewide elections. “These pastors will go home and pray, serve and engage values voters,” said the Rev. Russell Johnson, pastor of the Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster. “We will encourage the stewardship of our citizenship.” Johnson is chairman of the Ohio Restoration Project, an organization of religious conservatives that promotes political activism by Christian pastors and their flocks, which met officially for the first time yesterday, with six more meetings planned during the next year.”

“The group, hoping to sustain momentum from last year’s overwhelming approval by Ohio voters of an amendment to ban gay marriage, plans to mobilize voters in 2006 around an agenda including opposition to abortion, gay marriage and higher taxes, and in support of lawsuit reform and charter schools.”

“Johnson also advocated the defeat of three constitutional amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot that would affect Ohio election law by changing the way legislative and congressional districts are drawn, limiting campaign contributions, and transferring oversight of elections from the secretary of state to an appointed, independent board.”

“His group also wants to overturn a provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits nonprofit churches from endorsing candidates.”

“Ken Blackwell’s stands have been consistent with ours,” Johnson said, stressing that “we will not endorse a candidate.”

“Johnson said the goal is to sign up 400,000 new voters before the 2006 elections. He and others stressed that the movement is nondenominational and open to all faiths.”

“The Rev. John Putka, a political-science professor at the University of Dayton, said thousands of new voters were registered last year to pass the gaymarriage ban and the goal is to keep them engaged.

“Dr. John C. Willke, a founder of the Ohio Right to Life Society, said the Patriot Pastors movement is driven, in part, by upholding “the rights of the unborn” by outlawing abortions.”

“Pat Johnson, a single mom and member of a Xenia Christian church, said last year’s gaymarriage ballot amendment was “a wake up call” that spurred her to get involved with the Ohio Restoration Project to fight for a “moral and godly culture” for her 9-year-old daughter.”

This is the language of the CONS explained in the brilliant book, "What's the matter with Kansas" by Thomas Frank. A must read for anyone who doesn't understand why the poor vote against their own economic interests.

[MelissaB]

7. Check out this quote

Conservatives shower praise on pastors

JOHN McCARTHY

Associated Press


MASON, Ohio - Any feeling of resistance among the 300 pastors who attended the first meeting of the Ohio Restoration Project changed after three notable conservatives took the stage, giving the clergy a pep talk.

Religious conservatives looking to build on the momentum from last November's passage of a gay-marriage ban and President Bush's key Ohio victory took the first step Thursday toward mobilizing forces statewide on issues such as abortion, education choice and taxes.

The meeting of the Ohio Restoration Project, a group of religious conservatives drawn from dozens of local organizations, attracted more than 500 pastors and other conservative leaders to talk about achieving clout on so-called values issues.

...snip

"People think that November 2000 was an accident of history. They deny your will," Blackwell said. "I plead with you to continue to show up, stand up and speak up."


Link: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/12480081.htm

[MelissaB]

8. Can you believe this?

“His group also wants to overturn a provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits nonprofit churches from endorsing candidates.”

“Ken Blackwell’s stands have been consistent with ours,” Johnson said, stressing that “we will not endorse a candidate.”

“Johnson said the goal is to sign up 400,000 new voters before the 2006 elections. He and others stressed that the movement is nondenominational and open to all faiths.”

[Joanne98]

14. Blackwell's the fundie's favorite. We got to get him in a scandal...

[MelissaB]

12. Look what I just found

Christian group protests proposed amendments

MASON — Christian conservatives rallied Thursday against four proposed state constitutional amendments that would change how Ohio residents vote and how elections are supervised statewide.

The Ohio Restoration Project invited about 500 religious and political leaders to the Kings Island Resort and Conference Center, encouraging them to register voters and organize against the amendments proposed for the November ballot by Reform Ohio Now.

“I believe the hinges of history are turning on our watch,” said pastor Russell Johnson of Lancaster.

Link: http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/08/26/mj0826reform.html


Question: Isn't this group trying to reform elections in Ohio?
I'm answereing my own question: http://www.reformohionow.org/

[MelissaB]

15. Daily Kos link about Reform Ohio Now

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/2/16292/83909

Reform Ohio Now: Putting Election Reform on the Ballot
by Pounder
Sat Jun 4th, 2005 at 11:01:12 PDT
Promoted from the diaries with minor edits by DavidNYC. (Hat tip to Bob Brigham for spotting it.) While there is some debate as to whether right-wing ballot initiatives - such as anti-gay marriage amendments - actually helped right-wing candidates at the polls last fall, I nonetheless think that measures like this are a great idea. They sound terrific from a political stand-point, and I also think all the ideas contained below represent good public policy. My one suggestion would be to name it something like the "Ohio Clean & Fair Elections Initiative" - that way, you instantly force anyone who opposes it to say, in essence, that they don't support clean and fair elections.

With all the talk of coin-gate, and illegal campaign contributions, and stolen elections I thought it would be a good idea to tell you about a campaign just ramping up in Ohio.

It's called RON, or Reform Ohio Now!

Its a ballot initiative, and the petitions have just arrived, ready for people to grab, hit the steets and get it on the 2005 ballot.

[MelissaB]

17. From Common Cause

Reform Ohio Update ...

By Murshed Zaheed
Posted on Wed Aug 17, 2005 at 02:48:45 PM EST

Wanted to let everyone know that our coaltion partners at Reform Ohio Now reached its goal of collecting 450,000 signatures to qualify and pass a crucial set of ballot initiatives, which are basically common sense measures addressing the issues of out of control campaign contributions, fair political districts, and necessary electoral reforms in Ohio. Last week they filed over 520,000 signatures from at least 75 counties, giving the effort a significant cushion beyond the needed 322,000 signatures from 44 counties. The filing event was covered by the New York Times, and all major Ohio papers, including the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Dayton Daily News.

The first legal challenge to the effort brought by a group called Ohio First, and former Senate President Richard Finan was rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court 7-0. Moreover, a measure backed by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell called the Taxpayers Bull of Rights was dropped from the ballot.

And, today there could be some huge development concerning the ongoing poltical corruption scandals in that state, implicating the highest state official. Prosecutors are discussing whether to bring a criminal charge against GOP Governor Bob Taft, stemming from possible ethics violations arising out of ... what else ... golf outings (60 of them):

More: http://www.commonblog.com/story/2005/8/17/144845/257

[Joanne98]

20. Good.

[Joanne98]

16. Bastards. They were the ones who broke the laws.......The NERVE!

[Joanne98]

18. Reform Ohio now is our guys. Christians trying are trying to block reforms

Which is probably why they formed their own FAKE reform group.

[MelissaB]

23. I just pulled some of this info together and posted

in GD for a wider audience. People need to know this.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4481794