GOP Raises Religion in Court Race, Calling Democrat an Atheist

[kurth]

GOP Raises Religion in Court Race, Calling Democrat an Atheist
Mary Alice Robbins
Texas Lawyer
10-09-2006

Religion has entered the political fray in a race for an appellate court bench in east Texas. The Austin-based Republican Party of Texas played the religion card in a Sept. 21 online newsletter. As alleged in the newsletter, Texarkana solo E. Ben Franks, Democratic nominee for a seat on the 6th Court of Appeals, "is reported to be a professed atheist" and apparently believes the Bible is a "collection of myths.'"

But Franks says he has never professed to be an atheist and is not a member of any atheist organization. Franks says no one with the Republican Party ever asked him whether he professes to be an atheist. However, he says he's not surprised by the allegation... Anthony Champagne, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, says he has watched judicial races in Texas and other parts of the country for 25 years and has never before seen a judicial candidate accused of being an atheist. "I've never seen the religious issue pushed that hard," Champagne says...

The Republican Party's allegation that Franks is an atheist stems from a June 18, 2002, article published in the El Paso Times, after the Texas Democratic Party held its state convention in the far west Texas city. As noted in the article, Democrats on the party's platform committee debated whether to drop "God" from a sentence on the first page of the committee's platform report that read: "We want a Texas where all people can fulfill their dreams and achieve their God-given potential." The article quotes Franks, a member of the platform committee, as saying, "I'm an atheist, this does not bother me. I'm a pragmatist." Franks says the article misquoted him and what he said was, "Let's say I'm an atheist. I still have no problem with this platform, because I'm a pragmatist." What he was saying, Franks says, is that, if he were an atheist, he would not be offended by the reference to God in the platform.

Jeff Fisher, the state Republican Party's executive director, says "some people who know Franks" -- people whom Fisher did not identify -- have told him that Franks professes to be an atheist. Fisher says the GOP sent the newsletter to people who subscribe to the party's e-mail publications to inform them about Franks. "We have a candidate running for the 6th Court who clearly shows he's out of touch with the people," he says...

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1160125527178

[stopbush]

1. But being an atheist is a good thing. What's the problem?

[eyesroll]

6. Well...if he's not an atheist, people shouldn't be calling him one.

There are plenty of "good things" (as well as bad things) that I am not, and I would correct people who called me those things.

[happyslug]

13. You missed the point....

If someone is an Atheist they are people (Especially in East Texas where this election is taking place) that will NOT vote for him on that grounds alone. On the other hand, most Agnostics and Atheists (and many other people) will NOT vote for the alleged Atheist just because he is an Atheist (i.e. they will look at the person's entire record and decide on the entire record and dismiss the Candidate's Atheism as unimportant). This is why such an accusation is effective, it turns some voters AWAY from a Candidate, but almost no voters to the Candidate (Especially in East Texas, which is the Furtherest point of the American South).

In many ways calling someone an Atheist in the American South today is like called someone "Colored" in the South of the 1920 through the 1950s. In the all white Primaries of the time period being called "Colored" meant a solid minority of Voters will vote against you and since the Blacks could NOT vote in those Primaries you gained no votes by being called "Colored". Thus if you could call your opponent "Colored" it was the kiss of Death of ever getting elected (and the same with Atheism in that part of the US, it is the Kiss of Death of ever getting elected for you will have a solid majority of people who will vote against you because they believe you are an Atheist.

[Tesha]

14. In America, an atheist can't get elected dogcatcher.

In America, a country where all creeds (including no creed) are
considered equal, an atheist can't get elected dogcatcher.

Tesha

[Eric J in MN]

2. George H. W. Bush said he's not sure that atheists can be...

...US citizens.

[elehhhhna]

3. FILE A BI G FAT LIBEL/slander suit, stat.

[pepperbear]

4. hmmmm 1. he's an atheist 2. say people "who know franks"

there's your two GOP campaign bellwethers: religion and heresay.

Just lovely.

[Nitrogenica]

5. HMS George H W Bush

When George Bush was campaigning for the presidency, as incumbent vice-president, one of his stops was in Chicago, Illinois, on August 27, 1987. At O'Hare Airport he held a formal outdoor news conference. There Robert I. Sherman, a reporter for the American Atheist news journal, fully accredited by the state of Illinois and by invitation a participating member of the press corps covering the national candidates, had the following exchange with then-Vice-President Bush.


Sherman: What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are atheists?

Bush: I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me.

Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?

Bush: No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

Sherman (somewhat taken aback): Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?

Bush: Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists.


WOW..I never knew about this.

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. WOW, this is one of those things

that I had never heard. Every time this fucker opens his mouth, I learn to hate him more.:mad:

[CorpGovActivist]

7. KKKarl is a Self-Described Agnostic

KKKarl Rove, the architect of "God, Guns, and Gays":

1. is a self-described agnostic;

2. dodged the draft to avoid picking up a gun in service his country; and

3. was raised by a gay man, according to the new book, The Architect:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=the+architect+karl+rove+father

So, next time this snake oil salesman tries to peddle his message to the "heartland," be sure to call him out on all three.

- Dave

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Is Karl gay? nt.

[CorpGovActivist]

11. Dunno, But...

... he is once-divorced, twice-married, and has a son who is of military service age.

I guess the "sanctity of marriage" doesn't apply where Rove is concerned, and I guess dodging military service is the dominant gene in his gene pool.

- Dave

[OHdem10]

9. Being an Atheist is t a good thing

The Republican Candidate is using this attack as a weapon.
Polls reflect that an atheist could not be elected in the U.S.

The Culture War is often described as the struggle in
the U.S. between Christians and Secularists. How often
we see Democrats described as 'Godless".

In this case the Repub. is going for the jugular.
No matter how we feel about Atheism --the average Joe
often sees this as something bad. Marginalise, Marginalise
marginalise the opponent.

[trof]

12. AL pols on both sides trying to "Out-Jesus" each other.

disgusting