No, Democrats don't have an ethical or principled objection to using God, Christianity, or religion to help sell a political agenda. They merely object when Republicans do it.
This was clear during the so-called "Moral Monday" demonstrations that featured a leftist preacher screaming against GOP policies at the legislature every week for half a decade.
The latest example is North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's visit to four churches yesterday - where he exhorted the assembled flocks to pressure their Democratic state lawmaker to support Cooper's veto of the state budget.
It was a blatant partisan use of the pulpit to advance a political agenda. And there's been nary a peep from the Separation of Church and State Brigade.
From the Fayetteville Observer:
Cooper’s visit came as some Democrats, including Rep. Billy Richardson of Fayetteville, are wrestling with a tough decision: Do they stick with Cooper and sustain his budget veto, or do they vote with the Republicans to override the veto?
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Richardson said on Saturday. “It really tears your gut out.”
More than $132 million in projects in the GOP-written budget is at stake for the Fayetteville area, including $12.1 million this fiscal year for the Civil War & Reconstruction History Center museum project, $16.2 million for construction at Fayetteville State University, and $20 million for construction at Fayetteville Technical Community College.
...
Last week, 301 people signed a full-page advertisement in The Fayetteville Observer in support of the projects. Many of them live in Richardson’s district and backed him in his elections, he said.
Meanwhile, the politically left Progress North Carolina Action organization published ads last week attacking Richardson and other legislative Democrats on the assumption they will vote to override the governor. The ads angered Richardson. He said the organization never asked him his position and the ads had inaccuracies.
Targeting elected leaders by preaching in churches in their district? Totally fine.
Contrast this utter lack of condemnation or concern among the NC political outrage mob with the reaction to Lt. Gov. Dan Forest's Bible study retreat in Black Mountain.
Black Mountain Weekend comes two months before a November election in which Forest faces Democrat Linda Coleman in a rematch of a very close 2012 election for lieutenant governor.
According to IRS regulations, 501(c)(3) groups are “absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.” Weatherman emphasized that this weekend’s retreat, which is taking place at the Ridgecrest Conference Center, will strictly abide by the IRS rules. No campaign fundraising or any other election-related activity would occur during the weekend, Weatherman said.
The Christian media outlets that publicize the event, such as christianactionleague.org, contain no references to Forest’s campaign or re-election bid. Last year, however, an advertisement for the weekend did creep into online political communications. An event calendar on the Republican Party’s 11th District website features an invitation to the 2015 retreat from Mark Harris, the Charlotte pastor who has run for Congress and helped lead the fight to ban same-sex marriage in North Carolina.
Forest's Bible camp induces an in-depth examination of IRS non-profit codes. Cooper literally goes to churches to engage in politics, and it's a process story about the budget debate.
Meanwhile, the Governor's communications guy for Gov. Cooper tried to spin criticism into a rejection of religion:
These tweets should make it clear that the Governor's communications staff is either too ignorant or dishonest to operate in good faith when it comes to debating or discussing issues.
Pete's Prep: Monday, July 15, 2019
- The Carolina Journal reports: "Partisan gerrymandering returns to state court Monday, July 15, for a battle that could stretch over weeks." The trial can use the "Hofeller files" - data that was lifted by the deceased GOP mapmaker's estranged leftist daughter, and handed off to the litigants in the case.
- Amid an intra-party battle between Democratic Party leaders and freshmen socialists, the left seized the chance to unify and rally against President Trump, when he tweeted that Congresswomen should "go back" to their home countries. Trump's defenders say the President baited Democrats into defending the four progressive lawmakers.
- From FOX News: "ICE releases report of illegal immigrants who allegedly committed crimes after cops ignored detention requests."
- Meanwhile, the media has paid scant attention to the Antifa terrorist attack on an ICE facility.