Trust the chairman of the party that camped out like rock-show groupies in African-American churches to now accuse churches and their preachers of having too much influence on voters.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez actually lamented Wednesday the bad influence Christianity has on voters' political preferences. He compared the influence of preachers to the influence of conservative media outlets.
“... We (Democrats) need to build a bigger orchestra," Perez said while speaking at Demand Justice’s “The Court In Crisis: What’s Next For Progressives After Kavanaugh” Summit in Washington, DC. "They (Republicans) have had a big orchestra for some time and they’ve got the megaphones to amplify it, whether it’s Sinclair at a local level or Fox at a national level. I’ve learned this from the outreach we’ve done at the DNC ... I had someone in Northwestern Wisconsin tell me, ‘You know what, for most of the people I know, their principal sources of information are Fox News, their NRA newsletter, and the pulpit on Sunday.’”
Perez went on to suggest the political preference of single issue, pro-life voters can be entirely explained by their exposure to conservative ideas at their place of worship.
“It should come as a surprise to no one that that person has elevated the issue of courts to the top because that person on the pulpit is saying, ‘Ignore everything else that this person has done and is doing, we have to focus on one issue of Roe vs. Wade.’ And people buy it. Because that’s their only source,” Perez said.
Holy hypocritical hyperbole, Tom.
The only reason Tom Perez doesn't like the church's buttinski-ism is, it's working for conservatives and flops like a dead mullet for Democrats. Pretty much every time. In other words, the bad ones are THEIR churches, the good ones are OURS.
The truth is, Republican Party leaders don't have to knock on sanctuary doors and huddle with clergy to get them to deliver a conservative, pro-life message. The philosophy of evangelical clergymen in particular and their conservative congregations are inextricably linked, particularly on the matter of abortion.
Before midterms the Florida Democratic Party leadership and their hirelings ran programs focused on getting black congregants to pledge to vote early, for example, and then made sure they followed through.
They packed South Florida churches on the Sunday before the election, throwing their arms around congregants, as they do every year in advance of their "Souls to the Polls" marches.
It's long been one of the pet peeves of Democratic African American Woman's Caucus President Leslie Wimes -- that Democratic leaders hit the churches every two years, when they want to suck up to African-Americans for their votes. Then disappear again when the election is over.
The point here is, Perez's party actually courts churches, pleading for their favor. Because it didn't result in an Election Day win, churches and their preachers are back to "dangerous."
At a time in this nation when madmen are increasingly targeting churches and congregations, was it wise to single out the clergy's Sunday influence for criticism?
Sorry, Tom. Not too bright either for you, as party leader, to belittle the clergy because their congregations are getting the message. Think about it for a minute.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
