Clark, Bush and Religion in the 2004 Election?

[Clancie]

I'm wondering what role religion will play in election dialogue (and dirty politics) this time around?

On the one hand, there is the evangelical Bush who clearly does not support the separation of church and state.

On the other hand (hopefully), Wesley Clark...born to Orthodox Jewish parents, raised as a Southern Baptist and converted to Catholicism.

I don't know how this will play out, but I predict the "religious card" is what Bush's people will develop--through leaks, "sources" and other innuendo--throughout the campaign if Clark declares. I'm sure they will see that as his Achilles heel--and an issue their evangelical Christian base will understand and rally to.

[corplinx]

The only action that Bush has taken as president that nears establishment of religion is the streamlining of letting religious charities do government approved rehab work. However, in the very charter of his program it is stated that government money will not be used to fund sectarian worship.

If there is a battle over establishment of religion, it will be a rhetorical war with Clark painting Bush as an intolerant baptist who wants a theocracy and Bush painting Clark as a anti-theist who wants to remove the declaration of indepence from government buildings because it mentions god.

In other words, a battle over "seperation of church and state" will be more BS politics. I think my apathy meter just went up a notch thinking about it.

[Clancie]

Corplinx,

Want to have a friendly wager that instead of the above, the Bush team does everything possible to float religious innuendo about Clark in the press--everything from currying Jewish votes by implying he rejected his roots to bringing up conflicts between Clark's positions and the official views of the Catholic church on birth control and abortion (views that are held by a majority of American Catholics, but can still be used in an attempt to make him look like a hypocrite).

Don't feel apathetic yet. I predict that, if Clark runs, its going to get very very ugly from the Republican side....

[clk]

Clark still has a long ways to go to even win the Democratic ticket. I don't think he even has that much name recognition. That should change when he announces his decision. If he is running, then I think I will start watching the Democratic debates to see how he handles them.

[arcticpenguin]

Originally posted by corplinx

If there is a battle over establishment of religion, it will be a rhetorical war with Clark painting Bush as an intolerant baptist who wants a theocracy
Why would he do that when Bush is a Methodist and former Episcopalian? (http://www.adherents.com/adh_presidents.html)