I used to respect Elizabeth Dole . . . until now

I have always had a good deal of respect for Elizabeth Dole. Even though we differ substantially on a number of political issues (I'm very socially liberal), I could admire her for her accomplishments, especially as a woman in a era where women were just beginning to hold positions of political power. From cabinet posts under Reagan and Bush I, to president of the Red Cross, to Senator and presidential candidate, I always thought she encapsulated the values of the moderate wing of the Republican party. I always thought she would be above dirty politics and hate-mongering. Until now.

On August 26th, Dole's Sentate re-election campaign came out with a press release which is one of the most official bigoted statements I have recently read by an American politcian in regards to secular and non-religious Americans. In it she vilifies an opponent for daring to meet with the "Godless Americans Political Action Committee" (a euphemism for the Secular Coalition for America), a group whose mission, as stated in the press release, is to protect the civil rights of non-religious Americans. Here's the press release text. I've highlighted the worst parts of it:

"Godless Americans PAC?"

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Hagan Heads to Boston for Fundraiser in the Home of Leading Anti-Religion Activists

On September 15th, Kay Hagan is heading to Boston, Massachusetts to attend a fundraiser for her Senate campaign. What may surprise mainstream North Carolinians is that the fundraiser will be in the home of leading anti religion activists Wendy Kaminer and her lawyer husband Woody Kaplan -- who is an advisor to the "Godless Americans Political Action Committee."

Kaminer is the author of Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, in which one reviewer said Kaminer is ". . . trying to save us from ‘the perils of piety’-the pestilence of organized religion and its encroachment on public life. Should we be surprised that Katha Pollitt, atheist-in-chief at The Nation and author of a book called Reasonable Creatures, has given Kaminer's book a gushing blurb?” (Norah Vincent, Op-Ed, “Unbelievable,” National Review, 11/22/99)."

Kaminer is also an advisory board member (Woody is the chairman) of The Secular Coalition for America which is "the national lobby for atheists, humanists, freethinkers and other nontheistic Americans with the unique mission of protecting their civil rights.” (Secular Coalition For America, Press Release, 1/16/08)

Kaminer's husband, Woody Kaplan, is also an advisor to the Godless Americans Political Action Committee which sees itself as a counter-force to religious groups in public policy debates.

"Kay Hagan is trying to run a campaign in North Carolina that casts her as a moderate but the money that's paying for it is coming from the left-wing fringe of political thought," said Dole Campaign Communications Director Dan McLagan. "You can tell a lot about a person by their friends and these are friends most North Carolinians would not be comfortable having over for dinner."

Hagan's campaign is being largely funded by labor unions intent on ending North Carolina's status as a right to work state, liberal trial lawyers and ultra left wing groups like MoveOn.org which is a deeply anti-military organization. Now Hagan has added anti-religion activists from Boston Massachusetts to the list.

"Kay Hagan does not represent the values of this state; she is a Trojan Horse for a long list of wacky left-wing outside groups bent on policies that would horrify most North Carolinians if they knew about it," McLagan said. "This latest revelation of support from anti-religion activists will not sit well with the 90% of state residents who identify with a specific religious faith."

I don't even know where to begin. I guess somehow seeking equal rights and civil liberties for a minority non-religious group has become "anti-religious." And the way in which the atheists and other non-religious are characterized is a clear scare tactic. By mocking the name of the organization by calling them "Godless Americans PAC" she consciously plays into stereotypes, misconceptions and fear about secularism. As the Atheist Revolution blog points out, this is a classic example of "othering" and intolerance:

What Dole is saying here is that persons seeking representation for nontheistic Americans are merely "anti religion activists." She uses "atheist" as an insult to devalue, distance, and dehumanize. For Dole, atheists are useful only as the vilified other. She projects her hatred of atheists onto North Carolina residents by claiming that the people she represents would not want an atheist over for dinner. She characterizes North Carolina as an intolerant place where her constituency would be "horrified" that anyone would bother to represent the atheists among them.

Even the mere association of someone with an atheist, either through meeting with them to hear their political grievances or even having them over for dinner creates a kind of guilt by association. Doesn't this all seem way too similar to the tactics of racists, sexists and homophobes? Austin Cline makes this argument:

Judging people simply because they don't believe in any gods is on the same moral level as judging people for their skin color or their sexual orientation. This places Elizabeth Dole and her Communications Director Dan McLagan on the same level as racists — and worse, racist politicians who exploit the racism of voters in order to turn them against more liberal politicians who dare to associate with racial minorities and/or those who support equal rights of racial minorities.

So let's rework Dole's press release to target a different group besides atheists, secularists, and the non-religious and see what it would sound like. Let's pretend like Dole's opponent was meeting with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and change just a few words of the press release.

"Terrorist Americans PAC?"

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Hagan Heads to Boston for Fundraiser in the Home of Leading Anti-Christian Activists

On September 15th, Kay Hagan is heading to Boston, Massachusetts to attend a fundraiser for her Senate campaign. What may surprise mainstream North Carolinians is that the fundraiser will be in the home of leading anti Christian activists Wendy Kaminer and her lawyer husband Woody Kaplan -- who is an advisor to the "Terrorist Americans Political Action Committee."

Kaminer is the author of Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, in which one reviewer said Kaminer is ". . . trying to save us from ‘the perils of piety’-the pestilence of evangelical Christianity and its encroachment on public life. Should we be surprised that Katha Pollitt, terrorist-in-chief at The Nation and author of a book called Reasonable Creatures, has given Kaminer's book a gushing blurb?” (Norah Vincent, Op-Ed, “Unbelievable,” National Review, 11/22/99)."

Kaminer is also an advisory board member (Woody is the chairman) of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee which is "the national lobby for muslim and arab Americans with the unique mission of protecting their civil rights.”

Kaminer's husband, Woody Kaplan, is also an advisor to the Terrorist Americans Political Action Committee which sees itself as a counter-force to Christian groups in public policy debates.

"Kay Hagan is trying to run a campaign in North Carolina that casts her as a moderate but the money that's paying for it is coming from the Islamic fringe of political thought," said Dole Campaign Communications Director Dan McLagan. "You can tell a lot about a person by their friends and these are friends most North Carolinians would not be comfortable having over for dinner."

Hagan's campaign is being largely funded by labor unions intent on ending North Carolina's status as a right to work state, liberal trial lawyers and ultra left wing groups like MoveOn.org which is a deeply anti-military organization. Now Hagan has added anti-Christian activists from Boston Massachusetts to the list.

"Kay Hagan does not represent the values of this state; she is a Trojan Horse for a long list of wacky left-wing outside groups bent on policies that would horrify most North Carolinians if they knew about it," McLagan said. "This latest revelation of support from Arab and Muslim activists will not sit well with the 90% of state residents who identify with a specific Christian faith."

Can you imagine the outcry of bigotry that would occur if Elizabeth Dole's scare tactics were directed at another group besides atheists?