Monday, October 16, 2006 To: Friends & Supporters From: Gary Bauer To Vote Or Not To Vote Generally, the media tell Americans that voting is important, a cherished right for which others have fought and died. The right to vote has been expanded numerous times throughout our nation’s history to include groups once disenfranchised, but now there appears to be a coordinated effort to dissuade a certain segment of Americans from voting. As I have reported to you in recent days, some on the Left are using the Mark Foley scandal to suppress turnout of conservative Christians. The Media Research Center noted that reporting on this sex scandal by the former Republican member of Congress is running at an 8-to-1 ratio over the conviction of a former Democrat member of Congress for sexual assault against a minor. In many stories, reporters editorialize on how the Foley affair will keep Christians away from the polls, while the facts appear secondary to the “news.” The CBS show 60 Minutes continued that theme last night with a segment devoted to David Kuo and his new book. Now I bet most of you have never heard of David Kuo before, but for those of you who missed the 60 Minutes story, he once served as the deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives. The media had no use for him then. But now that he has left the White House and written a book that “dishes the dirt” on the administration, the media are falling over themselves to give him exposure. Kuo is alleging that the White House used the program for political purposes and that some inside the administration ridiculed Christian leaders. Kuo was a political appointee, yet like Captain Renault in Casablanca, he was “shocked” to discover politics in the White House. Second, I believe the president’s faith is real, but the fact is there are libertarians in the administration who don’t always see eye-to-eye with conservative leaders. A few snide comments from those folks means absolutely nothing about the policies or programs the president is supporting. But Kuo is disillusioned with the White House and politics because, in his view, there wasn’t sufficient emphasis on poverty, and after September 11th the programs he was working on took a back seat to Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result of his experience, Kuo has a recommendation for other civic-minded Christians that CBS evidently felt warranted national exposure on 60 Minutes. According to Kuo, “I think that Christians, particularly evangelical Christians, need to take a step back. To have a fast from politics.” In other words, everyone else is supposed to vote on Election Day, but evangelical Christians might want to “fast” or abstain from voting, instead. It doesn’t take an intellectual giant to figure out what will happen if Christians stay home on Election Day. But would CBS dare to run a story suggesting that Hispanics or any other group of Americans not vote on Election Day? And when was the last time CBS featured a story with a prominent Christian leader about the positive influence of evangelicals in America? I guess it’s only “newsworthy” when one confused Christian suggests others “fast from politics” three weeks before an election. If Al Qaeda Could Vote Brigitte Gabriel, a fearless opponent of radical Islam, has been spending time monitoring a number of known Al Qaeda websites and chat rooms. While most people might think that Al Qaeda would be too busy to follow American politics, Gabriel says that there is great interest among the terrorists in the upcoming congressional elections in this country. The fact that American politics has become so polarized over the war in Iraq is a great source of encouragement to our enemies overseas, and according to Gabriel there is considerable sympathy among the Islamofascists for the American Left. They know that the radical Left in this country is doing their public relations work for them. In Europe, it is bizarre to see the ranks of leftwing parties filled with Islamists. They don’t agree with liberal politicians on basic values, such as abortion-on-demand and same sex “marriage,” but they do agree on the bigger issue, which is a hatred of Western Civilization. Are we seeing a similar alliance taking root here in this country? Gabriel thinks so, and as the talking points of the Left sound more and more like those of Hugo Chavez and other anti-American ideologues, she may be right. * * * * * If you are interested in receiving Mr. Bauer's daily report by e-mail, please call 703-671-9700, visit SIGN UP FOR GARY BAUER'S "END OF DAY REPORT" or simply send a reply e-mail titled "Subscribe" and include your name and address. To be removed from Gary Bauer's End of Day distribution list, please reply to this message with "Remove" in the subject line. Please feel free to share this report with family and friends. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to American Values are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. 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