U.S. President George W. Bush got polite applause Tuesday for his brief, pre-taped video address to the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest evangelical denomination, which is holding its annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.
That stood in marked contrast to the standing ovations he received last year from the same group when he did a live broadcast link to its meeting in San Antonio.
This may have been because his remarks this year were pre-taped as opposed to being broadcast from the White House live, as they have been in previous years.
Still, the lukewarm response may also reflect a cooling of conservative evangelicals toward the Republican Party.
White evangelical Protestants did more than any other group to put Bush into the White House and there is a feeling among some that he did not pursue their anti-abortion and gay rights agenda with the vigor they had hoped for.
They are also cool towards presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Several interviewed by Reuters saw him as the lesser of two liberals in the November White House matchup with his Democratic rival Barack Obama.
Bush spoke the language of American evangelicals in his speech, praising them for defending “the sanctity of life” — which is code in such circles for opposing abortion rights.
If remarks like that don’t get this crowd riled up then McCain really has his work cut out for him.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (Bush in Slovenia June 10)
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Wow, who’d have thought one of the most bigoted and oppressive presidents in history, both in terms of legislature passed or vetoed and in personal remarks and speeches, isn’t bigoted enough for some people.
Well, Falwell’s down for the count so maybe if the rest of the so called “Moral Majority” type media whores start dying off morons like this won’t be able to steal elections so easily anymore.
- Posted by Lord Padriac