We’ve become accustomed to Republicans using scare tactics such as claims that Democrats will take away your guns. Sometimes, such as in a GOP mailer in West Virginia in 2004 attacking John Kerry, they have claimed Democrats will take away your bibles. Now we have a new twist. Ed Martin, a Republican Congressional candidate in Missouri warns that Obama and his Democratic opponent Russ Carnahan will take away your freedom to find god and get your salvation. Here is a portion of an interview:
MARTIN: One thing I like to say is: America is great, not because of our genetics. We’re great because we created a place and space where people can be free. And they can choose Christ, they can choose to be faithful. They can worship, and they find their way to the Lord. And — or some of them don’t. We sure want them all to, but some of them don’t.
And part of that freedom — when you take a government and you impose, and take away all your choices. One of the choices you take away is to find the Lord. And find your savior.
And that’s one of the things that’s most destructive about the growth of government. It’s this taking away that freedom. The freedom — the ultimate freedom, to find your salvation, to get your salvation. And to find Christ, for me and you.
And I think that’s one of the things that we have to be very, very aware of that the Obama Administration and Congressman Carnahan are doing to us.
In the past Martin has accused Carnahan’s sister, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, of being “the devil.”
Russ Carnahan has responded:
It is shameful that Ed Martin would use faith to divide rather than unite. This is a baseless attack on my faith and my family.
My own Christian faith has guided me throughout my life. My wife and I have raised our family with the strong values faith has taught me including service to the community, standing up for civil rights and working to protect religious freedom for all faiths.
Ed Martin’s campaign of personal destruction and fear mongering reveals much more about his true character than anything else. This attack demonstrates his willingness to say or do anything to score political points. Ed Martin has crossed the line and this new low is exactly the kind of campaigning that turns voters off from the importance of public service.
