Dobson uses churches to get out the evangelical vote

Throwing caution to the wind -- or, to be precise, throwing caution to the IRS' increased scrutiny of nonprofits getting political -- Focus on the Family's James Dobson is coordinating an extensive registration drive using "a variety of methods -- including information inserted in church publications and booths placed outside worship services" in order to mobilize voters for the mid-term elections. The program was announced via e-mail last week.

According to the e-mail, county coordinators are being asked to work about five hours a week and would be responsible for "recruiting key evangelical churches."

The church coordinators, devoting one or two hours per week, would be in charge of "encouraging pastors to speak about Christian citizenship, conducting a voter-registration drive, distributing voter guides and get-out-the-vote efforts."

...The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called the evangelical voter registration drive a "blatant effort by Dobson to build a partisan political machine based in churches."

"He has made it abundantly clear that electing Republicans is an integral part of his agenda, and he doesn't mind risking the tax exemption of churches in the process," Lynn said. "Dobson wants to be a major political boss, and this is his way to get there."

The program's organizers claim to "pay careful attention to the law," by emphasizing voter registration and "discussions of values" and refraining from endorsing any specific candidates or political party, but also admit that their objective is recruiting new conservative voters. And, of course, paying attention to the law doesn't stop them from being mendacious pricks and doing fun things like misrepresenting the positions of women's organizations in a brochure subtitled "Exploiting women in the name of science."

The only way to stop these people is to throw out of the office the cynical base-pandering miscreants who are held in their thrall. Reasonable representation, irrespective of party affiliation, is their kryptonite. Hence, their voter drives.

(Crossposted at AlterNet PEEK.)