Perhaps it’s too late in the election cycle, but here’s what is, hands down, the best overall conservative voter guide in the county — bar none. And no, it’s not the San Diego Tax Fighters guide. What makes this such a great overview is that it includes the recommendations of quite a number of groups, including opponents such as the San Diego County Democratic Party.
For years this service was provided by the Christian Coalition. Now it’s offered by www.FamilyVoterInfo.org. The driving force behind this effort is Don Smith, a dedicated fellow who, each election cycle, almost single-handedly puts together this compendium of recommendations.
As I understand it, this flyer is distributed by the tens of thousands via regional churches. It’s available online in both English and Spanish.
And yes, San Diego Tax Fighters is proud to be one of the organizations included.
http://www.familyvoterinfo.org/uploads/12p_VG_Web_Eng.pdf
Comments 18
“this flyer is distributed by the 10’s of thousands via regional churches.”
Any legal scholar want to way in on the legality of this?
“Congress shall make no Law respecting an Establishment of Religion, or RESTRICTING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF, or ABRIDGING the FREEDOM
of SPEECH….”
There you have it: Free Speech by Religious People fully LEGAL in the USA since Dec. 15, 1791 when the Bill of Rights took legal effect. That is 220 years and counting.
Every American is a Legal Scholar when it comes to the 1st Amendment.
Jim,
I wasn’t even referring to religious freedom. I was more concerned with political activity by a tax-exempt charitable organization.
Author
I don’t think the dissemination in and by churches of organizations’ positions on candidates and issues — including organizations one supposedly is not sympathetic with — in any way infringes on the 1st Amendment concerning religion.
Perhaps some legal scholar thinks otherwise, but since this has been openly going on in San Diego churches since the early 1990s or so, I must assume that Alger’s folks have not been able to muster sufficient legal challenge to this action.
If you want to see churches abusing their favored position concerning politics, go to some black churches the Sunday before an election. Yes, I said “black” churches. Especially if Eric Holder, Barack Obama, or Jeremiah Wright are in the building.
One thing’s for sure, they won’t be distributing the GOP voter endorsements!
I’m no legal scholar, but I’m pretty well versed in the subject. As Richard notes, the content of the material includes information, not advocacy. A church has every right to disseminate information about candidates without threatening their tax exempt status. This material in particular includes candidates of all parties, with some of their endorsements and links to their websites. If a church-goer happens to be be more inclined to support a candidate endorsed by one organization instead of another, that is their business.
The local history goes back to the 1988-1992 era, when the California Pro-Life Council began distributing endorsements on car windshields in church parking lots. (See the Supreme Court case, Pruneyard Shopping Center vs. Robins, for a primer on advocacy on private property, especially when the public is openly invited to the property; this was an important First Amendment ruling.)
In 1992, Christian Coalition also started distributing voter guides at churches, which at one time showed the results of candidate questionnaires.
Don Smith is much better equipped to speak to the advent of the current Family Voter Info guide. Perhaps he will weigh in.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, as a famous example, has EVERY RIGHT to advocate for his beliefs directly from the pulpit. Many patriots risked their lives to protect that freedom, and that includes protections from economic punishments by government.
“Rev. Jesse Jackson, as a famous example, has EVERY RIGHT to advocate for his beliefs directly from the pulpit.”
He sure does. Maybe we should just follow the First Amendment and keep Congress (and anyone) from making NO laws which abridge the freedom of speech.
Cut the socialist heart off of welfare and “no socialist, no problem.” I think Joe Stalin said something like that. Those like Alger are doomed to extinction by their own fancies.
Richard Rider,
That’s pretty small to defriend me because I voted for Fletcher! Wow! You obviously are not a Christian…you couldn’t be and vote for an openly gay mayoral candidate. Gay republican? Right!!!! LOL LOL!! Good luck with your future endevours. If you don’t stand for morality and our God given values, then you’ll stand for anything and deserve what you get!! You sir are a sell out and I don’t care what the reason is because it would not wash. Love the sinner, hate the sin! Don’t patronize it!!!!
Author
Kevin, your homophobic myopia has no place on my Facebook page. Your bigotry is obvious, even though you tried to hide it in your Facebook post that got you banned (which I left up for readers to see).
It’s intolerant folks such as yourself who serve so well as the poster child for the Democrats’ stereotyping the Republicans as religious nut-balls. The harm you do to the GOP and fiscal sanity is incalculable.
Our Rostra colleague Bob Siegel points out that Christians
sometimes do more harm than good with uncharitable remarks.
Bob’s thoroughly entertaining and pro-Christian radio show
is heard on KCBQ am-1170, Sundays at 6:00 pm and Saturdays
at 11:00 pm.
Richard,
We all get what we deserve in the end. You obviously have a hidden agenda. Our society is deteriorating and people like you are the reason why. As I said, you can’t be a Christian with your viewpoints! You sir need to pray but you obviously discount God and his teachings! If we would all follow his teachings, whether you know He’s there or not, this world would be a far better place. If you argue with that then you need more help than you could ever get from a shrink! I’ll pray for you Richard!
Richard,
You are a sell-out pure and simple…
“You are a sell-out pure and simple”
That is quite laughable. I’ve watched Richard for years and never seen him betray his principles. He may not share your principles Kevin but, without a doubt, Richard is faithful to his and that’s why I admire him as much as I do.
Richard,
Do you smell a Moby?
Author
So, Kevin, if I’m a Jew, I’m an evil person? Or perhaps if I’m a Catholic?
How about a Episcopalian? They okay with you — homosexual priests and all?
What about Buddhists? Hindu? Muslims? Agnostics?
Are all the members of these religions “sell-outs”, and have “hidden agendas”?
Fortunately you don’t control the door into the GOP (much as you’d like to).
Kevin, kindly go pray your intolerant, hate-filled ass off. God help you.
As I said, you are an embarrassment to the conservative movement. But the liberals LOVE you for it.
I personally don’t think religious leaders should tell people to vote because those people will vote for the candidate not because of the issues(mitt romney is evil by the way if you want proof read the latest rolling stone)but because they are being told by him/her and I don’t think they should take that kind of political power because it is suceptible to corruption I know if I was a candidate and I wanted to win I would spend a lot of money to get christian voter material to tell them to vote for me and I believe this is already taking place considering the very man who has taken away an as yet unknown number of american jobs at times over ten thousand with a single hostile takeover of which there were many during his many years running bain capital the same man who spent his career destroying profitable companies employing good american citisens who now is perpetuating a more”creative” destuctive approach to our country is being endorsed not only over legitimate websites but also on anti semetic anti homsexual as well as openly racist websites I don’t know if all of those endorsements were purchased but I believe some of them were I’m only pointing this out in order to inform you all of some important issues relating to the election in order to help you make an informed decision for the proper reasons,please listen to the issues surrounding any election and do your own independant research it does not matter who the person is do not vote for a candidate because someone else told you to or merely based upon political party,thank you for listening
Use run on sentences much, there? – ADMIN
Jimmer provides a textbook example of muddled thinking. Yet to his credit, he manages to do it in only a single sentence!
He doesn’t want religious folks to receive guidelines from religious organizations. But the helpful church handout discussed above does NOT advocate — it simply lists which groups support or oppose candidates and props. It lists groups from BOTH sides, leaving the voter decision to the readers.
Meanwhile Jimmer gets his religious instruction and voter insight in ROLLING STONE — and implores us to use his “bible” for guidance. Whatever.
But to his point. He wants us all to do all our own individual research — to ignore who is advocating or opposing props and candidates.
That’s silly for two reasons:
1. Advocates and opponents tell us much about what a prop or candidate will do if “elected.” I presume that Jimmer also wants us to ignore who is CONTRIBUTING to which side — or sponsoring expensive IE campaigns. Really, Jimmer??
2. One’s vote is important in the abstract, but will not effect the outcome of a SINGLE meaningful election in one’s lifetime. Not ONE!
People have better things to do than read entire propositions. Rest assured, Jimmer does not — no one does. He does what the rest of us do — he looks at who is supporting which side, and likes what the side he agrees with has to say. Nothing wrong with that.
Hence the most efficient way to make voter decisions is to look at who supports which side. THEY have done the research for us — each way.
I WANT to know who or what the labor unions are supporting — so I can vote for the other side. Similarly others such as Jimmer might want to vote FOR such union-endorsed options. We ALL can find this same information helpful in casting our ballots. Either way, such endorsements or opposition are terrific shortcuts for deciding how to cast one’s insignificant vote in an intelligent manner.