What Do You Get When You Mix Religion, Two Women And A Senate Election?
Well, its not as juicy as "Sex, Lies and Videotape" but two women running for a North Carolina seat have employed their gender, accusations of lying and lots of videotape during their election campaigns. At the heat of their cat fight? Christianity.
Republican U.S. Sen.
Elizabeth Dole, North Carolina's representative for the past six years, is apparently taking the final days of her campaign up a notch. Known for her strong faith and speaking often of prayer, a recent ad released by the Senator questions the faith of her opponent,
Democrat Kay Hagen.
The two women are locked in one of the closest races the Senate has seen.
According to an
Associated Press report:
Dole's 30-second advertisement shows clips of some members of an atheist advocacy group — the Godless Americans Political Action Committee — talking about some of their goals, such as taking "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance and removing "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency. It goes on to question why Hagan went to a fundraiser at the home of a man who serves as an adviser to the group.
A move that has brought negative comments from fellow Republican political figures, one who calls it "risky" and "getting on thin ice." Hagan's campaign goes on to say "Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras. Took Godless money. What did Hagan promise in return?"
The ad ends with a woman in the background of Hagan saying "There is no God!"
Kay Hagan, a Presbyterian church member, elder and Sunday school teacher, has filed a defamation and libel lawsuit against Dole, claiming the advertisement is causing injury to her name and reputation. Hagan also released
a retaliatory ad of her own, alluding to Dole herself not being a very good Christian by violating the Ninth Commandment. In Hagan's own words:
"Elizabeth Dole's attacks on my Christian faith are offensive," Hagan says in the ad. "She even faked my voice in her TV ad to make you think I don't believe in God. Well, I believe in God. I taught Sunday School. My faith guides my life, and Sen. Dole knows it."
Dole's campaign made the statement that it has no intent to remove the ad, calling all claims factual and the lawsuit, a "silly political gimmick." Some of North Carolina's media are comparing the ad to a racially inflammatory ad from the 90s campaign involving Harvey Gantt, the black challenger to
former Senator Jesse Helms. The last-minute ad campaign revealed a pair of white hands destroying a "rejection notice" from an assumed job position that was offered to a less-qualified minority candidate. The reportedly racist and bigoted Senator from North Carolina died earlier this year.
Despite Dole's popularity and "sure thing" status, Hagan's strength in the campaign has surprised many. That strength is said to come from the Obama excitement sweeping the nation.
Is Dole's effort to smear Hagan's faith, twisting her dedication to the
LORD by showing an advertisement that would lead people to believe she wasn't a follower, a true claim of defamation and libel? Or is this just another case of bad campaign tactics employed to attempt to lift one's own standings by hurting others?
The legal case will be interesting to follow but the election, well, it will reveal the truth.
