Democrats Urge Supporters To Wear Heitkamp Campaign Buttons To Church
Earlier this week I wrote a post, and Democrat state Senator Tim Mathern wrote a guest post, concerning controversy over a Catholic Bishop here in North Dakota having read a letter urging parishioners not to vote for a candidate who supports abortion, among other things.
Today the North Dakota Democrat Party sent out an email (see below) to supporters citing the controversy as evidence of the “lines between church and state” being trampled on.
That’s a pretty strange look on the issue. The 1st amendment isn’t intended to protect the government from churches. The 1st amendment is intended to protect churches from the government. There is a government prohibition on churches and other non-profit entities from endorsing or opposing any political party or candidate, but the Bishop’s letter does neither. The letter merely indicates that Catholics shouldn’t support candidates who promote policy not in keeping with the tenets of their faith.
There’s no “separation of church and faith” here. This is a religious leader engaging in a bit of free speech. But, as has become far too common among North Dakota Democrats this cycle, they take a decidedly anti-speech position.
Whether we’re talking about political contributions or a law prohibiting political conversations on election day or a religious leader speaking out about politics, North Dakota Democrats have proven that they aren’t on the side of free political expression.
Here’s the email:
