Following up on yesterday’s items, I’ve been curious to see how the religious right might respond to new accounts from [tag]David Kuo[/tag], the deputy director of the White House Faith-Based Office. After all, Kuo saw first hand that the Bush gang held evangelical supporters in contempt — Karl Rove reportedly called them “the nuts” — and simply wanted to exploit religious conservatives for partisan gain.
The far-right GOP base has probably suspected for years that they’re being used, cynically, by Republican elites who don’t genuinely care about the movement’s agenda, and here’s a White House insider coming forward to say all of their fears are absolutely true. How would a group like James Dobson’s Focus on the Family respond? According to an email the group sent to its members this morning, the group refuses to believe its lying eyes.
“The release of this book criticizing the Bush administration’s handling of its faith-based initiative program seems to represent little more than a mix of sour grapes and political timing. David Kuo’s book doesn’t hit shelves until next week, but excerpts released by media outlets paint the picture of a dissatisfied federal employee taking shots at the White House effort to connect faith-based nonprofit groups with legitimate societal needs.
“Big media will no doubt play this story to the hilt in the next several weeks, because it allows them to take aim at two of their favorite targets: President Bush and socially conservative Christians. Sadly, Kuo’s characterization of his former colleagues, bosses and mission — mischaracterizations, really — will be fed to the public as truth.”
I realize it must be difficult for a mark to come to terms with the fact that he’s been conned, but this is pretty silly.
First, Focus questions the timing of the book. The truth is, Kuo started raising concerns about what he saw at the White House Faith-Based Office in February 2005. This isn’t some last-minute, 11th-hour shocker intended to affect the elections.
Second, if Kuo’s book, “[tag]Tempting Faith[/tag],” was written with the midterm campaigns in mind, he wouldn’t aim to help Democrats — Kuo in an evangelical conservative Republican.
Third, [tag]Kuo[/tag] is a “dissatisfied federal employee”? Well, obviously. Kuo went to the White House to work on an initiative he genuinely believed in. Once there, he found charlatans who didn’t care about the religious right, or helping the poor, or the initiative itself. He stuck around, tried to make things work, but finally resigned in frustration. Of course he’s a “dissatisfied federal employee.” Why is that an insult?
The truth is, groups like Focus on the Family should be thanking Kuo. Rove & Co. are all smiles when dealing with Christian conservatives in person, but behind closed doors, the faithful are derided and mocked. It would appear to be useful information for those who’ve been scorned.
Kuo has ripped back the curtain for [tag]Dobson[/tag], but instead of expressing appreciation, Dobson and his allies have asked that the curtain be put back where it was. They prefer the masquerade, thank you very much.