That Confusing Morality Thing

Want to explain the growing black vote for President Bush?

Well, you could attribute it to him actually doing something for blacks, instead of pandering to them. Or you could attribute it to a strong economy, something that stands to benefit lower and middle class blacks. Or, just maybe, there's a correlation between the increasing strength of religion in the black community and Bush's strong stand on morals.

All of these would be good explanations ... unless you're the Lost Angeles Times. For them, the reason's obvious: Bush bought off religious blacks with his faith-based initiative funding. Yep, it's true, because it's right there on page one.

Here's the process: Grossly distort the intent and effect of a policy, then prove you're right by getting the "guilty" party to strongly deny that your gross distortion is true, then insert the word "but," and prove your point with a partisan quote. Check it out:

The White House adamantly denies that the faith initiative is a political tool. But the program has provoked criticism that the GOP is seeking to influence new supporters, especially African Americans, with taxpayer funds. The Rev. Timothy McDonald of Atlanta, a prominent black minister with Democratic ties, dubbed the program an "attempt to identify new leadership in the black community and use the money to prop these people up."

There's no question that the faith initiative — combined with the administration's support for banning gay marriage and promoting school vouchers — has already helped reshape Bush's image among some traditionally Democratic African Americans. And the change in black support on Nov. 2, though only a 2-percentage-point increase nationwide, helped secure Bush's reelection victory. The gains were greater in battleground states.

In the crucial state of Ohio, where the faith-based program was promoted last fall at rallies and ministerial meetings, a rise in black support for Bush created the cushion he needed to win the presidential race without a legal challenge in that state.

Now, Republicans are plotting further gains using the faith program as one major entry point. Bush political strategist Matthew Dowd says that as early as 2006, Republican Senate and House candidates could win a quarter of the African American vote. The long-term goals, he said, are even more ambitious.

Notice how once the false premise is presented, it is expanded? Not only did faith-based funding buy black church votes, it bought the election in Ohio, and it has become the cornerstone for GOP efforts to expand its penetration into black communities.

Scapegoating the faith-based initiative lets the LAT shift the focus from the success of the initiative, and do some undermining in the process. But it's at a cost.

First, the entire article has the obvious subnote that black People of God can be bought and are willing to sell. The offensiveness of this position will surely be heralded from the pulpit in many black churches this Sunday. Worse, it belittles the very good work many congregations have done in their communities with faith-based funding, and paints their ministries as nothing more than icing on a vote-buying effort.

Finally, the article is evidence of liberal MSM's inability to analyze and understand any thought process other than their own and that of their Comrades of the Left. Again, they've missed the significances of the morality vote. By falsely blaming the rising black vote on bribery, they have once again put off any serious effort to understand one of the GOP's key strengths: these people would have voted for Bush with or without faith-based funding because his beliefs, values and morals aligned with theirs.

And beliefs, values and morals will out-vote self interest every time.