Boy Scouts Impact on 2002 Elections Being Ignored by Mainstream Press

Christian Broadcasting Network ^ | 11-7-2002

[Brookhaven]

...

And here in Georgia, for example, I’ll just give you one issue that became prominent in this campaign, Max Cleland had voted against the right of the Boy Scouts to meet in public schools. This is a state, most people don't know this, that has one of the largest Boy Scout councils in the country — over 80,000 Scouts in the metro Atlanta council alone. That’s 160,000 parents, and most are registered to vote. And Max Cleland voting against the Boy Scouts, along with Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, and by the way against Zell Miller, our other senator, really hurt him. I don't think it was any one issue. I think it was a collection of all of these. ...

[Brookhaven]

This is an excerpt of an interview of Ralph Reed. It was the only example I could find that explained the impact the Democratic war on the Boy Scouts had on this election. The press in general seems to be ignoring this.

I don't know how many members the Boy Scouts have, but it must be in the millions. Multiply that by the number of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles they have and you have a huge group of votes. They're not all conservative Republicans.

A lot of parents with troubled kids enroll their kids in the Boy Scouts bacause they hope the scouts will be a positive influence on them (and help them develop new friends that will be a positive influence.) Plenty of single moms put their sons in scouts just for the positive male role model they think the scoutmasters will provide their sons. Plus, you have plenty of parents who were scouts and want that same experience for their kids.

You know the Democrats actions against the scouts was discussed by the parents of every scout troop. Do you think that affected their decision on how to vote?

I know in GA, there were three main issues that sunk Cleland. His support of partial birth abortion, his vote against the homeland securtiy bill, and his vote against the Boy Scouts. If you read the press analysis, you would think it was all about homeland security. The Boy Scouts had no impact at all as far as the press is concerned.

[Seeking the truth]

The BSA has 5,000,000 scouts, FYI.

[Drango]

The BSA has 5,000,000 scouts, FYI.

Sweet! Now if we could get all of them and their parents mobilized for '04 elections...

[gbunch]

This needs to be brought up as an issue in our Louisiana senatorial runoff. Liberal Landrieu voted against the Boy Scouts along with Cleland, and will hopefully suffer the same fate as he.

[Brookhaven]

If anyone can point me to a news story that discusses how the boy scout issues affected the election I would love to see it. My point is it is the 2002 election's "elephant in the room" issue. Everyone knows it is there, but everyone is ignoring it.

[Drango]

I wonder how Nancy Pelosi voted? Nahhh....I know.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Its a convenient coincidence, and if you think that all those critical moderate voters went GOP over abortion, school prayer and the boy scouts, you're mistaken.

They were interested in national security and size and scope of government issues.

[Brookhaven]

5 million scouts. 10 million parents. 20 million grandparents. 30 million potential voters there alone. Even if you cut that number by 20% to account for single parents and deceased grandparents, you are still looking at 23 million potential voters. And that doesn't take into account aunts, uncles, or cousins (which easily puts you back over the 30 million mark.)

That is too large a group to get on the wrong side of in politics.

[KellyAdmirer]

Jesse Helms was the major playing making this into an issue, a nice political legacy for him. He always did understand how to make the liberals pay for their unpopular views. Sweet.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[muawiyah]

The Liberal Democrats seem to love to chase away voters. I suppose they must think those folks will just stay home at the next election instead of voting with the Republicans~!

[duvausa]

A few days after the election there was a panel of Democrats, including Stan Greenberg (pollster) on CSPAN discussing why the demos lost—someone tried to bring up this very topic about Georgia and was brushed off immediately. They didn’t want to deal with it. They were preoccupied with complaining that the pubbies were “cross-dressing” by stealing demo issues.

[Drango]

here is an excert from (barf)
http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/bsa6.htm

BILL TO CUT SCOUTS' CONGRESSIONAL CHARTER INTRODUCED; PRESSURE BUILDS ON CLINTON TO RESIGN BSA POST

Web Posted: July 22, 2000

ouse lawmakers have introduced legislation that would authorize Congress to repeal its 84-year old honorary charter for the Boy Scouts of America because of the BSA's discriminatory policies. The measure, H.R. 4892, was introduced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif), and cited the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision which declared that the Scouting organization was an "expressive association" and could discriminate on the basis of sexuality when hiring troop leaders.

   "We're not saying they're bad," Woolsey declared. "We're saying intolerance is bad, and I don't see any reason why the federal government should be supporting it."

   The Scouts require that all members be "morally straights" and swear an oath of belief in a deity. Gays and atheists have protested the discriminatory policies of the BSA for years; the June 28 court decision in BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA v. DALE, however, establishes strong legal grounds that the BSA is not subject to civil rights and anti-discrimination statutes. Since the ruling, pressure has mounted for state and local governments to sever their ties with the BSA, and for President Clinton to resign his post as honorary chairman of the Scouting organization.

   The Congressional Charter was presented to the Boy Scouts of America in 1916, six years after its founding. Approximately 90 other groups also have Charters, which are given in recognition of patriotic, charitable and educational work. The status does not include any public funding, but Rep. Woolsey said that it "gives the impression that an organization has a congressional seal of approval."

   Woolsey is a former member of the Girl Scouts, and her son is a former Boy Scout. Her district constituency includes Steven Cozza, a 15-year-old Eagle Scout from Petaluma, California who founded the group "Scouting For All" which advocates the elimination of BSA discrimination.

   On July 13, Woolsey and other Members of Congress sent a letter to President Clinton urging him to resign as honorary head of the Boy Scouts of America.

   "In order to disavow this policy of intolerance, as well as clarify any misconception of Presidential approval," the letter stated, "we urge you, the leader of our nation, to resign as the honorary head of the BSA."

   In addition to Ms. Woolsey, Representatives Bob Filner (D-Calif.) Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), George Miller (D-Calif.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), John Oliver (D-Mass.), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.) signed the letter.

[Brookhaven]

critical moderate voters went GOP over abortion, school prayer and the boy scouts, you're mistaken.

School prayer was not an issue in this campaign (and I didn't say it was.)

Abortion, in general, was not an issue in this campaign. Partial Birth Abortion was an issue. Georgia is a moderatly pro-choice state. It is not an extreme pro-choice state. Cleland's support of partial birth abortion opened people's eyes and made them ask "if he's that far to the left that he supports partial birth abortion, is he really the 'Georgia Democrat' he portrays himself to be?"

You have to understand GA politics to realize that there is a big difference between being a "Georgia Democrat" and a Washington or Northern Democrat. A Georgia Democrat (Zell Miller types) wouldn't have any problems getting elected in most parts of the state. A Nothern Democrat couldn't get elected dog catcher in most of the state.

The boy scout issue worked the same way against Cleland as the partial birth abortion issue did. It made people question if he was a true Georgia Democrat or had become a Washington Democrat.

Moderate is also a subjective term. A moderate in GA would be considered a conservative in many states. Those types of issues are swing issues for moderates in GA. I'm not underplaying the role security played, but it wasn't the only issue to impact the election.

[DWPittelli]

I believe it.

I wouldn't have thought this was a big issue for many people until 1988, when I met some Massachusetts parents who otherwise would have voted for Dukakis for President, but were upset with his stance on Boy Scout funding or use of public spaces, which was related to some social issue (I think it was gay scouts even then, in which case it was an issue in Massachusetts way before the 2000 New Jersey case).

I personally had preferred some other camp experiences to the Boy Scouts, so the issue's significance had escaped me up to then. But I learned that for someone invested emotionally in the worth of a particular organization, a politician who attacks the organizaton is dead meat.

[mlmr]

Not all scouts or their parents agree with Scout headquarters. We decided against placing our son in boy scouts since the local troop leader told me that he ignores the issues about homosexuality and scouting and that his troop is open and inclusive to all.

[mlmr]

Instead my son joined Royal Rangers and we are very happy with the choice.

[Agamemnon]

Just looked at your Freeper bio page and wondered why any of us would care what you think.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Bursting bubbles before GOP politicians start hearing the siren song from those of you who mistakenly believe there is a mandate to do all those things that will piss away a majority.

In other words, I'm trying to keep y'all from giving everything to the Democrats.