Ollie North’s win of GOP Senate nod in Va., election of former Reagan appointee Tom Pauken as Texas GOP chairman, and Minnesota GOP revolt against incumbent Gov. Arne Carlson (for pro-abortion and pro-gay-rights stance) causing media blitzkrieg about GOP “takeover” by Religious Right. Christian-bashing led by Reagan-loather Howell Raines, who runs N.Y. Times editorial page; TV commentator and Newseeek editor Evan Thomas; and Wall Street Journal columnist Al Hunt. Anti-Defamation League also issued attack on political Christians as “extremist” spreaders of “fear” and “hatred.” And National Democratic Chairman David Wilhelm wants to make control of GOP by “radical Christian conservatives” a prime issue in November…. Conservative counterattack furious and effective. GOP House Whip Newt Gingrich on Evans & Novak TV show defended Christian activists as enlightened and politically practical. Washington Times reprinted lengthy memo by William Kristol debunking ADL charges and calling “fervent” (as used by media about Christians) a bigoted codeword like “aggressive” about Jews…. Pat Buchanan and Cal Thomas thundered out heavy broadsides. Buchanan quoted Christian Coalition’s Ralph Reed saying ADL document full of “errors, half-truths, and outright lies” about group’s founder, Pat Robertson… William Murchison in Wall Street Journal pilloried attempts to distort Texas GOP convention, saying it was not religious as much as “an authentic, unstaged uprising of the people.”… Signs that counterattack may be working: halfway fair CNN report by Deborah Potter gave the articulate Reed chance to make his case. And Washington Post story by Dan Baltz was straight-up reporting that gave Christian activists full hearing. Meanwhile, Congress in overwhelming vote warned federal EEOC to rewrite guidelines that chilled religious expression in workplace…. Some GOP insiders de-lighted at anti-Christian tack, noting that similar Dem tactics in ’93 Virginia Gov’s race angered voters and helped GOP ticket. Public concern over morality decline and Clinton appointees like Surgeon General Joyce-lyn Elders (who wants lesbians in the Girl Scouts) means media are doing GOP favor by pointing to ’92 Houston convention, which warned of threats to family religious values…. Survey at Texas GOP convention showed overwhelming choice for President was Book of Virtues’ William Bennett…. Sen. John Warner (R., Va.) not getting the message. After appearance with Marshall Coleman, running as independent against North, Warner’s break with state party all but complete.
Other scenes from D.C.’s surrealistic summer: A pariah only a few months ago, accused sexual harasser Sen. Bob Packwood (R., Ore.) was welcomed to White House for health-care chat by accused sexual harasser Bill Clinton. Then Jimmy Carter showed up in North Korea grinning at gangsterstatesman Kim II Sung. Followed by U.S. Navy dunning White House aides for taking towels from aircraft carrier, and Bill switching to longer jogging shorts to hide what media call “pasty white thighs.”… Dems sinking further in Whitewater morass. For restricting July congressional probe, they were accused of “partisan coverup” by N.Y Times editorial (Raines’s day off?)…. But nightly news at ABC, NBC, and CBS, which couldn’t do enough on Watergate and Iran-Contra, ran no segment about Senate’s party-line vote to thwart full probe…. House postal scandal, which led to Rostenkowski indictment, also subject of cover-up charges. Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R., Wash.) is pressing for public probe, citing secret transcripts that show Dems pressured Hill police not to ask questions.
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