European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 08, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday August 8, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 17 Media i glory be the new York times and lbs news defines of the news that is fit to print and broadcast decided to boldly go where few journalists have gone be fore " into the Valley of cultural outcasts where religious believers . Conserva Tive christians hang out. These Media gods have delivered to the nation a poll that reaches the mos amazing conclusions. It turns out to what i m1 sure must have been the astonishment of the new York times and lbs but not to most people who do other things on sunday mornings in Addi Tion to or instead of Reading the times and watch ing lbs that the Christian right which has been look honestly at religious right Cal Thomas the focus of an intense debate in the re publican party is a far More diverse group in terms of geography politics and even religious doctrine than is generally suggested by either its critics or its most vocal proponents that lbs and the new York times have been among those doing the general suggesting goes a admitted in a news Story on the poll. But they do admit to a caricature of christians As Republican southerners who follow a Mono lithic religious  they Are As Likely to be democrats As republicans the poll says. And while they Are disproportionately from the South conservative christians live in All parts of the country that ought to cause great concern among people who thought they had these Folk Iso lated. Why employees of the times or lbs might be living closer to one or More of these people than they think. _ there s More. The poll suggests that the debate Over the appropriate role of religion in politics cannot be painted in the sort of Black and White terms offered by either  including one might add the Media gods who have deliberately closed their eyes to this subject for years preferring to stereotype caricature Ridi Cule and portray in Black and White such people and their deeply held beliefs. Wbssss"1" hav Evou nonce How the religious right it gets better or worse depending on your perspective. The poll found the educational Back grounds of these people Are roughly the. Same As All  this after years of portraying conservative christians As Snake handlers Book burners misogynist and racists who did t graduate from real universities and who never read books other than the King James version of the Bible. It is the equivalent of discovering that Blacks Are fully human or that women can succeed working outside As Well As inside the Home. The press continues to flaunt its deliberate ignorance of religion and religious people. Editors would never allow any other group to be portrayed in this manner especially a group so Large. Recall a Washington Post Story that described evangelicals and fundamentalists the press uses these words but few nonreligious reporters can define them As poor uneducated and easy to com  following a flood of phone Calls and letters protesting such a stereotype the Post ombudsman lamely explained that most reporters Don t know any of these  since they Are every where in the country Why can t journalists find them and fairly report on their beliefs when Jimmy Carter burst on the National scene in 1976, he proclaimed him self to have been born  Abc s John Chancellor took to the air and said we be looked up born again and it is nothing  that s right John. The term was t invented by Jimmy Carter though the one who coined it had the same initials. Millions of americans who profess to have been born again laughed or were outraged at such ignorance. For the. Theologically challenged the _ definition is found in the new testament Book of John chapter 3, information about the beliefs of peo ple the times lbs news poll surveyed is not classified. It is available in the Book most newsrooms have but Seldom con sult. How can we report on people whose beliefs we Don t know we read the plat forms of political parties but refuse to read the spiritual platform of believers. This is journalistic ally indefensible. Re porters and commentators have an obligation to understand the terms and beliefs of persons about whom they write they Don t have to believe in the same things to do their Job Well but accuracy and fairness ought to be expected. Eighteen years have passed since Jimmy Carter ran for president. There is no excuse for waiting so Long to do a sur vey like this. Because religion is so inter twined with contemporary politics news rooms ought to conduct an affirmative action program to include people on their staffs who believe As millions of americans do and who can report correctly and fairly on those beliefs in a Way that will inform All of us. _ c los Angeles times California s governor wields plenty of clout California s a big state so Many numbers Are bound to be big but still in this year s first half californians made 332,000 Legal gun purchases a 6 percent increase Over the same period last year a year when California gun sales soared 19 percent. This is one Rea son Why gov. Pete Wilson would be smiling promiscuously were he not parsimonious with smiles. He is not Happy about the anxieties driving gun sales but he Isone of the nation s most seasoned politicians and he knows when issues Are breaking his  issues dominating California s gubernatorial Campaign crime and illegal immigration Are considered by Many voters to be a single Issue the Latte being part of the former. Wilson says California this year will spend $400 million incarcerating illegals who commit crimes not to mention although he is no Loath to mention $400 million on the medical costs of illegals babies and $1.7 billion to educate illegals children and other expenses totalling about 10 percent of California s  a Long lunch in san Diego recently he spoke with what was for him notable animation and Vehe ment conservatism about idiotically lenient Laws his opponent s reticence until recently about crime and her opposition to capital punishment. As a Veteran re publican operative says state treasurer Kathleen Brown has two problems she can do nothing about she s a woman and she s not governor. _ arguably it May be easier to elect women to Legislatures than governorships California s senators Are s women and women Cio Best when compassion rather than crackdown issues predominate. Crimean illegal immigration Are crackdown issues. Further More a stereotype of softness is reinforced when a woman is a Democrat. Wilson seems about As soft As your average  known for veracity swear they have seen Wil son relaxed even playful but mostly his Demeanour re minds one that his first California residence was Cam Pendleton the Marine base. By 1966 he was elected to the state legislature. In 1971 he began 12 years As san Diego s mayor. Elected to the . Senate in 1982 and re elected in 1988, he was Dragoone by republicans into running for governor in 1990. _ three statewide aces in eight years in a state with 13 Media markets including the nation s costliest los Angeles is a ordeal of fund raising that Marks,7 the survivor As Well a  fact was forgotten by people who counted Wilson out when. The recession deepened Here by defense cuts and tax increases reduced his Job approval rating to 15 percent. His resuscitation has Bee helped by a calamity the Seis Mic stimulus of the Northridge earthquake that Shook $9.5 Bil lion out of Congress and Gener ated jobs repairing highways and 21,000 damaged hous ing units. Now he is being helped by a Man mad phenomenon of big numbers. In 1992 Michael Huffington doubled the previous congressional Campaign spending record sinking $5.2million of his inherited Oil Money into winning a seat in the House of representatives. He immediately hit the ground running for the other Wing of the Capitol. He is trying to unseat sen. Dianne Feinstein to which end he had by june. 30 spent $9.5 million All but George f. Will $300,000 of it his Money. The existing record for per Sonal spending by a candidate is the $10.2 million Jay Rockefeller spent winning a Senate seat from West Virginia in 1984. Huffington May spend More than the total spent by both candidates in the most expensive Senate race Ever the $25.9 million 1984 North Carolina race Between Jesse Helms and former gov. Jim Hunt. Huffington s negative onslaught has driven Feinstein s _ favourable unfavourable ratings from 59-28 in january to 47 43 in july. And 30 percent of voters with . Filling their cranium say they Haven t yet seen any Huffington or Feinstein ads. All this helps Wilson by forcing Feinstein to compete with Brown for democratic Money and by add ing to the broadcast clutter that makes it hard for Brown to get her message out. That problem will Worsen when Simp \ son s trial beams in september. If Wilson is still governor in 1996, a place for him on the gop National ticket is possible. Because demo cratic presidential candidates have such troubles carry ing much of the South and West including Texas and Florida 57 electoral ote they can hardly get 270 without California s 54. Yet no democratic ticket Hasener included a californian. Eight of the last 12 Republican tickets have beginning with gov. Earl Warren for vice president in 1948. Not All numbers out Here Are Large. Two weeks ago a Field poll found just 38 percent of californians  to re elect president Clinton. Most of the one More big number 121,000 earthquakes the . Geological Survey has recorded since 1987 in Southern California have been Small but almost All the political tremors from this state Are big enough to shake the nation. C Washington Post