Interesting comments recently by
Del. Lionell Spruill (D-Chesapeake) - also a Democratic National Committee member and Democratic "superdelegate" - saying that he will not support
4th Congressional District Democratic nominee Dr. Wynne LeGrow (running against Rep. Randy Forbes) because he's an atheist. The radio show is the "Hampton Roads Crier," and note that this transcript may be a bit rough, in part because I find it difficult to understand Del. Spruill at times. Also, there are a lot of asides and repetitions, therefore numerous ellipses. If you want, you can
download the file and listen for yourself - enjoy!
Spruill: ...Last couple of minutes is the 4th CD race, Randy Forbes is running...and I got a call from a constituent about, will I come out and support [Wynne] LeGrow...I say to you sir, that in the House of Delegates I got in trouble, I said "I love Jesus," and this man is an atheist. Now, I'm not going to hell behind politics, I'll tell you right now. I love Jesus, Randy Forbes loves Jesus, and I asked the man himself; he is an atheist and I will not take him to any Christian church...
Interviewer: I've read that he is an atheist...it's been in the news...Let me ask you this, LeGrow is a Democrat, Randy Forbes is a Republican...Are you endorsing Forbes or are you not endorsing LeGrow?...You need to make that clear because you're a top Democrat, and Forbes is a Republican.
Spruill: That's fine, but the key is this right here. I'm not going to hell on that subject, of Democrats saying 'the man is a Democrat, Spruill, he's an atheist, you've got to [unintelligible, but I think something to do with supporting LeGrow] ...I'm not gonna do it, I'm not going to hell behind no Democrat. And no, I'm not endorsing Randy Forbes, but I'm not also endorsing Mr. LeGrow, people go out and vote your own conscience...I love Jesus and I'll never change that and Mr. Forbes loves Jesus. Now people telling me that all he gotta do is say "Obama." I say if both of them are going to church and one say Obama and one says Jesus...
Interviewer: ...You as being more or less the top of the Democratic Party in Chesapeake...that makes you high in the fourth Congressional District committee...now, will you say this morning that you will not endorse a Democrat just because they are a Democrat?
Spruill: I will not endorse a Democrat just because they're a Democrat...
Interviewer: ...You don't have anything personal or political against LeGrow?
Spruill: He's a nice man as far as I know...and I wish him all the world...but my life...have always been the church...I think it's wrong - I know that the Lord has been good to me - it's wrong for me to take a person to your church and ask him to get up and speak...
Interviewer: But is it wrong for Wynne LeGrow to be an atheist?
Spruill: I don't know anything about that, it's up to him...
Interviewer: You've given him the respect to choose his...I don't know whether atheist is a religion or not...what he want to be is up to him?
Spruill: It's up to him...others who are Jews people who are Muslims, I have taken them to church, but they believe in a higher being. You know, we say Jesus some say Allah some say whatever you want to call it. But when you get there, how can you justify taking him to church and you let him speak on the pulpit and that man's an atheist that doesn't believe in God, that's all I'm saying...
P.S. Lionell Spruill is the same person who said that he
doesn't "care too much about" the prayers of different religions ("especially those of the Muslim faith"), so I guess this is not surprising. Still, it's disappointing to see Spruill's bigotry against people of other faiths - or no faith at all - being tolerated by the DNC and any other Democratic organization. That needs to stop, immediately.
