Kerry Campaigns in the Black Church

Senator John Kerry turned to the Bible on Thursday to go after President Bush, warning a black Baptist audience here to "beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing." "For four years, George W. Bush may have talked about compassion, but he's walked right by," Mr. Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, said, comparing Mr. Bush to the passer-by who ignored a desperate man in the New Testament parable of the good Samaritan. "He's seen people in need, but he's crossed over to the other side of the street." In a speech to thousands of cheering, swaying members of the National Baptist Convention, laden equally with Scripture and slogans, Mr. Kerry made a blunt appeal for black votes. American cities, he said, "are being torn apart by forces just as divisive and destructive as Jim Crow." With the Rev. Jesse Jackson at his side, Mr. Kerry lamented "a million African-American votes not counted" in the 2000 election; spoke of dire unemployment, poverty and dropout rates among minorities; and noted that the Supreme Court had upheld affirmative action by just one vote. [more ]