Moments after Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) condemned his Congressional challenger Ed Martin (R-MO) for remarks Martin made about Carnahan’s faith, Martin said in a statement to TPM that he stands by the comments.
As we reported, Martin said on the “Dr. Gina show” that the growth of government endangers freedom to worship and, “[T]hat’s one of the things that we have to be very, very aware of that the Obama Administration and Congressman Carnahan are doing to us.” In his statement tonight Martin defends himself, saying the Obama administration already has “abolished” many freedoms.
“This election is an intersection election and I am deeply concerned that, left unabated, the current trends against freedom will force religion from the public square,” Marin said.
“We have already seen our freedom of health care abolished and with that an encroachment on religious freedoms; for example Obamacare will make hospitals, even Catholic hospitals, provide taxpayer funded abortions,” he said. “This goes against the Catholic religious belief.”
(More context on that claim here.)
Martin said Obama and the “Pelosi-Carnahan Congress” have performed a “rapid and thorough encroachment on our liberties” with health care reform, government spending and more. He cited the “Chrysler bailout, Wall Street bailout, gutting welfare reform and growing the number of people on welfare etc.,” and said government involvement in these issues is “changing America and not for the better.”
“America is great because it is a free place with free space where people can choose to be whatever they want,” Martin said. “It is especially great because Americans have the freedom to choose to worship God or not worship any god. So the very thought of anymore of our liberties being encroached on is a growing concern.”
