Peroutka's Bully Pulpiteers

For a while now, a certain bully contingent in conservative Christianity has made a practice of hounding Christians who are planning cast votes for Bush for not being "authentically Christian" in their thinking.

According to this gang, Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party is the only acceptable "national" candidate for president. Since Peroutka's supporters (at least on the Internet) have a tendency to be more than a little bombastic and self-righteous, some of those who have been pressured to vote for him have only been given one side of the story.

Recently some allegations have been published about Peroutka (hat tip to Jon Barlow for the link) which raise some disturbing questions about his character--especially since he's being touted as the "Christian candidate." Some of the charges are more well-proven than others, but since Peroutka's supporters are in the habit of quoting every feverish conspiracy rumor about George Bush that finds it's way onto the Internet, one must assume their tacit acceptance of the veracity of such charges.

Among things not widely known by Peroutka's supporters, Peroutka:

• got nailed for a DUI in 1991 (15 years after Bush's)

• transferred parental responsibility for his two teenaged stepdaughters to the state of Maryland's foster care system in the early 1990's, despite the Constitution Party's platform, which says "parents have the fundamental right and responsibility to nurture, educate, and discipline their children"

• has, according to the stepdaughters, cut them off from all contact with their mother

• has a stepdaughter who, in a sworn statement, cited "several occasions when my stepfather would mash my face into the floor, sit on me to restrain me, push me against a wall, and pull my hair while demanding that I call myself a 'slut.'"

• may have engaged in illegal political donations, including donating money to campaigns in his children's names to skirt donation laws

• is an anti-free market protectionist

There are a number of other charges and inconsistencies as well. One may still come to the conclusion that Peroutka is his man. But he should at least have all the information at his disposal when he chooses, and he won't get it from Peroutka's Internet enforcers.