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Member Profile

Ken Blackwell

Board Member

Ken Blackwell

Board Member

Biography

J. Kenneth Blackwell grew up in Ohio and received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Xavier University. He first held elected office as a member of Cincinnati’s city council, before being elected as mayor of Cincinnati in 1979. Blackwell worked in the administration of President George H.W. Bush before returning to state politics in Ohio, where he served as State Treasurer and later Secretary of State. After losing to Democrat Ted Strickland in the 2006 Ohio gubernatorial elections, Blackwell ran (unsuccessfully) for Republican National Committee (RNC) chair in 2009. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of RNC’s Platform Committee and as Chair of Citizens for Working America, a Super PAC exclusively focused on electing U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) president of the United States.


All Statements (168 total)

Statements by Category (168 total)

  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Foreign Policy

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  • Race

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  • Voting Rights

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  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Environment

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  • Poverty

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Freedom of Speech

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  • Political Corruption

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  • Environment
    In an op-ed in Town Hall on January 30, 2016, Blackwell announced his opposition to any form of carbon tax in the United States as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Claiming such a tax "would enrich Big Oil at the expense of hardworking American families," Blackwell continued, "[A carbon] tax would be regressive, harming low-income families the most. It would also slow broad economic growth and destroy tens of thousands of jobs, especially in the energy-intensive manufacturing sector."

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  • Poverty
    In an op-ed in Town Hall on January 30, 2016, Blackwell announced his opposition to any form of carbon tax in the United States as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Claiming such a tax "would enrich Big Oil at the expense of hardworking American families," Blackwell continued, "[A carbon] tax would be regressive, harming low-income families the most. It would also slow broad economic growth and destroy tens of thousands of jobs, especially in the energy-intensive manufacturing sector."

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  • Health Care

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  • Race

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  • Women's Rights

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  • Foreign Policy

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  • Vigilantism

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  • Education

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  • LGBT Rights

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  • Religion

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  • Education

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  • Vigilantism

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  • Women's Rights

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  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Religion

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  • Women's Rights

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  • Foreign Policy
    In a Town Hall piece written on August 31, 2015, Blackwell criticizes a peace deal negotiated with Iran by the Obama administration, declaring, “opposition to rapprochement with such a regime is not war-mongering.”

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  • Women's Rights
    In a July 30, 2015 op-ed for TownHall.com, Blackwell criticized President Obama for traveling to East Africa. Blackwell wrote, “He lectured the leaders of Kenya about election violence. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama ignored the burgeoning Planned Parenthood scandal back home in the U.S.A. While deploring violence in Kenya’s elections that took 1,000 lives in 2007, the President has no remedy for the violence of Planned Parenthood—those traffickers in human flesh. Each day in America, this outfit kills 800 unborn children. And now we know they market their hearts, lungs, and livers.” The source of Blackwell’s statistic claiming that Planned Parenthood kills “800 unborn children” per day is unclear, but FactCheck.org confirmed, “Abortions represent [only] 3 percent of total services provided by Planned Parenthood.” Planned Parenthood also claims that their services “help prevent approximately 516,000 unintended pregnancies each year.” Finally, Planned Parenthood notes the following on their website: “In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases … At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does -- with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood.  In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.”

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  • Conspiracy Theory
    In a July 30, 2015 op-ed for TownHall.com, Blackwell criticized President Obama for traveling to East Africa. Blackwell wrote, “He lectured the leaders of Kenya about election violence. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama ignored the burgeoning Planned Parenthood scandal back home in the U.S.A. While deploring violence in Kenya’s elections that took 1,000 lives in 2007, the President has no remedy for the violence of Planned Parenthood—those traffickers in human flesh. Each day in America, this outfit kills 800 unborn children. And now we know they market their hearts, lungs, and livers.” The source of Blackwell’s statistic claiming that Planned Parenthood kills “800 unborn children” per day is unclear, but FactCheck.org confirmed, “Abortions represent [only] 3 percent of total services provided by Planned Parenthood.” Planned Parenthood also claims that their services “help prevent approximately 516,000 unintended pregnancies each year.” Finally, Planned Parenthood notes the following on their website: “In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases … At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does -- with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood.  In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.”

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  • Health Care

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  • LGBT Rights

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  • Religion

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • LGBT Rights

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  • LGBT Rights
    During an interview on “Washington Watch with [Family Research Council president] Tony Perkins” on June 9, 2015, Blackwell stated that you can’t compare the national movement for gay marriage to the civil rights movement because “marriage is a union between one man and one woman” and “no one has a civil right to redefine marriage.” Blackwell added that if the Supreme Court makes a “wrong-headed decision” and embraces gay marriage in an upcoming ruling, he and others would be ready to “take a stand because it is just as pivotal as the Civil War, World War II and our response to 9/11 as a human community.”

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  • LGBT Rights
    In an interview with Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, on the program "Washington Watch" on June 9, 2015, Blackwell declared that Americans must "take a stand” against the legalization of gay marriage “because it is just as pivotal as the Civil War, World War II and our response to 9/11 as a human community.”

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  • Race

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Foreign Policy

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  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)
    In his August 14, 2014 op-ed that appeared on the website TownHall.com, Blackwell talked about former Secretary of State/Senator Hillary Clinton’s 1969 Wellesley College graduation commencement speech, in which she criticized then-Senator Edward M. Brooke’s stance on protest.  In his editorial, Blackwell wrote, “Sen. Brooke, a liberal Republican, was the first black man elected to the Senate since Reconstruction. As such, and in recognition of his own massive personal dignity, Sen. Brooke was given deferential treatment by leaders in both political parties. But not by young Hillary Rodham. She sassed him good.” Burke had spoken at the graduation ceremony immediately before Clinton.  The day after the speech, the Boston Globe praised Clinton on its front page.

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  • Republican Party (GOP)
    In his August 14, 2014 op-ed that appeared on the website TownHall.com, Blackwell talked about former Secretary of State/Senator Hillary Clinton’s 1969 Wellesley College graduation commencement speech, in which she criticized then-Senator Edward M. Brooke’s stance on protest. In his editorial, Blackwell wrote, “Sen. Brooke, a liberal Republican, was the first black man elected to the Senate since Reconstruction. As such, and in recognition of his own massive personal dignity, Sen. Brooke was given deferential treatment by leaders in both political parties. But not by young Hillary Rodham. She sassed him good.” Burke had spoken at the graduation ceremony immediately before Clinton. The day after the speech, the Boston Globe praised Clinton on its front page.

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  • Race

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  • Voting Rights

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  • Foreign Policy
    In a July 21, 2014 op-ed for the Christian Post, Blackwell attacked President Barack Obama’s handling of a negotiation in which American POW Beau Bergdahl was traded for five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Blackwell claimed that Bergdahl quit his post in Afghanistan without being properly relieved and did not do his duty,” and called the swap an unjustified release.” He concluded, With Benghazi, with now this shameful release of dangerous terrorists from Gitmo, Barack Obama has most flagrantly failed to do his duty. It is our duty to note this dereliction.” 

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Republican Party (GOP)
    In a July 21, 2014 op-ed for the Christian Post, Blackwell attacked President Barack Obama’s handling of a negotiation in which American POW Beau Bergdahl was traded for five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Blackwell claimed that Bergdahl quit his post in Afghanistan without being properly relieved and did not do his duty,” and called the swap an unjustified release.” He concluded, With Benghazi, with now this shameful release of dangerous terrorists from Gitmo, Barack Obama has most flagrantly failed to do his duty. It is our duty to note this dereliction.” 

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  • Health Care
    In a July 18, 2014 op-ed for the Christian Post, Blackwell discussed a new bill sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal called the Women’s Health Protection Act,” which sought to limit the power of state legislatures in blocking access to abortions. Blackwell referred to this bill as theKill Them Later and Later Bill and attacked Senator Blumenthal, claiming, He wants no protections at all for mothers or their unborn children.” Blackwell cited a variety of “horror stories” about doctors that perform abortions, claiming that one has been targeting these defenseless human beings for more than a quarter of a century.” Blackwell then argued that Blumenthal’s bill would have an especially damaging effect on minority mothers,” referring to these women as “victims.” Finally, Blackwell made the accusation that Planned Barrenhood (Parenthood) targets minority communities.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

  • Race
    In a July 18, 2014 op-ed for the Christian Post, Blackwell discussed a new bill sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal called the Women’s Health Protection Act,” which sought to limit the power of state legislatures in blocking access to abortions. Blackwell referred to this bill as theKill Them Later and Later Bill and attacked Senator Blumenthal, claiming, He wants no protections at all for mothers or their unborn children.” Blackwell cited a variety of “horror stories” about doctors that perform abortions, claiming that one has been targeting these defenseless human beings for more than a quarter of a century.” Blackwell then argued that Blumenthal’s bill would have an especially damaging effect on minority mothers,” referring to these women as “victims.” Finally, Blackwell made the accusation that Planned Barrenhood (Parenthood) targets minority communities.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

  • Women's Rights
    In a July 18, 2014 op-ed for the Christian Post, Blackwell discussed a new bill sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal called the Women’s Health Protection Act,” which sought to limit the power of state legislatures in blocking access to abortions. Blackwell referred to this bill as theKill Them Later and Later Bill and attacked Senator Blumenthal, claiming, He wants no protections at all for mothers or their unborn children.” Blackwell cited a variety of “horror stories” about doctors that perform abortions, claiming that one has been targeting these defenseless human beings for more than a quarter of a century.” Blackwell then argued that Blumenthal’s bill would have an especially damaging effect on minority mothers,” referring to these women as “victims.” Finally, Blackwell made the accusation that Planned Barrenhood (Parenthood) targets minority communities.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

  • LGBT Rights

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  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Other Statements
    In a May 25, 2014 appearance on MSNBC’s “The Brain Trust,” Blackwell attempted to downplay the role of guns in the May 23, 2014 mass shooting in Isla Vista, California in which three innocent bystanders were shot and killed. Three others were killed with a knife. You know, I wonder if I missed something,” said Blackwell. My understanding is that some of his victims were stabbed to death. Other of his victims were hit by a car that he was driving. And all of a sudden one weapon is, in fact, under attack. And not only is it under attack, people are talking about stepping on the constitutional rights of law-abiding people.” Blackwell then claimed, without providing any citation, that There are more kids that died in swimming pools last year than died at the hands of mass violence committed with guns.” In fact, according to the CDC, more than 32,000 Americans die every year from gun violence compared to approximately 4,200 drownings.

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  • Environment
    In a May 18, 2014 article written by Blackwell for the American Thinker, he discussed President Barack Obama’s response to the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Blackwell accused Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of failing to respond to the crisis, claiming that [he] will busy himself with integrating ‘transgenders’ into his rapidly disintegrating military.  And he will alert all commanders to the inconvenient truths of global warming—even as the globe undoubtedly warms up in a dozen diplomatic hotspots.” 

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  • Foreign Policy
    In a May 18, 2014 article written by Blackwell for the American Thinker, he discussed President Barack Obama’s response to the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Blackwell accused Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of failing to respond to the crisis, claiming that [he] will busy himself with integrating ‘transgenders’ into his rapidly disintegrating military.  And he will alert all commanders to the inconvenient truths of global warming—even as the globe undoubtedly warms up in a dozen diplomatic hotspots.” 

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  • LGBT Rights
    In a May 18, 2014 article written by Blackwell for the American Thinker, he discussed President Barack Obama’s response to the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Blackwell accused Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of failing to respond to the crisis, claiming that [he] will busy himself with integrating ‘transgenders’ into his rapidly disintegrating military.  And he will alert all commanders to the inconvenient truths of global warming—even as the globe undoubtedly warms up in a dozen diplomatic hotspots.” 

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  • LGBT Rights

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  • Religion

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  • Foreign Policy

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  • LGBT Rights

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  • Religion

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  • Health Care

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  • Religion

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  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Religion

    In a February 5, 2014 op-ed for The Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed the Obama Administration is waging a “War on Faith”through “an all-out intimidation campaign to drive the free exercise of faith from everyday life and the marketplace of ideas and into the confines of churches, mosques and synagogues for one day a week.” Blackwell added, “The Washington ruling class understands that the exercise of religion as a living, breathing 24/7 reality—as opposed to once-a-week worship—is perhaps the most significant threat to the expansion of government and its spreading control over our lives. Government's intimidation of competing institutions therefore necessitates an assault on their values as well.” Blackwell makes specific reference to the contraceptive mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which applies to religious and non-religious businesses alike. His editorial was published the day prior to the annual National Prayer Breakfast, an event President Obama has attended and spoke at during each year of his Presidency.

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Women's Rights

    In a February 5, 2014 op-ed for The Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed the Obama Administration is waging a “War on Faith”through “an all-out intimidation campaign to drive the free exercise of faith from everyday life and the marketplace of ideas and into the confines of churches, mosques and synagogues for one day a week.” Blackwell added, “The Washington ruling class understands that the exercise of religion as a living, breathing 24/7 reality—as opposed to once-a-week worship—is perhaps the most significant threat to the expansion of government and its spreading control over our lives. Government's intimidation of competing institutions therefore necessitates an assault on their values as well.” Blackwell makes specific reference to the contraceptive mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which applies to religious and non-religious businesses alike. His editorial was published the day prior to the annual National Prayer Breakfast, an event President Obama has attended and spoke at during each year of his Presidency.

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Other Statements

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  • Poverty

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  • Other Statements

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  • Other Statements

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a January 19, 2013 interview with Breitbart News, Blackwell discussed the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 first-grade students and six adults were killed. Blackwell stated, “A gun is a tool. The challenge we face instead is the culture … More and more people reject the whole notion of right and wrong. It’s becoming fashionable to deny the existence of God, and claim the right to determine for yourself what you will live for and how you will live. Some embrace the worldview that life is ultimately meaningless, so what’s the point? We come from nothing and we become nothing. Others embrace a worldview that all that matters is going for the thrill and whatever feels good.” Blackwell also addressed President Barack Obama’s proposals to combat gun violence, stating, “If we stop this gun control legislation, what kinds of executive orders and regulations will this president come out with to achieve the same result. We can take him to court on all that, but he’s trying to remake the courts as well. We’re only a single vote away from the Supreme Court erasing the Second Amendment … Nobody wants to talk about 2016 yet, but the reality is this is likely a four-year fight over the Second Amendment to our Constitution. Whoever wins the White House in 2016 will likely determine whether the right to keep and bear arms a decade from now is embraced as a constitutional right, or as a government-granted privilege that a president or governor can revoke on a whim.”

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a January 15, 2013 open letter to former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, Blackwell wrote, “I was disappointed with the clear implication in your Meet The Press interveiw [sic] that those of us, in the GOP who defend life, protect traditional marriage and advance religious liberty are intolerent [sic]. The Democratic [National] Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina… came out against marriage. They say they only want to add to the number of happily married couples by allowing men to marry men and women to marry women. But we know that wherever these counterfeit marriages have been recognized, true marriage declines … Just as counterfeit money drives out true money, same sex marriage drives out true marriage. … President Obama has refused to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act and pledges to repeal it. He has openly joined the Marriage Enders. They're not changing marriage. They are ending it. If two men can marry, why not three? If gays and lesbians can marry, what about bi-sexual persons and persons who have sought to change their sex? Why can't they have one spouse of either sex? After slavery, after Jim Crow, after the KKK, it is fair to say that among the worst things visited upon black Americans have been the targeting of our families by abortionists and the effort to end marriage. That is why we are in a crisis. This is what happens when a major party rejects God.” Blackwell was referring to Powell’s January 13, 2013 interview on “Meet the Press,” in which he stated that the Republican party is suffering from a “dark vein of intolerance” and that some in the party seem to “look down on minorities.” Blackwell was also referring to the platform at the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) which originally did not include the word “God.” On September 5, 2012, Los Angeles Mayor and Chairman of the DNC Antonio Villaraigosa made a motion on the floor of the DNC to revise the platform to include the word “God.” Some delegates and journalists on the convention floor claimed that one could not audibly hear two-thirds of the delegates say ‘Aye.’ Villaraigosa nonetheless declared the amendment had been approved.

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  • Freedom of Speech

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  • Health Care

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  • Religion

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  • Women's Rights

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  • Other Statements

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  • Freedom of Speech

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  • Women's Rights

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    On October 12, 2012, the Tea Party Victory Fund, a PAC headed by Blackwell, released a political TV ad in which Blackwell asks, “Have Barack Obama's policies empowered or enslaved Americans?" The ad features an unidentified African-American woman at an Obama rally. She says, “He gave us a phone. Keep Obama in president.” When asked how she received the phone, the woman replied, “You sign up if you are in food stamps, you are in Social Security, you've got low income. Keep Obama in president. He gave us a phone." In a fundraising email, Blackwell wrote, “This commercial is a microcosm of the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans want to create an environment where free people make their own choices and pursue their dreams. President Obama and the Democrats want to create a dependency on government that ensures that Americans rely on Washington from cradle to grave … What this lady said is so offensive because it's so blatant–she finally comes out and says what we all know that the Democrats really think.” Free phones are given to eligible individuals as part of a Federal Communications Commission program called Lifeline that provides low-cost or free phone service so they are “able to connect to jobs, family, and 911 services.”

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an October 8, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “The Obama Mandate will force us to violate our consciences. President Obama famously said he doesn't know when human life begins, but he's willing to force us to collaborate in the destruction of innocent human lives … President Obama doesn't care what you think, so long as you join him in helping to destroy the unborn on demand. And help him by paying for it … We are putting at risk America's unique contribution to the world: religious freedom.” Blackwell was referring to a January 2012 Obama Administration announcement that the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” requires employers to provide health insurance that covers contraception for women free of charge. The rule does not apply to church organizations themselves, but instead to affiliated nonprofit corporations, like hospitals, that do not rely primarily on members of the faith as employees. Additionally, the Act did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a September 21, 2021 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “The Democratic Party has officially committed itself to ending traditional marriage. For what else can happen to marriage when two persons of the same sex can marry and the rest of us are forced to recognize these counterfeits as true? If two, why not three? There is no compelling reason why not … Historian Michael Knox Beran found this nugget in Mr. Obama's second autobiography, The Audacity of Hope: ‘[I] came to appreciate how the earth rotated around the sun and the seasons came and went without any particular exertions on my part.’ What becoming modesty: earth, sun, seasons. Wait! Did he say the earth rotates around the sun? Yes, he did. Where is our ready-to-pounce press corps on this one? I don't know how they taught in fifth grade science in Jakarta, but here in America I learned that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun. This is no small point … President Obama has similarly mixed up the social science on family. His administration has given us ‘Julia.’ She is the Every Woman fictional figure who spends her entire life looking to government for assistance, from Head Start through Social Security. The only man in Julia's life is Barack Obama. Social science unambiguously reports that children thrive with mothers and fathers who are married and who worship regularly. President Obama's administration is not about that at all.” A Department of Health and Human Services report stated that children in nuclear families were “generally healthier, more likely to have access to health care, and less likely to have definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties than children living in nonnuclear families.” The study defines “nuclear family” as one that “consists of one or more children living with two parents who are married to one another and are each biological or adoptive parents to all children in the family.”

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a September 19, 2012 interview with WND Radio, Blackwell spoke about the August 15, 2012 shooting at the Family Research Council (FRC) headquarters in Washington, D.C. According to the criminal complaint, shooter Floyd Lee Corkins II entered the building and encountered the building manager, Leo Johnson. Corkins "stated words to the effect of, 'I don't like your politics,'" a witness told FBI agents. Corkins then pulled a firearm from his backpack and shot Johnson in the arm. Johnson, though injured, wrestled the firearm away from Corkins and subdued him. Blackwell is the Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment at the FRC. In the interview, Blackwell was asked if he knew of any connection between the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the shooter, Floyd Corkins. Blackwell replied, “Well [Corkins] mentioned that he was not attacking Leo [Johnson] personally but he was attacking us because we were a hate group. And the Southern Poverty Law Center has mislabeled the FRC a hate group because of our stance on traditional marriage and our strong defense of the pro-life ethic in this country … We are asking [the SPLC] to cease and desist. Look, religious liberty is the most profound of our human rights. Without religious freedom people exist only as political or economic entities not as free human beings. Religious liberty, in our view, is the first of all human rights for it implies the dignity of the human conscious. So, one’s faith is one’s most profound level of personhood. And so we think not only FRC but all those who believe in American exceptionalism, because we understand that our rights come from God not from the state, should rally behind this call for the Southern Poverty Law Center to cease and desist for mislabeling people as being haters because they stand for biblical truth … Look, President Obama…is determined to transform our family-centered society into a government-centered society … But I think the transformation [President Obama] is most wedded to is that he wants to transform our national philosophy founded upon the primacy of the individual and the supremacy of God to one founded upon the primacy of the collective good and the supremacy of central government. That’s why every day of his presidency he has done whatever it takes to undermine the Constitution and to empower a strong central or federal government which, by definition, has to be predicated on the weakening and destruction of the family and chasing God and faith out of the public square or, at minimum, silencing the church.” The SPLC stated in a September 13, 2012 press release that it does not list FRC as a hate group because of its opposition to gay marriage or its religious beliefs, but, “instead, we list the FRC because it engages in baseless, incendiary name-calling and spreads demonizing lies about the LGBT community. The FRC portrays gay people as sick, evil, perverted, incestuous and a danger to the nation. It insists that gay people are ‘fundamentally incapable’ of providing good homes for children–a myth that has been rejected by all relevant scientific authorities. One of its key leaders has actually said that homosexual behavior should be criminalized. Perhaps the FRC’s most dangerous lie is its claim that pedophilia is a ‘homosexual problem.’"

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a September 13, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “In the dreary years of Depression and drift leading up to World War II, there was always a difference of perception between Britain and France about the Hitler threat. France wanted to strike Hitler when he marched into the Rhineland in 1936. This was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles [which ended World War I and imposed sanctions on Germany] and France felt its very life was threatened by a re-militarized Rhineland on her border. The French premier was invited to London by Prime Minister Baldwin—for talks. Four years later, France fell under the Nazi boot. Britain always had the advantage of distance from Germany. Britain had a 22-mile anti-tank trench called the English Channel. France naturally resented Britain's talking, talking, talking while Hitler moved. This is useful history as we view the situation in Israel today. The Iranian mullahs are motivated by the same anti-Jewish hatred that poisoned Hitler. They are developing a nuclear weapon, while claiming only to want nuclear energy for ‘peaceful purposes’ … [Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton has responded to the latest increase of Mideast tensions with soothing bromides … [President Barack] Obama administration's Iran policy has been all hope and no change. The U.S. has bunker buster bombs that reportedly could destroy Iran's nuclear facilities as they take them deep underground. But would a re-elected Peace Prize winner ever use those bunker busters? Or, would he rely, as he is being daily urged to rely, on deterrence … When we permit [President of Iran, Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad…to visit New York and spew anti-Semitic hatred from the podium of the UN General Assembly, we may think we are showing admirable patience and forbearance; we may think we are demonstrating our liberal values to these dictatorial regimes. But they view this as a sign of our weakness. They are not deterred by weak-willed acquiescence. Hitler was genuinely surprised when Britain and France declared war on him in 1939 following his invasion of Poland. He had met Prime Minister Chamberlain and Premier Daladier at Munich and had taken their measure. He thought they would never carry out their threats. Nothing in the conduct of this administration's policy toward Iran has given the mullahs the slightest indication that President Obama and Sec. Clinton will actually use overwhelming force to stop their nuclear arms race.”

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a September 5, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Blackwell wrote, “The [Democratic] party was clearly embarrassed because its platform [at the Democratic National Convention] failed to mention God and overlooked the party’s historic support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel … So now, the Democratic platform has been changed. Are we satisfied? Does anyone think that a party that has to be arm-wrestled into acknowledging God is sincere? What we saw on the convention floor in Charlotte was the real Democratic Party. It was hostile to religion.” The platform at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) originally did not include the words “God” or “Jerusalem.” On September 5, Los Angeles Mayor and Chairman of the DNC Antonio Villaraigosa made a motion on the floor of the DNC to revise the platform to include the word “God” and affirm Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Such action requires a two-thirds vote by convention delegates. Some delegates and journalists on the convention floor claimed that one could not audibly hear two-thirds of the delegates say “aye.” Villaraigosa nonetheless declared the amendment had been approved. Any delegate who objected to the process could have made a formal challenge within ten minutes of the vote. No formal challenge was made.

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an August 30, 2012 interview with MRCTV, a division of the Media Research Center, Blackwell stated, “President Obama and now the Democratic Party has embraced a national philosophy founded upon the primacy of the collective good and the supremacy of the national government as opposed to our national philosophy held by most Americans founded upon the primacy of the individual and the centrality and the supremacy of God.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibited the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

    Sources [1]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an August 28, 2012 interview with The Hill, Blackwell made references to controversial remarks made by U.S. Representative Todd Akin (R-MO). On August 19, 2012, Akin commented on the issue of pregnancy induced by rape, stating, “It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.” Later, Akin publicly stated that Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan had personally asked him to end his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also announced that even if Akin, who was trailing Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill in two recent polls, managed to pull even with her, "We're not going to send him a penny." Commenting on this imbroglio, Blackwell stated, "I think it was a mistake not to get the leaders in Missouri lined up before [GOP national leadership] went up and looked overly heavy-handed in the way they were pushing [Akin] … I've encouraged people at the Senatorial Committee to wait about five days and do a poll and see if things have stabilized. If things have, they might want to readjust. Senatorial committees can do anything. It is not as if some of the damage they've done can be papered over but they can reverse themselves on it."

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an August 27, 2012 interview with Fox News Radio, Blackwell spoke about Voter ID laws. He stated, “Over the past 40 years, most of case law in elections have been focused on the franchise, making it easier for folks to cast their ballots. In the last four to six years, there’s been a focus on the other voting right and that is the right to be protected against a fraudulent vote cancelling out your legal vote … I do a lot of work with Judicial Watch, and Judicial Watch’s studies show that of the 1.3 million voter registrations gathered by Project Vote and ACORN, over 400,000 of those were fraudulent.” Radio host Bob Davis asked Blackwell why Democrats argue there is no fraud in elections. Blackwell replied, “They try to cast it as a voter suppression effort. Again, the facts will fly in the face of those misdirected concerns … In 2004, Georgia, a Southern state that had a history in terms of slavery and the black codes, etc … They implemented a voter ID law in the state of Georgia, everyone said this was voter suppression, this was geared to suppress the black and Latino vote in particular. Well, in 2008, the Latino vote went up from 18,000 to 19,000 … More importantly, there was an increase in the black vote of 42% … In American culture, in American life, having an ID is nothing that’s burdensome. We have an ID for a driver’s license. If you wanna get a library book, if you wanna receive a medical license … We must understand that what the Democrats and the left, in particular, are doing is using this notion of voter suppression to [drum] up anxiety in their base. They’re trying to convert this legitimate effort to protect the integrity of the ballot box into a way to mobilize their base by mischaracterizing as an attempt to throw us back into Jim Crow era.” Blackwell referred to ACORN, a community activist organization and its affiliate, Project Vote. After the 2008 election, the John McCain (R-AZ) campaign accused the group of perpetrating “massive voter fraud.” Neither ACORN nor its employees have ever been found guilty of—or even charged with—casting fraudulent votes. Several ACORN canvassers have been found guilty of faking registration forms. The evidence shows that the canvassers faked the forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to stuff ballot boxes. A report by the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress, stated that there were no instances of individuals who were allegedly registered to vote improperly by ACORN or its employees and who were reported "attempting to vote at the polls." Blackwell also referred to the effect of a voter ID law on voting in Georgia in the 2008 election. In the 2008 election, more than 50,000 residents were purged from the Georgia voter rolls because of a computer mismatch in their personal identification information. Furthermore, voter ID laws in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida have been challenged in court by the Department of Justice over allegations that they disenfranchise minorities. In July of 2012, the DOJ began investigating Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law to determine whether it discriminates against minorities.

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an August 24, 2012 interview on "Washington Watch Weekly", Blackwell stated, “President [Barack] Obama and his party want to transform our market economy into a government-controlled economy but most importantly, they are dead set on making sure that they transform our national philosophy founded upon the primacy of the individual and the supremacy of God to one founded on the primacy of the collective good and the supremacy of the central government. Our document, the GOP document, is a direct contrast; it provides the American people with a choice, not an echo. That is so important because there are two paths that we can go down: we can reinforce our fundamental belief that when we are God-centered, free men and free women and free markets can accomplish much and overcome most hurdles thrown in our way or do we want to go down the path of being a government-controlled economy, destroying families, replacing it with bureaucrat decision makers that would run afoul of what the founders of this nation envisioned 237 years ago … In our 237th year as being an exceptional nation we are at risk of losing it all. We just can’t afford to have four more years of a President that one, doesn’t understand the nature of our exceptionalism, and two, has a worldview and a set of guiding principles that are in direct contradiction with what has made us an exceptional nation. I’ve always enjoyed the push and pull of the whole process, I think it’s now incumbent upon us to make sure that this is not a document that is put on the shelf and our candidates across the country can just let collect dust and ignore. There is a fault line from the Pacific to the Atlantic and one side are those who believe in big government and who believe that the family and God can be replaced by a supreme state government, and that’s a problem.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibited the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

    Sources [1]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an August 24, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “Determined to do [sic] follow what is ‘inevitable,’ very liberal delegates [at the Democratic National Convention] will embrace platform proposals that will spell the end of marriage. Do they fully realize what they are doing? If your only requirement for a marriage is that people love each other, have a committed relationship to each other, and that they give their consent, then you cannot bar twins from marrying. Once you've permitted identical twins to marry, how can you bar twin brother and sister from marrying? They love each other. They have a committed relationship. None of us has had such a biological bond since before birth with our own spouses. Vice President Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act as a U.S. Senator. Now, of course, he says that he is not influenced by his many years as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Instead, he takes his guidance on marriage from Hollywood, specifically from the comedy series, Will and Grace. If Hollywood producers are to set the standard for constitutional law in our country, then marriage will be ended, to be sure. For Hollywood has given us another series, Big Love. It's an HBO production about polygamy. It's pretty favorable toward polygamy, they tell me … Is this really where Democrats want to go? Do their very progressive delegates think the voters at the grassroots will approve their lurch to the progressive extremes?” Blackwell continued, stating, “Minorities give strong support to true marriage. In North Carolina, black and Hispanic voters provided the winning margin for marriage … Marriage is not a wedge issue, it's a bridge issue. It's the way Republicans can embrace minorities and immigrants.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an August 24, 2012 op-ed for World Magazine, Blackwell wrote, “Happily, the Republican Platform Committee this week sidestepped the issue of civil unions. Committee members reaffirmed the party's historic support for true marriage. That's a good thing because, from the government's perspective, all our marriages are civil unions. And government has a duty to protect the civil institution of marriage. What some call a civil union-as a softer way to grant same-sex couples all the rights of marriage without the name of marriage-is merely a slow-motion surrender on the critical issue of marriage. Governments cannot sanctify marriage, but governments can and should protect the civil institution of marriage. True marriage … We have seen many examples of the ways in which defenders of marriage will lose their civil rights if marriage itself is abolished. If 61 percent of North Carolina voters last May had voted to end true marriage in that state instead of affirming it, we could have been sure that the very next semester schoolchildren in the Tar Heel State would have been proselytized in the early grades for the new definition of marriage. This is what happened in Massachusetts. When parents of public schoolchildren object, they will be the ones singled out for threats, ridicule, and possibly even government sanctions … Those who want to end marriage as we know it often cite the famed U.S. Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia (1967). In that case, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote for a unanimous court when he struck down a state law that barred men and women from different races from legally marrying. We agree with that opinion. We, too, believe that marriage is a fundamental civil right of Americans. And we also agree with Earl Warren's view that true marriage is necessary for the survival of society. Chief Justice Warren did not have to say true marriage-between one man and one woman. It was understood. It must still be so understood. The civil rights of all Americans must be defended … Keeping marriage alive requires hard work. And it needs government support. What we are saying is that true marriage must survive for America to survive. We are saying preserve Americans' civil right of marriage if we want America to climb back from the abyss of economic decline and social decay.” On the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, Mildred Loving, one of the plaintiffs in the case, stated, “I believe all Americans, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry … I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Other Statements

    In a July 23, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Blackwell wrote about President Barack Obama’s “’covert zeal’ for abortion.” He stated, “Abraham Lincoln faced a similar problem in 1854 when he spoke of the ‘covert zeal’ of President Franklin Pierce and Sen. Stephen A. Douglas for the spread of slavery. These leading Democrats never said they were in favor of slavery. They simply viewed the right of whites to choose slavery for blacks as a ‘sacred principle of self-government’ … President Obama doesn’t talk about abortion much … President Obama has been the most pro-abortion president in history … From his first public office, he has been an advocate for abortion-on-demand. He led the fight in the Illinois State Senate to deny protection for newborn children who survive abortion attempts. These children are U.S. citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment. And just as too many states denied ‘equal protection of the laws’ to black Americans under a century of unjust Jim Crow laws, Barack Obama denied protection of Illinois laws to newborns in the Land of Lincoln because they had been targeted for abortion.” Then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama voted against the state’s “Born Alive Infant Protection Act” in 2001, 2002, and 2004, because in his words, “Whenever we define a previable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we're really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a… nine-month-old…child that was delivered to term. That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place.” Blackwell wrote, “From his first day in office until now, President Obama has quietly but vigorously pushed the abortion agenda. He records promotional videos for Planned Parenthood. This group kills 340,000 of the more than1,200,000 unborn children killed each year by abortion. Under Obamacare, they will be able to kill millions more.” Blackwell was referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Health Care

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  • Race

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  • Women's Rights

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  • Race

    In a July 2012 article for Loop 21 on the pros and cons of “Stand Your Ground” laws, Blackwell was asked why he thought the Commission on Civil Rights was investigating them for racial bias. “Stand Your Ground” laws generated national controversy when unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was killed by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. The National Rifle Association helped to author the “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida and promoted it aggressively there and in many other states. Blackwell stated, “Michael Yaki is a member of the commission. Mr. Yaki is an anti-Second Amendment lawyer, who has been pushing for the investigation ... If anything, [the law] benefits racial minorities more.” In June 2012, the Tampa Bay Times identified nearly 200 “Stand Your Ground” cases in Florida and determined that 73 percent of those who killed a black person faced no punishment, compared to 59 percent of those who killed a white person. When asked why he thought “Stand Your Ground” was being challenged, Blackwell responded, “I have no idea why anyone would challenge this point of view, unless they foolishly think we can grow a government big enough to protect all of us, all of the time.” He replied to a question about the cons of the law, stating, “There are none.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

  • Vigilantism

    In a July 2012 article for Loop 21 on the pros and cons of “Stand Your Ground” laws, Blackwell was asked why he thought the Commission on Civil Rights was investigating them for racial bias. “Stand Your Ground” laws generated national controversy when unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was killed by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. The National Rifle Association helped to author the “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida and promoted it aggressively there and in many other states. Blackwell stated, “Michael Yaki is a member of the commission. Mr. Yaki is an anti-Second Amendment lawyer, who has been pushing for the investigation ... If anything, [the law] benefits racial minorities more.” In June 2012, the Tampa Bay Times identified nearly 200 “Stand Your Ground” cases in Florida and determined that 73 percent of those who killed a black person faced no punishment, compared to 59 percent of those who killed a white person. When asked why he thought “Stand Your Ground” was being challenged, Blackwell responded, “I have no idea why anyone would challenge this point of view, unless they foolishly think we can grow a government big enough to protect all of us, all of the time.” He replied to a question about the cons of the law, stating, “There are none.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

  • Political Corruption

    On June 25, 2012, Herman Cain, former 2012 Republican presidential candidate, released an advertisement in which he and Ken Blackwell defended a Florida’s Voter ID law. Blackwell asked, “Why is [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder demanding that Florida stop removing illegal voters from their rolls/a>?” Blackwell was making reference to a Department of Justice lawsuit which challenged the Florida law because of allegations that it disenfranchises minorities. Blackwell further boasted, “As Secretary of State of Ohio, I was responsible for the integrity of the vote.” In 2004, while serving as the Secretary of State of Ohio and co-chair of the “Committee to Re-Elect George W. Bush,” Blackwell was the defendant in 16 lawsuits that alleged he disenfranchised Ohio voters.

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    On June 25, 2012, Herman Cain, former 2012 Republican presidential candidate, released an advertisement in which he and Ken Blackwell defended a Florida’s Voter ID law. Blackwell asked, “Why is [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder demanding that Florida stop removing illegal voters from their rolls/a>?” Blackwell was making reference to a Department of Justice lawsuit which challenged the Florida law because of allegations that it disenfranchises minorities. Blackwell further boasted, “As Secretary of State of Ohio, I was responsible for the integrity of the vote.” In 2004, while serving as the Secretary of State of Ohio and co-chair of the “Committee to Re-Elect George W. Bush,” Blackwell was the defendant in 16 lawsuits that alleged he disenfranchised Ohio voters.

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • LGBT Rights

    In a June 15, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote “Recognizing same-sex couplings as marriages will mean the end of marriage. That's because saying yes to two men or two women marrying opens the door to polygamy … With same-sex couplings and polygamous arrangements recognized, where would that leave marriage? Ended, that's where. When everyone can marry, no one can marry. There is no marriage left. Advocates for same-sex couplings have never agreed to bar polygamous groups being granted marriage rights. After all, if ‘marriage equality’ is the real goal, then three or four marital partners are even more equal than two.” Blackwell continued, stating, “Much media talk about how young people support same-sex couplings does not translate into votes. There is a silenced minority here. Young people are constantly told it's not cool to be against same-sex demands. With Americans waiting longer to get married, it should not surprise us that the youth cohort is the least supportive of true marriage. They're not married yet.” He urged, “Defenders of true marriage need to be equally bold in speaking with younger audiences. Candidates need to tell the young the truth: that if they support marriage rights for same-sex couplings, they will be voting to end marriage … The young, according to all polls, are disproportionately pro-life … We need to share with the young this hopeful message: Marriage is the best protector for unborn children that we have. Four out of five unborn children who are killed in abortion are the children of single parents. If you really care about unborn children, protect the institution that best protects them.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Women's Rights

    In a June 15, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote “Recognizing same-sex couplings as marriages will mean the end of marriage. That's because saying yes to two men or two women marrying opens the door to polygamy … With same-sex couplings and polygamous arrangements recognized, where would that leave marriage? Ended, that's where. When everyone can marry, no one can marry. There is no marriage left. Advocates for same-sex couplings have never agreed to bar polygamous groups being granted marriage rights. After all, if ‘marriage equality’ is the real goal, then three or four marital partners are even more equal than two.” Blackwell continued, stating, “Much media talk about how young people support same-sex couplings does not translate into votes. There is a silenced minority here. Young people are constantly told it's not cool to be against same-sex demands. With Americans waiting longer to get married, it should not surprise us that the youth cohort is the least supportive of true marriage. They're not married yet.” He urged, “Defenders of true marriage need to be equally bold in speaking with younger audiences. Candidates need to tell the young the truth: that if they support marriage rights for same-sex couplings, they will be voting to end marriage … The young, according to all polls, are disproportionately pro-life … We need to share with the young this hopeful message: Marriage is the best protector for unborn children that we have. Four out of five unborn children who are killed in abortion are the children of single parents. If you really care about unborn children, protect the institution that best protects them.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

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  • Health Care

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  • Religion

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  • Women's Rights

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a May 9, 2012 op-ed for World Community, Blackwell accused President Barack Obama of being a “full-blown advocate of abolishing marriage.” He referred to efforts at the state to level to ban same-sex marriage as evidence that “Americans overwhelmingly do not agree that marriage should be ended.” According to Blackwell, that would be the result if same-sex couples were allowed to marry. “Three men marrying?” Blackwell wrote. “Two men and a woman? If everyone can marry, then no one can marry, thus ending marriage as we know it.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In an April 26, 2012 op-ed for The Daily Caller, Blackwell wrote about “the secularization of Martin Luther King Jr,” stating, “So, since Rev. King and religion are inseparable, why are some people so quick to hide Dr. King’s religiosity? We would expect this type of careful ideological manipulation of history in the tyrannical states of the former Soviet Union or North Korea, but how does this happen in America? Sadly, I believe this is another example of how the secular left is winning the culture war. By driving religion out of the public square and re-writing the history books, they are erasing the invaluable role religion has played in our country’s history.” He continued, “By eliminating religion, the secular left is using the force of law to build its own type of warped, unholy church which is highly dogmatic and mandates participation under the threat of force … With the Obama administration’s openly hostile approach to religion, we have a government forcing members of religious institutions to participate in acts that violate their consciences, such as providing contraception and abortion services. All churches in Obama’s America are subservient to the whims of government bureaucrats, who are exercising power far outside the limits of our Constitution.” Blackwell was referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires employers to provide health insurance which covers contraception for women free of charge. The Act did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In an April 26, 2012 op-ed for The Daily Caller, Blackwell wrote about “the secularization of Martin Luther King Jr,” stating, “So, since Rev. King and religion are inseparable, why are some people so quick to hide Dr. King’s religiosity? We would expect this type of careful ideological manipulation of history in the tyrannical states of the former Soviet Union or North Korea, but how does this happen in America? Sadly, I believe this is another example of how the secular left is winning the culture war. By driving religion out of the public square and re-writing the history books, they are erasing the invaluable role religion has played in our country’s history.” He continued, “By eliminating religion, the secular left is using the force of law to build its own type of warped, unholy church which is highly dogmatic and mandates participation under the threat of force … With the Obama administration’s openly hostile approach to religion, we have a government forcing members of religious institutions to participate in acts that violate their consciences, such as providing contraception and abortion services. All churches in Obama’s America are subservient to the whims of government bureaucrats, who are exercising power far outside the limits of our Constitution.” Blackwell was referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires employers to provide health insurance which covers contraception for women free of charge. The Act did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a February 26, 2012 web appearance on The Daily Caller, Blackwell said of Democratic President Barack Obama, “What you see is a president that ignores the Constitution, an administration that ignores the Constitution. And he wants to build a federal court system in his own philosophy and in his own image, and thereby give him, and his administration, unbridled power.” Blackwell was then asked why some polls were indicating that African-American support was down for President Obama. He responded, “I remember being in graduate school and I read a work of a psychiatrist in the late 1800s and he was talking about the Antebellum south and slavery. And he said, ‘What people don’t understand is that you have a slave, and you have to worry about that slave running and bolting towards freedom. So your guarding and you put him in chains. And what you have is not a slave, you have a captive.’ He said, ‘When you can take off the chains and you can do away with the guards and that captive will not walk and walk outside of the area of prescription of slavery, you then have converted that captive to a slave.’ And he said, ‘There is a fear of freedom, that slaves, unlike captives, wont take the risk of bolting because all of us, slave and master alike, like homeostasis or equilibrium.’ And so one of the things that I’ve started to notice is that more and more young black people are willing to take the risk of being free, the risk of being not dependent on the government, and that is something, that’s a force that the pill of dependency, you know, cannot overtake by the Obama administration.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a February 26, 2012 web appearance on The Daily Caller, Blackwell said of Democratic President Barack Obama, “What you see is a president that ignores the Constitution, an administration that ignores the Constitution. And he wants to build a federal court system in his own philosophy and in his own image, and thereby give him, and his administration, unbridled power.” Blackwell was then asked why some polls were indicating that African-American support was down for President Obama. He responded, “I remember being in graduate school and I read a work of a psychiatrist in the late 1800s and he was talking about the Antebellum south and slavery. And he said, ‘What people don’t understand is that you have a slave, and you have to worry about that slave running and bolting towards freedom. So your guarding and you put him in chains. And what you have is not a slave, you have a captive.’ He said, ‘When you can take off the chains and you can do away with the guards and that captive will not walk and walk outside of the area of prescription of slavery, you then have converted that captive to a slave.’ And he said, ‘There is a fear of freedom, that slaves, unlike captives, wont take the risk of bolting because all of us, slave and master alike, like homeostasis or equilibrium.’ And so one of the things that I’ve started to notice is that more and more young black people are willing to take the risk of being free, the risk of being not dependent on the government, and that is something, that’s a force that the pill of dependency, you know, cannot overtake by the Obama administration.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a February 22, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “The term ‘Southern Strategy’ was invented by liberals in 1968 to attack their partisan opponents in the Republican Party, then led by Richard Nixon.” In fact, it was Republican President Richard Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, who popularized the practice. The “Southern Strategy” involved exploiting white racism against African-Americans to drum up Republican votes, and was first used by Nixon during the 1968 presidential campaign. Blackwell added, “We who defend true [heterosexual] marriage are equally committed to civil rights. We strongly believe that marriage is a civil right—and that overturning true marriage will cause grave harm to all Americans, not the least to the poor and to minorities.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In a February 7, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post where Blackwell urged Israel to immediately launch a military attack against Iran, he also claimed that the administration of President Barack Obama “is outraged by the sight of too many Jews in Jerusalem.”

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a February 2, 2012 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell lamented that complaints by civil rights organizations led retired General Jerry Boykin to withdraw from speaking at the West Point military academy’s annual prayer breakfast. Blackwell wrote, “The Obama administration's hostility toward religion—and especially Christians—continues even to the detriment of our men and women in uniform.” Boykin is an anti-Muslim hardliner who has described the War on Terror as a “Christian battle against Satan” (a statement that was repudiated by President George W. Bush). He has also called Islam “a totalitarian way of life” and has argued that the First Amendment, which protects the free practice of religion, does not apply to Islam. A statement by VoteVets.org alleged that Boykin’s presence at the prayer breakfast would “put our troops in danger.” Blackwell called Boykin “an ideal choice” to speak at a prayer event held at a military academy. He went on to write, “This sad episode is yet another example of the Obama administration's ongoing hostility to people of faith,” despite the fact that the Obama administration played no role in the controversy.

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Education

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  • Religion

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  • Race

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  • Voting Rights

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  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Race

    In a December 9, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell called the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act—a piece of legislation that allowed the residents of those states to determine whether slavery would be allowed inside their borders—“the original ‘pro-choice’ legislation.” He also added, “A year before his acceptance speech at Denver. Mr. Obama went before Planned Barrenhood and shackled himself to their sterile ideology of abortion-on-demand.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Women's Rights

    In a December 9, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell called the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act—a piece of legislation that allowed the residents of those states to determine whether slavery would be allowed inside their borders—“the original ‘pro-choice’ legislation.” He also added, “A year before his acceptance speech at Denver. Mr. Obama went before Planned Barrenhood and shackled himself to their sterile ideology of abortion-on-demand.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a December 8, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “Mr. Obama and his administration keep Planned Barrenhood in business—shoveling billions to their lethal efforts. Because of them, six in ten pregnancies in Harlem end in abortion. There is no hope in that dread change.” In reality, only three percent of services provided by Planned Parenthood are related to abortion, with 90% of services aimed at preventing unwanted pregnancy

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Conspiracy Theory

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  • Conspiracy Theory

    Due to ongoing tensions between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falklands Islands, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated in March 2010 that the United States will “facilitate them talking to each other.” “We’re not interested and have no real role in determining what they decide between the two of them, but we want them talking and we want them trying to resolve the outstanding issues between them,” she added. In response to Clinton’s statement, Blackwell authored a November 11, 2011 op-ed for the Huffington Post in which he stated, “By raising the subject of ‘talks’ about the Falklands, Mrs. Clinton is threatening a renewed war. We know Bill Clinton has lamented he did not have a war to assure his presidential greatness. Is Hillary hoping to be called upon to negotiate the Falklands matter so she, too, can cop a Nobel Prize? If she wins one for this, let's make it tin.” Blackwell also compared the Argentine military dictatorship that ordered the invasion of the Falklands to the “Occupy Wall Street” protests addressing income inequality in the United States by writing, “Think ‘Occupy Buenos Aires.’

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a November 4, 2011 op-ed for World Magazine, Blackwell claimed that the “Respect Marriage Act,” which would repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act,” would “abolish marriage.” He also said of the bill, “While calling for ‘respect’ in the Orwellian sense, it would offer true marriage the same ‘respect’ President Obama showed to the body of Osama bin Laden—a hasty burial at sea after summarily being put to death.” Blackwell also claimed that legalizing gay marriage would lead to polygamy.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a November 4, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell made a number of unverified claims about President Barack Obama’s policy towards Iran and claimed that the President “even sent Persian New Year greetings to the Iranian people and their dictatorial rulers.” In fact, President Obama sent a greeting only to the people of Iran. In that greeting, he compared the political situation in Iran to populist uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and stated, “Just as the people of the region have insisted that they have a choice in how they are governed, so do the governments of the region have a choice in their response. So far, the Iranian government has responded by demonstrating that it cares far more about preserving its own power than respecting the rights of the Iranian people.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    On October 27, 2011, Blackwell appeared on MSNBC host Chris Matthew’s Hardball show to express support for a Mississippi ballot initiative that would confer “personhood” at conception, a designation that would outlaw all abortion. In defense of the measure, Blackwell said, “I am not a doctor and I am not a lawyer, but I am one who believes in the human dignity of the human life no different than the Pope, no different then—God bless him—Jerry Falwell.” Falwell was a controversial televangelist who once noted, “As a Christian who has a theological perspective, I do not feel that rape and incest are moral grounds for abortion. I do not think that two wrongs make a right.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In an October 20, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that the United States government’s support of the ouster of Egyptian dictator Honsi Mubarak meant that, “American taxpayers [are] aiding the slaughter of Egypt's Christians.” He went on to call President Obama “the most anti-Israel president in our history and also, de facto, the most anti-Christian.” Blackwell’s claim was based on a tragic October 2011 event where Coptic Christian protesters threw molotov cocktails and fired weapons at the Egyptian military, which retaliated with deadly force. In the wake of the violence, Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf addressed the nation, saying, “I call on Egyptian people—Muslims and Christians, women and children, young men and elders—to hold their unity.” Blackwell also claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood—an organization that was a key component of the nonviolent uprising against Mubarak—“is known to use terror against its opponents.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Education

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Race

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    On September 22, 2011 it was announced that Blackwell, along with former Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle, would serve as the two vice presidents for the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA). Commenting on his selection, Blackwell said, “The NFRA is the flagship of constitutionalist conservatism within the Republican Party. It is intent on making sure the federal government has limited powers and the states have an independent sovereign place in our system of government. If we, the people, are to arrest the Obama march to collectivism, social democracy and an imperial presidency, we must swell the ranks of the NFRA and maintain its status as a principled defender of liberty.” One month later, the NFRA endorsed former Republican Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum for president in the 2012 election.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    On September 22, 2011 it was announced that Blackwell, along with former Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle, would serve as the two vice presidents for the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA). Commenting on his selection, Blackwell said, “The NFRA is the flagship of constitutionalist conservatism within the Republican Party. It is intent on making sure the federal government has limited powers and the states have an independent sovereign place in our system of government. If we, the people, are to arrest the Obama march to collectivism, social democracy and an imperial presidency, we must swell the ranks of the NFRA and maintain its status as a principled defender of liberty.” One month later, the NFRA endorsed former Republican Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum for president in the 2012 election.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Environment

    In an op-ed for the Patriot Post published on September 15, 2011, Blackwell called Palestine “Terroristan” and challenged science that supports the conclusion that climate change is a man-made phenomenon. Blackwell praised a Danish scientist who found a connection between solar activity and the earth’s temperature, adding, “It's worth noting that the Danes stood up to China on human rights, even when the Communists in Beijing threatened to crush Denmark ‘like a little bird.’ The Danes published those cartoons of you know who [Muhammad] that set off riots throughout the world by followers of the religion of peace.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Religion

    In an op-ed for the Patriot Post published on September 15, 2011, Blackwell called Palestine “Terroristan” and challenged science that supports the conclusion that climate change is a man-made phenomenon. Blackwell praised a Danish scientist who found a connection between solar activity and the earth’s temperature, adding, “It's worth noting that the Danes stood up to China on human rights, even when the Communists in Beijing threatened to crush Denmark ‘like a little bird.’ The Danes published those cartoons of you know who [Muhammad] that set off riots throughout the world by followers of the religion of peace.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Religion

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Women's Rights

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a September 8, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that Congressman John Lewis (D-GA)—who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech—intended to incite violence within the crowd with his original planned speech. In the actual speech Lewis delivered that day, he called for the crowd to nonviolently support the civil rights movement by “march[ing] with the spirit of love and with the spirit of dignity that we have shown here today.” Blackwell’s editorial portrayed a nonviolent, pro-union rally on Labor Day 2011 as “an incitement to riot.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Other Statements

    In a September 1, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell commented on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s reaction to the foreign policy of President Barack Obama by writing, “She had to smile a forced smile and pretend there was nothing amiss. That's not a role that comes naturally to a miss like Hillary. Correction: A Ms.

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In 2011, Blackwell appeared “Online with Terry Jeffrey.” Of President Barack Obama, he said, “I think the President is one who believes in collectivism. I think his preferred path is European-style socialism.” He also said, “The foundation [of the United States government] started with Moses receiving the Decalogue.” Blackwell added, “Tell me, in all of human history, tell me of any authoritarian government or regime, totalitarian government or regime, big welfare state government or regime, that hasn’t run God and faith out of the public square and hasn’t destroyed the family. When you destroy the family and when you and silence the church you create a void that is filled by the authority and totalitarianism of Big Government.” Speaking on his opposition to gay marriage, Blackwell said, “It goes back to one, not only our moral and biblical foundation of this country, it goes back to common sense economics and sociology. What we know, whether it was Patrick Daniel Moynihan or modern day economists like Walter Williams, the fact of the matter is that when you have strong families and you have role models of men and women in that marriage for young children [then] young children do better educationally, they do better economically, as does the family.” When asked whether it is wrong for married same-sex couples to have children, Blackwell said, “I think so. Do I think that having children experience the well-being and love of an adult community is better than having kids abandoned? Yeah. But I don’t think that should be mistaken for what is, one, the preferred, and two, the Biblically-sanctioned family. [Pope John Paul II] understood that equating any other coupling [other than man and woman] was wrong, and counterproductive, and ultimately destructive of a culture and a society. Even the Ancient Greeks, where they celebrated homosexuality, were not so stupid as to attack the bedrock of culture: the union between one man and one woman in holy matrimony.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Blackwell authored an August 19, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, criticizing President Barack Obama’s role in the death of Osama bin Laden. He wrote that what was missing from the raid (ordered by President Obama) was “presidential leadership.” Blackwell further opined that, “The real reason why President Obama has hurriedly put the bin Laden raid behind him is the same reason why George McGovern could not point to his wonderful combat record, or even let others point to it: The Democratic Party houses a large and influential pacifist element.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    Blackwell authored an August 19, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, criticizing President Barack Obama’s role in the death of Osama bin Laden. He wrote that what was missing from the raid (ordered by President Obama) was “presidential leadership.” Blackwell further opined that, “The real reason why President Obama has hurriedly put the bin Laden raid behind him is the same reason why George McGovern could not point to his wonderful combat record, or even let others point to it: The Democratic Party houses a large and influential pacifist element.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • LGBT Rights

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Race

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Blackwell believes that the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review process, which produces reports assessing human rights conditions in all member countries, is being used by European countries to diminish United States sovereignty in the Western Hemisphere by imposing human rights conditions on Latin American countries. In an August 6, 20011 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Blackwell said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “has done nothing to uphold the Monroe Doctrine and nothing to defend our Latin American allies from this new form of European imperialism … Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are on the side of the European imperialists.”

    Sources [1]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    On August 2, 2011, Blackwell commented on the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis, writing, “The only thing being terrorized by tea partiers is the tyranny of the status quo.”

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    On July 12, 2011 Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted requested $332,000 in taxpayer money to pay for attorney’s fees for plaintiffs who sued then-Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell over his conduct during the 2004 presidential elections. The plaintiffs, who alleged that Blackwell violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, settled the lawsuit with the state in 2009.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a June 12, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed—without any evidence—that “San Francisco gay activists” were behind a local ballot initiative to ban infant circumcision.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In April 2011, Blackwell expressed support for a piece of Ohio legislation that would have banned abortion—for any reason—as early as 18 days after conception. Ohio Right to Life, the state’s leading anti-abortion group, opposed the bill in the face of criticism that the legislation was clearly unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    In a March 23, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell, upset that a book about the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan focused too little on Reagan’s policies as president, wrote, “Just imagine if Hinckley had so grievously wounded Jimmy Carter. Can anyone believe that that would have made 18% mortgage rates go away, forget ‘America held hostage’ in Iran, chill out while lining up for gasoline, or learn to enjoy the era of limits and malaise?” The book in question, “Rawhide Down,” was critically acclaimed and well received by reviewers with diverse viewpoints, including Bill O’Reilly and Bob Woodward.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Blackwell tweeted “I am disappointed with ACU's decision to team up with GOProud” and re-tweeted “homosexuality is not conservative” in response to news that the American Conservative Union (ACU) would allow the GOProud organization to participate in the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a January 19, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that the U.N. Population Fund “aids and abets China's government as it brutally enforces its one-child policy.” Claims that the Population Fund encourages women to have abortions have been thoroughly debunked.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    In a January 11, 2011 op-ed for the Patriot Post entitled “The Constitution Did Not Condone Slavery,” Blackwell claimed, “There was no mention of slavery in the Constitution. The framers were unwilling to admit in the federal charter there could be property in men.” To the contrary, the Constitution contained the three-fifths compromise that counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation and tax purposes. Additionally, Article 1, Section 9 and Article 5 allowed the continued importation of slaves and prohibited the Congress from banning slavery until twenty years after ratification of the Constitution. Finally, Article 4, Section 2 prohibited citizens from providing assistance to escaped slaves (before being superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery).

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    After actor Liam Neeson said that the Aslan lion character from the “Chronicles of Narnia” series could serve as an allegory for both Jesus Christ and other religious figures, Blackwell wrote a December 21, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post entitled “A Fatwa on Liam Neeson?” In it, he suggested: “Liam Neeson is certainly not stupid. He is, unfortunately, a dhimmicrat. A dhimmicrat is one who uses his social, cultural, or political position to smooth the path of sharia, the law they have in Saudi Arabia … Liam Neeson's fawning attempts may prove dangerous. He did, after all, publicly compare Mohammed to an animal. No matter that it's an allegory. It can still be taken up by Muslim rioters as ‘blasphemy.’

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a December 17, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell urged the Senate to not ratify the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, because “President Obama has never disavowed his socialist convictions. Even the Washington Post refers to him as a socialist. Isn't it time we had a full airing of all of this before we ratify a treaty with the rulers of the Kremlin?”

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In an op-ed for the Patriot Post entitled “Obama’s Mosque at Ground Zero” published on August 20, 2010, Blackwell wrote, “Only their [Muslim] beliefs are respected by President Obama … To allow a mosque within spitting distance of Ground Zero is to allow a triumphal arch for our jihadist enemies. It will be a recruiting poster for jihadists worldwide…Do we want sharia law here? That’s the law they have in Saudi Arabia. [Community center proponent] Imam Rauf is all out for sharia. If he succeeds in his life quest, Americans will lose every liberty—starting with our religious liberty.” Rauf actually has said the following about the center: “There's going to be a dedicated prayer space for Muslim, which we do need. And we want to have prayer space for Christians and for Jews. As I said, we have to build on our common platform.” Additionally, Rauf indicated the project will disclose all donors and reject any money offered by organizations that advocate violence.

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a July 28, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that the Obama administration promotes abortion in Third
    World countries because the administration “wants fewer of them.”

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Commenting on his belief that the United States promotes abortion in Kenya in an April 16, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post,
    Blackwell flirted with “Birther” rhetoric by writing, “The Obama administration doesn't want to raise any questions about why it's pushing for fewer birth certificates in Kenya.”

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In a March 24, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell called President Barack Obama, “The Abortion President.”

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a March 9, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell suggested that remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could incite a second Falklands War. Blackwell was incensed that Secretary Clinton referred to the Falkland Islands by their Spanish name. “But
    now, we face another possible crisis over the Falklands. And all because of Hillary Clinton’s clumsy attempt at “even-handedness”—which is in fact ham-handedness
    ,” wrote Blackwell. “Think we’re having trouble with Latin Americans now? Try to imagine U.S. Naval vessels called in at the last minute to block an Argentine invasion of the Falklands.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a February 26, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed “If it is passed, ObamaCare will greatly increase abortions in this country by making them free.” In reality, in conjunction with the health care reform bill, President Obama issued an Executive Order preserving the restriction on the use of federal government funds to pay for abortions.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Education

    In a February 23, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that homosexuals “created” the AIDs epidemic and worried “Do the American people want to bring this health crisis into the ranks of our volunteer military?” Regarding the potential repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, Blackwell wondered, “What would the gay quota be? Would it be the widely discredited 10% figure that gay activists like Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings always cite? Or would it be the more realistic ‘less than 3% figure?’”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Health Care

    In a February 23, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that homosexuals “created” the AIDs epidemic and worried “Do the American people want to bring this health crisis into the ranks of our volunteer military?” Regarding the potential repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, Blackwell wondered, “What would the gay quota be? Would it be the widely discredited 10% figure that gay activists like Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings always cite? Or would it be the more realistic ‘less than 3% figure?’”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • LGBT Rights

    In a February 23, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed that homosexuals “created” the AIDs epidemic and worried “Do the American people want to bring this health crisis into the ranks of our volunteer military?” Regarding the potential repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, Blackwell wondered, “What would the gay quota be? Would it be the widely discredited 10% figure that gay activists like Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings always cite? Or would it be the more realistic ‘less than 3% figure?’”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a January 19, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell suggested that TWA Flight 800, which crashed in 1996 killing all 230 persons aboard, was downed by a terrorist attack. A FBI investigation revealed no evidence of terrorist involvement.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    In a January 7, 2010 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “In the 1960s, many developing nation’s had nearly wiped out malaria, but it came back after DDT was banned. It did not matter that DDT was harmless to humans—and actually saved lives—the Left attacked it, ultimately causing 50 million preventable deaths.” Medical research has linked human exposure to DDT to diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and reproductive problems, including miscarriages, developmental disabilities, and premature births. DDT is also a “probable human carcinogen,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

  • Other Statements

    The Family Research Council (FRC), where Blackwell works as a Senior Fellow, has made a number of controversial statements about homosexuality, leading it to be designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    Comparing the Department of Justice’s decision to prosecute 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a civilian court to the role of then-Attorney General Janet Reno during the Waco siege, Blackwell wrote a December 5, 2009 op-ed for the Patriot Post, stating, “Attorney General Janet Reno thought she might have to prove her toughness by transferring dozens of women and children from a Waco cult headquarters to eternity. Really bad idea.” Blackwell also wrote, “Eric Holder’s decision to try the terrorists in Manhattan may not be simply the worst decision of this administration, it bids fair to stand with Dred Scott and Roe v. Wade as being among the three worst decisions in American history.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Blackwell compared the presidency of Jimmy Carter to the slave trade in a November 25, 2009 op-ed for the Patriot Post, writing, “More Africans lost their freedom during Jimmy Carter’s four years than at any other time in history.”

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a November 20, 2009 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell claimed “more than 90 percent” of Democrats “never go to church.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    Blackwell called President Barack Obama “the world’s Number One enabler of China’s forced abortion policy” in a November 14, 2009 op-ed for the Patriot Post.

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a October 30, 2009 opinion piece, Blackwell attacked the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin, by writing, “Would you rather not have a receptionist or customer service representative of your company who has tattooed his or her face with fierce Maori markings? You could be forced by the EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] to make that hire.” Blackwell also worried about the EEOC’s effect on “employers who would prefer not to hire or promote employees who dress as members of the opposite sex.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Expressing his belief that homosexuality is a choice at the 2009 Republican National Convention, Blackwell said, “I've never had to make the choice because I've never had the urge to be other than a heterosexual, but if in fact I had the urge to be something else, I could have in fact suppressed that urge.” Blackwell further stated that the only two sexual orientations are “male” and “female.”

    Sources [1]

  • Conspiracy Theory

    In a May 27, 2008 op-ed for Townhall, Blackwell wrote about the decision of the Philadelphia City Council to increase the Boy Scouts of America’s lease of a city owned building from $1 per year to $200,000 per year because of their discriminatory policy barring homosexual members. Blackwell stated, “Ever since 1910, Scouting has taught that part of being a committed Scout is a traditional understanding of sexuality. Though Scouting respects adherents of various faiths, it has always had a Bible-based morality as the foundation of its values. The Boy Scouts of America believes expressed homosexuality is inconsistent with its credo. They believe their ‘duty to God’ and promise to be ‘reverent’ requires fidelity to that traditional faith. As a result, the Scouts do not allow openly homosexual individuals in their adult leadership ranks. But the Philadelphia City Council has bought into a radical homosexual agenda lock, stock, and barrel. Not only does the Council provide full recognition of special homosexual rights, they also will obviously attack any organization that does not adopt its newfound agenda. The Council is utterly intolerant of any person or organization that does not embrace its new ‘tolerance,’ and is seeking to drive the Scouts from the city. One consequence of democracy is if elected leaders, in a city, state, or nation, choose to embody a radical agenda and attack traditional values, they can usually get away with it. There is nothing to stop government from enacting wrong policy.” Philadelphia officials explained that city law does not permit government subsidies of groups that discriminate.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Political Corruption

    While serving as Ohio Secretary of State, a state audit revealed that Blackwell illegally paid out over $80,000 in bonuses to staff in December 2006 just before the switch from a Republican to a Democratic administration.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    During the 2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Blackwell was accused by his Democratic opponent, Ted Strickland, of using innuendo to imply that Strickland had a homosexual relationship with a former aide. During a debate, Blackwell also made the shocking accusation that Strickland was associated with the pro-pedophile North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA). Strickland defeated Blackwell by a large margin.

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Other Statements

    On two separate occasions, Blackwell was blamed for the release of the social security numbers of millions of Ohio residents. In 2006, while serving as Ohio’s Secretary of State, Blackwell’s office sent CDs to 20 political parties that contained records of 7.7 million registered voters in Ohio. This followed an earlier incident in which a lawsuit was filed against Blackwell for publishing the social security numbers of thousands of Ohio residents on state websites.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    In 2006, Blackwell said that he favors legislation that would outlaw abortion in the case of rape, incest, and even to save the life of the mother.

    Sources [1]

  • LGBT Rights
    Blackwell compared homosexuality to arson and kleptomania in 2006, describing homosexuality as “a transgression against God’s law.”

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In 2006, Blackwell co-wrote a book with Jerome Corsi, who is well known for his role in the “Swift Boat” campaign against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and the “Birther” accusations against President Barack Obama. Blackwell and Corsi’s book called for eliminating all federal welfare benefits.

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Political Corruption

    While overseeing the 2004 presidential election in Ohio, Blackwell was accused by the Democratic Party and others of implementing policies that disenfranchised minority and young voters. Numerous lawsuits were filed against Blackwell, who was at the time an Honorary Co-Chair of President George W. Bush’s Ohio campaign. One lawsuit filed by the Ohio Democratic Party alleged that Blackwell’s policies violated the Help America Vote Act, passed in the wake of the 2000 presidential election fiasco.

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Political Corruption

    In October 2004, prior to the presidential elections, Ohio Secretary of State Blackwell sent a letter to conservatives to encourage them to vote on a gay marriage ballot issue. Democrats contended that it was inappropriate for the person in charge of overseeing the election to rally voters to vote a specific cause. Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Slagle compared Blackwell’s conduct to “allowing the manager of the New York Yankees to also serve as the chief umpire in the World Series.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    Blackwell received the John M. Ashbrook Award at the CPAC convention in 2004. The award is named after one of the founders of the ACU who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 21 years as a Republican from Ohio.

    Sources [1]

  • Political Corruption

    Blackwell owned shares of Diebold, a voting machine manufacturer, while he was responsible for overseeing the 2004 presidential election in Ohio as Secretary of State. While Secretary of State, Blackwell also directed Ohio to purchase Diebold voting machines. Walden O’Dell, chief executive of Diebold and a fundraiser for George W. Bush, famously sent a letter to Ohio Republicans stating that he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president [George W. Bush in 2004].

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Other Statements

    Blackwell called himself “the lead spokesman” for a 2004 ballot measure that sought to ban gay marriage in Ohio.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Sources [1] [2] [3]