Earlier this month, Republican state Rep. E. Werner Reschke appeared on Christian nationalist Jason Rapert's “Save The Nation” program to discuss his role as the new Oregon state chair of Rapert's National Association of Christian Lawmakers organization, a collection of right-wing state legislators and religious-right activists dedicated to electing “godly leaders in our nation at every level” for the purpose of seeing its “biblical worldview spread across the nation.”
During the program, Reschke declared that Muslims and atheists and "godless" people are unfit to hold public office, as Right Wing Watch reported at the time:
When Rapert asked why it is important for Christians to be “involved in government and voting and be a part of the authority in our country,” Reschke pulled no punches.
“What drew me to it was primarily looking at our history, and the men and women who were part of that history and building this nation,” Reschke said. “Whether it’s George Washington, whether it was [James] Madison, whether it was Abraham Lincoln, whether it was Ronald Reagan—who was the first president I got to vote for—you go back through history and you look at the men and the struggles that they faced and the faith that they had.”
“Those are the type of people that you want in government making tough decisions during tough times,” Reschke continued. “You don’t want a materialist. You don’t want an atheist. You don’t want a Muslim. You want somebody who understands what truth is and understands the nature of man, the nature of government, and the nature of God.”
“If you don’t understand those things, you’re gonna get things wrong,” he concluded. “In Oregon … we have a lot of people who are godless, unfortunately, leading the way and it’s the blind leading the blind.”
On Monday, Dirk VanderHart of Oregon Public Broadcasting reported on Reschke's remarks and asked the Republican lawmaker to comment on them, which Reschke did by baselessly asserting that they had been taken out of context.
Reschke told OPB in an email his comments have been “grossly taken out of context.” But when asked for more specifics about what he meant to say, if not that Muslims and other non-Christians are unfit to lead, Reschke did not respond.
Of course, Reschke did not respond when asked to clarify his remarks or explain how they had supposedly been taken out of context, and that is because the remarks were reported accurately and entirely in context by Right Wing Watch and were even documented on video:
Predictably, Reschke is now trying to backtrack, claiming that he never meant to suggest that someone like his Muslim colleague state Sen. Kayse Jamal is unfit to serve in office, despite the fact that that is precisely what Reschke originally stated:
Reaction has been muted in Oregon’s legislature. It’s not clear how many of the state’s 90 lawmakers identify as atheists, but the Legislature does include at least one Muslim member: state Sen. Kayse Jama, a Portland Democrat.
“I am disheartened to see one of my legislative colleagues express views contrary to American values, the U.S. Constitution, and our collective aspiration of building a more perfect union,” Jama said in a statement Monday after OPB asked about Reschke’s remarks. “Our ability to live and work with our fellow Oregonians who speak different languages, pray or vote different ways, celebrate different cultures is our strength.”
Born in Somalia to a nomadic family, Jama came to the U.S. as a refugee after civil war erupted in his home country. Before entering politics, Jama co-founded Unite Oregon, a group dedicated to improving racial and economic justice for people of color, immigrants, refugees and people from low-income backgrounds.
“Like so many, I came to this country because it offered the promise of opportunity and equality,” Jama said, adding: “My colleague’s rhetoric is too common today. The politics of division are dangerous, fueling increased hate crimes and violence against people who are Jewish, Muslim, Asian American, immigrants and refugees, and those who have been ‘othered.’”
Reschke told OPB he had not meant to suggest Jama or any other non-Christian lawmaker was unfit to serve.
“I believe Senator Jama is qualified to be a Senator, as well as any other currently serving legislator duly elected by the people or appointed by County Commissioners,” he said.
Reschke’s complete comments suggest otherwise. Just after making his remark about Muslims and atheists, Reschke told his interviewer that in Oregon “we have a lot of people who are godless, unfortunately, leading the way, and it’s the blind leading the blind.”
House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, distanced himself from Reschke’s remarks when asked about the matter by OPB. But he did not reference the lawmaker directly and instead took the opportunity to knock Democrats.
“House Republicans, like all elected members, swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Oregon,” Helfrich said in a statement. “Neither document contains a religious test for elected office. We welcome all people, regardless of religion, who share our values and wish to see Oregon set a new course away from the radical and destructive policies of the majority party.”
The original interview is still available on Rapert's Facebook page and the comments that Reschke made, but now disputes, can be seen starting about the 22:15 mark. If one watches the original program, they will discover that the context of his comments was exactly as Right Wing Watch accurately described, transcribed, and documented.
