Far Right Holds Knife to Own Throat: "Go Ahead, Make My Day"

[Jack.Kerr]

September 30, 2007, 2:38 pm
Christian Conservatives Consider Third-Party Effort

By David D. Kirkpatrick

Alarmed at the chance that the Republican party might pick Rudolph Giuliani as its presidential nominee despite his support for abortion rights, a coalition of influential Christian conservatives is threatening to back a third-party candidate in an attempt to stop him.

The group making the threat, which came together Saturday in Salt Lake City during a break-away gathering during a meeting of the secretive Council for National Policy, includes Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps the most influential of the group, as well as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the direct mail pioneer Richard Viguerie and dozens of other politically-oriented conservative Christians, participants said. Almost everyone present expressed support for a written resolution that “if the Republican Party nominates a pro-abortion candidate we will consider running a third party candidate.”

The participants spoke on condition of anonymity because the both the Council for National Policy and the smaller meeting were secret, but they said members of the intend to publicize its resolution. These participants said the group chose the qualified term “consider” because they have not yet identified an alternative third party candidate, but the group was largely united in its plans to bolt the party if Mr. Giuliani became the candidate.

A revolt of Christian conservative leaders could be a significant setback to the Giuliani campaign because white evangelical Protestants make up a major portion of Republican primary voters. But the threat is risky for the credibility of the Christian conservative movement as well. Some of its usual grass-roots supporters could still choose to support even a pro-choice Republican like Mr. Giuliani, either because they dislike the Democratic nominee even more or because they are worried about war, terrorism and other issues.

In recent polls by the Pew Research Center, Mr. Giuliani has received a plurality of support from white evangelical Protestant voters despite a rising chorus of complaints from Christian conservative leaders about his liberal views on social issues and his unconventional family life. Some players in the movement not present at the meeting may be open to Mr. Giuliani as the lesser of two evils.

Rev. Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcast Network, for example, has provided relatively generous coverage to Mr. Giuliani and his campaign. Gary Bauer, a Christian conservative political advocate and a Republican primary candidate eight years ago, said that, speaking by phone to the meeting, he urged the group to proceed with caution. “I can’t think of a bigger disaster for social conservatives, defense conservatives, and economic conservatives than Hillary Clinton in the White House,” Mr. Bauer said.

Still, he added, “But I do believe there are certain core issues for the Republican Party—low taxes, strong defense and pro life— and if we nominate some who is hostile on one of those three thing it will blow up the GOP.”

For months, Christian conservatives have been escalating their warnings about the risk that nominating Mr. Giuliani could splinter the party. Dr. Dobson wrote a column declaring that he would waste his vote before casting it for either Mr. Giuliani or a Democrat who supports abortion rights like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Richard Land, the top public policy official of the Southern Baptist Convention, has said that nominating a Republican candidate who supports abortion rights would make white evangelical votes “a jump ball” between the Republicans and Democrats, with other issues taking the fore.

Many Democrats, including Senator Clinton, are doing their best to soften the edges of their support for abortion rights, emphasizing they favor policies that might reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

But participants in the group that endorsed the resolution said they reached their position hearing an assessment of the state of the Republican primary from Mr. Perkins, who acts as a point man in Washington for the movement. Mr. Perkins told them that Mr. Giuliani could plausibly win the primary if he carried Florida, which is also a state with many conservative Christian voters, and now was the best-chance to stop any momentum behind the campaign.

The Giuliani campaign had no comment on the discussion of a third-party candidate.

[Janett_Reno]

Rudy was a Democrat, then Independent and then Republican. Some of the core Christian conservatives are taking a stand in what they believe in. Pat Robertson and some are like, come on let's unite to beat Hillary and we can pretend Rudy and Fred believe in the core values of what Christian conservatives believe. The problem is now alot of core Christian conservatives keep up with politics and won't be a yes man for some preachers telling them how to vote.

They will ask, our man believes what we believe in abortion and gay rights don't they? Well not really but who cares because we must beat Hillary. This is the problem as alot of Christian conservatives are going to stand for what they believe in and vote it. This is where problems are happening. This is another reason i find it hard for alot to push Rudy and Fred when they knew they could not hide from these Christian conservatives issues. This is a personal choice in how anyone believes but yes it comes out and will be revealed. They had other's running that believed like they did but they do not think they can be elected against Hillary, so they are between a rock and hard place.

If a guy like Ralh Nader runs or Michael Bloomberg, they might get votes but nothing to get elected on. I am speaking of a third party. I feel the base of both parties need to unite and believe in their candidate and right now Christian conservatives are torn about Rudy, Fred and just a third party candidate.

[FishForLunch]

I think it is a good idea for the Far Left and Right to form their own party so that they don't hijack the Democrat or Republican parties. That way there will be less pandering by spineless politicians.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by FishForLunch

I think it is a good idea for the Far Left and Right to form their own party so that they don't hijack the Democrat or Republican parties. That way there will be less pandering by spineless politicians.

I agree--four or five parties would allow the Middle Majority to lop off the nuts at the extremes---to hell with the anti-war idiots, AND the anti-abortion zealots.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by Jack.Kerr

I agree--four or five parties would allow the Middle Majority to lop off the nuts at the extremes---to hell with the anti-war idiots, AND the anti-abortion zealots.

wow....four or five parties other than the Democratss and Republicans???? that is a really interesting idea, jack....

....somebody really should think about starting a Green Party, and a Libertarian Party, a Constitution Party, and maybe even a Reform Party.

How do you come up with such great ideas, Jack???? You must be a really astute analyst of american politics.

(you didn't by any chance invent the internet, did you?)

Cheers

[Jack.Kerr]

Clinton will wipe the floor with Romney.

October 10, 2007, 7:09 pm
Mitt Romney Gets a Boost from an Evangelical Supporter

By Michael Luo

In a bid to derail Rudolph W. Giuliani’s surge in the polls and rally evangelical voters, an influential evangelical public relations executive wrote to some 150 top conservative Christian leaders warning of the prospect of a Giuliani or Hillary Rodham Clinton administration and prodding them to rally instead around Mitt Romney.

Mark DeMoss, a publicist whose clients include the Rev. Franklin Graham, penned a five-page letter, urging evangelical leaders to “galvanize support around Mitt Romney, so Mr. Giuliani isn’t the unintended beneficiary of our divided support among several candidates.” Or, “worse yet,” he warned, “so we don’t abdicate the presidency (and the future of the Supreme Court) over to Hillary Clinton.”

In an interview, Mr. DeMoss, who is a Romney supporter but is not paid by the campaign, said he sensed an opening for Mr. Romney at this point in the race, with Fred D. Thompson garnering lackluster reviews on the campaign trail and lesser-known candidates like Mike Huckabee continuing to struggle with fund-raising.

“A lot of things that a lot of conservatives have either been hoping for, or waiting for, are clearly not panning out,” he said.

He said he also wanted to warn his peers that time is running out to rally around someone.

“Look, you can’t wait and see too much longer, or we can tell you what you’re going to get, and it’s something you didn’t want apparently,” he said. “But there’s time to do something about it.”

In his letter, Mr. DeMoss cited three major concerns. First, he said, there is a very real prospect conservatives will split up their vote and wind up helping to elect Mr. Giuliani, “who clearly does not share our values on so many issues.”

Second, he said, he believes that conservative leaders who are threatening to bolt the Republican Party and support a third party candidate if Republicans nominate a candidate who supports abortion rights, like Mr. Giuliani, would only help elect Mrs. Clinton.

Finally, he said, he was troubled by talk he had been hearing from others that electing someone like Mrs. Clinton would actually be positive for the conservative movement because it would galvanize fund-raising and forces.

“I am not willing to risk negatively changing the Supreme Court, and our entire judicial system, for the next 30 years in exchange for bulding our conservative mailing lists and operating budgets for the next four or eight years,” he said.

Mr. DeMoss ticked off Mr. Romney’s qualifications and positive poll numbers in early voting states but also addressed his Mormon faith, which many evangelicals consider heretical.

“I fully recognize some evangelicals take issue with me for supporting a Mormon for the office of president, and I respect their concerns,” he said in the letter. “Indeed, I had to deal with the same concerns in my own heart before offering to help Gov. Romney. But I concluded that I am more concerned that a candidate share my values than he shares my theology.”

He went on to say, “as a Southern Baptist evangelical and political conservatives, I am convinced I have more in common with most Mormons than I do with a liberal Southern Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic or a liberal from any other denomination or faith group.”

Mr. DeMoss even invoked his late friend, Jerry Falwell, who Mr. DeMoss described as his first employer, a second father and political mentor. The Moral Majority, created by Mr. Falwell, brought together, “evangelicals and like-minded Roman Catholics, Jews, and yes, Mormons.”

He said Falwell was among about 15 evangelicals who gathered at Mr. Romney’s home early in the campaign to quiz him on his views. He said Falwell told Mr. Romney that he did not have a problem with his Mormonism but wanted to know where he stood on the issues.

Mr. DeMoss also addressed skepticism about the authenticity of Mr. Romney’s relatively recent conversion from supporter of abortion rights to opponent, noting the whole point of the anti-abortion movement was to convince people to change their positions.

But at the heart of his memo is a series of hypotheticals. “Someone is almost certain to appoint two, three, or four justices to the Supreme Court. Do we want that person to be Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney?”

“Someone will deal with the definition of marriage in America — and will either defend and model a faithful marriage and strong family, or not. Who should that person be?”

“Someone will either defend unborn life — or defend those who place their rights and deisres above those who can’t be defined themselves. Would we prefer that Clinton, Giuliani or Romney be in that position?”

He closed by urging the leaders to familiarize themselves with the primary calendar and the urgency of the schedule and to “pray fervently for this election.”

[chumdawg]

I have very little patience for narrow-minded "one issue" voters. Just to name a couple examples, gays vote Democrat and pro-lifers vote Republican. But when it comes down to it, what has either party really done for those groups? You get a lot of rhetoric but not much action.

I'd like to see Americans make better informed decisions, which consider all the relevant issues and arrive at reasonable conclusions.

[dalmations202]

Too many sheeple in the US to make educated, informed decisions.

[Jack.Kerr]

October 19, 2007
Sen. Brownback Drops Out Of 2008 Campaign
By REUTERS

Filed at 5:11 p.m. ET

TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) - Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas, a two-term U.S. senator whose presidential campaign failed to draw money or widespread support from an intended base of religious conservatives, dropped out of the 2008 White House race on Friday.

"Today I'm ending my candidacy. My yellow brick road just came short of the White House this time," said Brownback, who was flanked by a small group of supporters as he announced his decision from the state capitol in Topeka.

Brownback, a practicing Roman Catholic who billed himself as a conservative Christian defender of family values, had just $94,000 in campaign funds at the end of September after finishing third in the Iowa straw poll in August.

When Brownback announced his candidacy in January he was seen by some political analysts as a darling of the religious right, the type of unshakable social conservative who could do well in key early voting states like Iowa.

Christian activists exerted strong influence in Republican nominating primaries and were courted heavily by President George W. Bush in his 2004 reelection.

Brownback said in January he was seeking the presidency because he wanted to renew "the family and the culture" in America. Among his stated goals were energy independence, an alternative flat tax, an improved health care system, protecting marriage from homosexual unions and opposing abortion.

[Jack.Kerr]

Lengthy (10-page) article in today's NYTimes about the current political state of Evangelicals and the role they may play in the upcoming elections. Interesting. Especially in light of Brownback's previous withdrawal, which suggests to me that the more red-assed fundamentalists are having a difficult time getting potential voters among Evangelicals to put the believers' money where the candidates' mouths are.

On the off-chance that there might be one or two people who post here who identify as Evangelical, is any of this account consistent with your experience and what you observe in your own evangelical congreation? Are there similar divisions among Evangelicals in Texas as the writer describes in Kansas? Are they breaking the same away around the same issues? Would be interested to hear.

Link here http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/ma...pagewanted=all,

page one below.

The Evangelical Crackup

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: October 28, 2007

The hundred-foot white cross atop the Immanuel Baptist Church in downtown Wichita, Kan., casts a shadow over a neighborhood of payday lenders, pawnbrokers and pornographic video stores. To its parishioners, this has long been the front line of the culture war. Immanuel has stood for Southern Baptist traditionalism for more than half a century. Until recently, its pastor, Terry Fox, was the Jerry Falwell of the Sunflower State — the public face of the conservative Christian political movement in a place where that made him a very big deal.

With flushed red cheeks and a pudgy, dimpled chin, Fox roared down from Immanuel’s pulpit about the wickedness of abortion, evolution and homosexuality. He mobilized hundreds of Kansas pastors to push through a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, helping to unseat a handful of legislators in the process. His Sunday-morning services reached tens of thousands of listeners on regional cable television, and on Sunday nights he was a host of a talk-radio program, “Answering the Call.” Major national conservative Christian groups like Focus on the Family lauded his work, and the Southern Baptist Convention named him chairman of its North American Mission Board.

For years, Fox flaunted his allegiance to the Republican Party, urging fellow pastors to make the same “confession” and calling them “sissies” if they didn’t. “We are the religious right,” he liked to say. “One, we are religious. Two, we are right.”

His congregation, for the most part, applauded. Immanuel and Wichita’s other big churches were seedbeds of the conservative Christian activism that burst forth three decades ago. In the 1980s, when theological conservatives pushed the moderates out of the Southern Baptist Convention, Immanuel and Fox were both at the forefront. In 1991, when Operation Rescue brought its “Summer of Mercy” abortion protests to Wichita, Immanuel’s parishioners leapt to the barricades, helping to establish the city as the informal capital of the anti-abortion movement. And Fox’s confrontational style packed ever more like-minded believers into the pews. He more than doubled Immanuel’s official membership to more than 6,000 and planted the giant cross on its roof.

So when Fox announced to his flock one Sunday in August last year that it was his final appearance in the pulpit, the news startled evangelical activists from Atlanta to Grand Rapids. Fox told the congregation that he was quitting so he could work full time on “cultural issues.” Within days, The Wichita Eagle reported that Fox left under pressure. The board of deacons had told him that his activism was getting in the way of the Gospel. “It just wasn’t pertinent,” Associate Pastor Gayle Tenbrook later told me.

Fox, who is 47, said he saw some impatient shuffling in the pews, but he was stunned that the church’s lay leaders had turned on him. “They said they were tired of hearing about abortion 52 weeks a year, hearing about all this political stuff!” he told me on a recent Sunday afternoon. “And these were deacons of the church!”

These days, Fox has taken his fire and brimstone in search of a new pulpit. He rented space at the Johnny Western Theater at the Wild West World amusement park until it folded. Now he preaches at a Best Western hotel. “I don’t mind telling you that I paid a price for the political stands I took,” Fox said. “The pendulum in the Christian world has swung back to the moderate point of view. The real battle now is among evangelicals.”