McCain's Senior Advisor: Religious Right is a "Serious Problem"
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Mar 18, 2008 1:30pm
One of John McCain's senior advisors has publicly declared that the religious right is a "serious problem." While I would certainly agree, this statement comes at a time when his candidate has embraced some key leaders -- and is further courting this faction of the party, which mostly did not support in him in the primaries. The Washington correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, speaking to an audience of young Jews on behalf of the McCain campaign, had some things to say about the religious right that reminded us of the McCain of old who once denounced Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance." They also underscore that John McCain has become the very kind of panderer he once denounced.
Eagleburger, Schmuel Rosner writes
"did not mince his words. In a response to a question about the religious right, an important component of the Republican coalition, he said that it was, indeed "a serious problem," and reminded his listeners that he now lives in Charlottesville, surrounded by such people that he needs to fight.
One would think that this is not exactly what McCain needs, while he is trying to win over this reluctant constituency. But Eagleburger calmed these young Jews by promising that McCain will not change his ways to please anyone. And he did not forget to take a swipe on Rush Limbaugh - not for the first time - even while forgetting, or pretending to forget, his name.
It is not clear from the context of the article, in what ways Eagleburger views the religious right as a problem.
He might begin by considering that his candidate John McCain has pandered to the religious right by declaring, and refusing to retract the idea that
"the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation."
I'm guessing that Eagleburger hasn't ever heard anything that Hagee--an endorsement that McCain actively and aggressively sought--said regarding the Catholic church or Katrina-stricken New Orleans.
Barack Obama had to make multiple statements denouncing TUCC's Rev. Wright...where's the outrage over this?
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Meanwhile, a Rabbi, Left Out of ‘Political Clergy Wars,’ Jumps Into the Fray
Religious right. Religious left.
As far as I'm concerned religion is a problem, period!
If God punished New Orleans for having a gay pride parade, why didn't he just wipe out Key West while he was at it. They are not too far apart.
Why do Republicans, conservatives, Christians and John McCain hate America?
religion is a problem????? No,.......... say it ain't so/
What's with this guy and his 'hand wiping'? Weird.
Also, he's full of it. McCain was endorsed by Hagee.
How is John McCain fit for command?
Didn't he surrender to the Viet Cong?
Has the baby jebus officially endorsed McCain yet, or is he going the John Edwards route?
"Eagleburger" - man, I've always gotten a kick out of that name.
Abbybwood @ 2:
AGREED!!!
We Interrupt This Program For A Short Meesage From The Decider In Chief
http://tinyurl.com/3y7nmn
Hahahaaha....I'm sorry, but it just doesn't sound right no matter how it's worded. McCain has "senior" advisors.
eagleburger, himself, is a nutjob. but he is right for once, the religious right is a SERIOUS problem. and not just for mccain--for the whole world.
danger has a new name: rightwing christian crazies
Abbybwood @ 2:
Hear here! I call them religious whackos just to provoke them and get their blood pressure up. Ask them about speaking in tongues and rolling if you really want to see them get going. Now I'm not talking about religious folks who live according to the teachings of Christ (introspection, humility, self-sacrifice) but right-wing "rapture" christians who seem to think Jeebus drives an SUV and lusts over Arab oil.
I thought I heard over the weekend that Rev. Wrights TUCC was the largest church of it's denomination? Will someone please tell me if I heard correctly, or that I misheard, or dreamt this.
If my thought is correct, wouldn't us whities being asked to denounce Obama for attending the most attended church of his denomination be the height of hypocrisy, and aren't we also denouncing Afro-Americans in general for having "bad taste" in religion. I am a liberal fanatic, and an Obama supporter!
So, the religious LEFT is a big problem too then, right? Wright?
jimt @ 13:
Religion has been the cause of most wars thoughout history. It is a POX on society, and the reason for most hatred in the world.
If there is a God, do you really think he would care what you called him( Jesus, Mohammad, Vishna), as long as you believed in him, by what ever name you choose to use?
Leaving threatening notes on Eagleburger's chair? These "Christians" are like the fucking mob.
so which christian organization will it be when a mccain surrogate tells it that "jews are a serious problem"?
Oh my freaking God
http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/031208_marine_music
IdahoMoe @ 9:
Please explain the "religious left" and who or what do they try to influence?
Left&Left @ 20:
why, the religious right of course.
Abbybwood @ 2:
WORD!
These damn churchies are harshin my mellow!
And YES...I have been waitin for awhile to work that into a conversation. WHAT?!
The corporate/ repiglican media is a fucking disgrace .. a fucking sin .. a criminal enterprise like the mafia itself .. it is the new 'axis of evil' .. and 'clear and present' danger to what is left of our democracy, what is left of our once great country called America. They sit there in front of you via the TV screen, all dressed up in their million dollar suites and ties, their million dollar dresses, and fucking lie to you in the face, with a straight face while collecting their million dollar paydays to be among the 'media elite'. They no longer have souls: in their place simply stands rancid abscesses full of the puss of evil itself.
sassafra @ 21:
But what about the religious middle? NOBODY talks about those poor bastards!
Don Davis @ 1:
Ah, that's good stuff there!
L.A. Confidential @ 19:
OK...that's just bad...real bad...
L.A. Confidential @ 19:
Come on Natalie. Come out and RAISE SOME HELL BABE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don Davis @ 1:
Oh we need that statement said in a deep Ted Knight (from Super Friends) type voice!
Isn't it funny how the right acts? there talk about Dems being elitists, but c-mon! who's more elitist then the Republicans? "If you don't think exactly like I think I will disown you as a neighbor, as a citizen, as a family member!"
L.A. Confidential @ 10:
Thanks SO much!!! This is hilarious! and it brought back some great memories.
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 24:
it's like talking about the crazy aunt you keep hidden up in the attic.
barkleyg @ 16:
I call him Steve.
Interesting subject considering Easter is coming up. I have always wondered why Religions celebrate Easter to coincide with Christ's death, when in reality Easter was a pagan holiday celebrated hundreds of years before the supposed Christ (2nd or 3rd one according to scholars) was even conceived. Why is that after "Christ's" death around 33AD, that for more than four decades, there is no mention of this person in any historical records. Where was Christianity then? I've asked ministers this, and was given the old "let's not discuss that" brush off. I think Christianity is the biggest hoax ever perpetuated on the world, with absolutely no evidence to back up anyone's claims of texts written by men. If you take out the folklore and obvious tales from the bible, you are left with nothing.
Yellow Elephant Safari (Hussein) @ 31:
BLASPHEMER!!!! His NAME is BOB!
Yellow Elephant Safari (Hussein) @ 31:
And I call him/her Rhonda... you know... Help me Rhonda!!!
Dean makes a scream, he's disqualified, Obama's Pastor makes a scream, Obama is disqualified, Clinton doesn't release her tax returns for 8 straight years, McCain tells a lie three times in two days of Al Qaeda coming from Iran!!!... and both Clinton and McCain are given a green light to steal another trillion from American people... while tent cities in California are growing with each passing day.
Only in America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiVP1JVCGU
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 32:
It's SOP for religious crusaders. Kill off the majority of the population, subjugate the survivors and co-opt their festivals to make their former religion pointless.
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 33:
Bless me Bob, for I have sinned.
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 32:
Exactly! And so nevermind what everyone's said or written in that oh-so-special-account called the bible... life is ours to live, each and every one of us, and we get to do it with dignity, grace, integrity, honestly, nonjudgement, and peace if we choose to. Nevermind what the eff someone else tells you!
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 32:
Jesus is an amalgamation of 3 or more people from his era. His name wasn't even Jesus(which is his LATIN name)! If you remember last years discovery of the book of Judas(?), the good ol' catholic church had many books to choose from to include in the new Bible, and the book of Judas wasn't one of them. The top dog christians of the period decided which books to include, and many to exclude. Think of the new bible of an earlier version of the "Canterbury Tales".
So, technically, wouldn't Jesus be no more or less than othe PAGAN figure from previous religions- not a real person, but something to pray to?
Fire away, all you religious Chritianistas!
McCain has senior advisers? My god, they must be a hundred years old!
barkleyg @ 14:
Can someone please answer this question( the one about Wright, not whether I am crazy or not)?
Yellow Elephant Safari (Hussein) @ 37:
Bob says no problem...send him money...for the great and powerful Bob is broke and wants pizza!
barkleyg @ 41:
I'll do my best...yes....and yes...yes...liberal, yes...fanatic, not so much...me too!
barkleyg @ 39:
Well, it's no secret that early xtians use pre-existing pagan holidays to get their own brand of deity in the door...every holiday these sunday xtians get frothy at the mouth for, have deep roots in paganism. That's how the wonderful world of xtianity spread it's foul seed so far and wide, so rapidly.
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 42:
I thought his name was Dick! Bless me Dick, for parts of me have sinned.
I, too, see the religious right as a HUGE PROBLEM, but not for any of the reasons the Republicans would; just because it exists, troubles me. Yuk.
Side Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs
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* Major - Tardive dyskinesia - Severe neurological disorder, Facial tics, tongue protrudes, HAND WRINGING
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I really do not, and have not understood the logic in McCain's campaign strategy. Winning the Republican nomination DESPITE the vigorous opposition from the most reactionary elements of the party, kicking off your general election campaign by courting those very extremists makes no tactical sense, whatsoever.
It would be like a "Centrist" Democrat winning the nomination despite strong opposition from the party's most liberal membership, then heading into an election contest by courting the faction (s)he'd just beaten. It would be political suicide.
The voters in the general election are in their sum more liberal than those in the Republican primary, and far more conservative than those in the Democratic primaries. You don't win those races from the center, then veer off into the extremes that you've just beaten... unless you WANT to lose.
I suppose that is always a possibility.
Yeah, like they're a crazy old uncle that says things that you just can't believe. That you find abhorent and totally disagree with. But he's part of who you are. You can't disown the religious right anymore than you could that crazy old family member . . .
Ooops.
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 45:
Common practice for all new religious inroads.
My favorite part is that Easter is on a different date every year. It's based on the occurence of the full moon. How pagan is that!
McCain embraces the Religious Right?
I thought they were all homophobic.
Didn't see this news on the mainstream media this week?
Why the "blackout"?
So why isn't anyone also going after Dana Milbank?
I didn't see any followup questioning regarding Hagee, nor did I hear him mention it in his cute little wrap-up at the end.
barkleyg @ 39:
ConcernedHusseinCanuck @ 32:
jimt @ 13:
Abbybwood @ 2:
Abbybwood: In a secular state that forbids us religious folk from instituting any test, and even the founder of the religion teaches that, I agree!
Jimt: Those right-wingers don't even probably realize Yehoshua didn't speak English, so what do you call them Christian for?
ConcernedHusseinCanuck (see below): Tacitus refers to Christians, I believe in AD 60 persecuted by Emperor Nero. BTW, you think Christianity was evil, imagine what Basil II and Charlemagne would have done with Manichaeism. That faith in its infancy made Torquemada and the Crusaders look like Choir boys.
BarkleyG: As a mystery cult in the days of the Roman Empire that originated based on a failed apocalyptic Essene, I wouldn't be surprised if Eurohindu myths got mixed up with the teachings of Yehoshua. IMHO, there was one apocalyptic carpenter named Yehoshua who got the luck of the draw and His faith got chosen by Constantine the Great to make himself unopposed. I am certain that the "Jesus" these people worship has little relevance even to history. That said, I stand by Christianity because it is tradition. Had things developed a little differently, I would be saying the same thing about the God of Light and his war against Darkness. It didn't develop that way.
"I stand by Christianity because it is tradition."
That's a horrible argument, easily defeated by the statement "slavery was tradition for many years".
Christianity is retarded, all religion is retarded, and people who believe in the supernatural are delusional (even tho some of you are nice).
Jesus Hussein Christ @ 56:
What do you believe in Issac Newton?
Joe! @ 57:
Yeah, somethin' about science, or some shit like that.
Jesus Hussein Christ @ 58:
"All proof is always a subsequent undertaking on the basis of presuppositions." -- Heidegger
Jesus Hussein Christ @ 58:
Science doesn't disprove or prove the existence of a god. If you're serious about your subject you should know that.
Joe! @ 60:
"God" disproves itself by having absolutely zero evidence to support it. It's a dead subject with no basis in reality.
Science isn't in the business of disproving fairytales. If scientists were concerned about "disproving" every crackpot piece of garbage, the world's scientists would be busy every day disproving fairy's, dragons, loch ness monsters, ghosts, [Deleted. Site Monitor], Bigfoot and every other piece of junk that the delusional try to shove in our faces every day.
[Hey, Jesus, thanks for the sacrifice and salvation, really...But are you trying to kill me with references like that? Let's not resurrect old flame wars, please. Site Monitor]
Religious right is a serious problem. Ron Paul hasn't dropped out still, and a lot of the ardent born agains I know in extremely rural eastern Oregon and Washington plan on voting for him.
Jesus Hussein Christ @ 61:
Your pathetic ignorance proves you have no existence in reality.
you will not hear any outrage over mcfuckup's endorsements
of the extreme biggoted and racial
religiousreichneocons.ruppert murdock is as extreme in his religious views and
owns most of the media in Americal.
Joe! @ 63:
Pathetic ignorance?
You're the one who believes in supernatural beings, not me, buddy. Someone needs punishment of 100 articles by Dawkins, and a heaping of C. Hitchens.
Jesus Hussein Christ @ 56:
How nice. Mind telling me how secular ideologies like Communism (Fascism is a hybrid) are somehow better? Oh, wait, millions of dead people from the Holdomor, the Cultural Revolution, Pol Pot's insanity, the slaughter the Soviets opened in Afghanistan, and Kim Jong Il's torturing his people are somehow better? Communism in a span of decades equalled the death toll it took religion 49, 910 years to match. Thank you, I'll stick with the killing amateurs, rather than such secular snakes as Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, both Kims, Marshal Tito, any of them.
Jesus Hussein Christ @ 65:
They have nice, pretty language. In 1917 they would have sung the praises of the Bolshevik Revolution, just like Bertrand Russell did. Do you think the 60 million Soviets their government killed since 1917 until the collapse would agree with that charitable assessment of Mr. Russell's?
I'll give Dawkins this: he's the perfect mirror of what Jerry Falwell would have been in an atheist world, only without the fatness and with more charisma. ;)
I stand by the notion that supernatural beings are less bloody in the span of decades than pseudoatheistic communism. I realize Sovietism wasn't purely atheist. As for Nazism, I consider it to be Christianity, but Stalin still punked Hitler in the killings sweepstakes when they were both in power.
Hitler at most in the Shoah killed twelve million, in the name of good old-fashioned Catholicism. Good old U.S. ally Uncle Joe? Twenty million. Even the dark side of religion still loses to the Soviets.
A former pastor of Obama (for 20 years) who married him, baptized him, gave a sermon who inspired him, and was a spiritual adviser to him is comparable to a some religious right winger who endorsed McCain? Come on.
John @ 68:
How many divisions has Jeremiah Wright? Now, compare that with the Fundie packing of the Army and their leaders keeping the ear of the American Hezbollah and tell me which should concern you more?
Jay Severin Has a Small Pen1s @ 3:
Hatred is their "natural" state of mind. It's not to hard to hate others, especially when you hate yourself.
You ask: "I’m guessing that Eagleburger hasn’t ever heard anything that Hagee–an endorsement that McCain actively and aggressively sought–said regarding the Catholic church or Katrina-stricken New Orleans....Barack Obama had to make multiple statements denouncing TUCC’s Rev. Wright…where’s the outrage over this? "
You're looking at it. This blog and other progressive web sites have picked up on this hypocrisy and will employ it in counter measures against the right wingnut dissing of Obama from now until election time, noting that both candidates have their "crosses to bear" (you should pardon the expression) when it comes to religious affiliations. Give me Rev. Wright any day over Hagee. At least one of them tells the truth, however much it hurts.
Dana@5: I'm with you. As I watched this clip I couldn't take my eyes off his little girl hands.I wonder what a body language expert would say about the constant hand wringing.For anyone to be that nervous,they must be hiding a lot of guilt, about something!
This just says what we all know...
It's ok to say you hate queers, abortionists, and secularists.
It's not ok to say you hate, or are even mad at or in disagreement with, America.
If America is just fine, why does it need to "Change?"
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