Posted on 09/27/2006 11:30:48 AM PDT by truthandlife
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey has launched an attack on Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, saying Dobson and his "band of thugs” are "nasty bullies” and accusing the Republicans of pandering to the Christian right.
In an interview with Ryan Sager, author of the book "The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians, and the Battle to Control the Republican Party,” Armey said the GOP was "adrift and rudderless” in its commitment to small government.
When pressed by Sager about what he feels is wrong with today’s Republican Congress, Armey – who became majority leader when the GOP took control of Congress in 1994 and retired in 2003 – said: "The criteria of choice in just about every behavior you see in Congress today is politics. Where in the hell did this Terri Schiavo thing come from? There’s not a conservative, Constitution-loving, separation-of-powers guy alive in the world that could have wanted that bill on the floor.
"That was pure, blatant pandering to James Dobson. That’s all it was. It was silly, stupid, and irresponsible. Nobody serious about the Constitution would do that. But the question was will this energize our Christian conservative base for the next election.”
Sager asked why it seems that Christian conservatives are more powerful now than in the 1990s. Armey replied: "To a large extent because Dobson and his gang of thugs are real nasty bullies. I pray devoutly every day, but being a Christian is no excuse for being stupid. There’s a high demagoguery coefficient to issues like prayer in schools. Demagoguery doesn’t work unless it’s dumb . . . These issues are easy for the intellectually lazy and can appeal to a large demographic.”
Armey, who was first elected as a Congressman from Texas in 1984, toned down his remarks – but only slightly – in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 23. He again brought up Dobson: "The national representatives of the social conservative movement used to be sophisticated and tolerant. Today, they are sophomoric and angry. It's an embarrassing spectacle seeing leaders bullied around by the likes of James Dobson, or watching the Christian Coalition team up with MoveOn.org in support of bigger government.”
Armey – now chairman of FreedomWorks, a national grassroots advocacy organization – did not reserve his criticism for the GOP, going on to write: "Perhaps the only thing more embarrassing than being a loyal Republican in this election season is being a loyal Democrat. Although the party has offered no proposal to fix Social Security, the aspiring House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate majority leader hopeful, Harry Reid, held yet another press conference recently denouncing the secret Republican plan to "privatize" the failing entitlement.
"While Democrat pollsters are no doubt telling their candidates that the P-word will effectively scare seniors and other swing constituencies to the polls, this strategy has consistently failed in past election cycles.”
I ain't buyin' it. Abortion and assisted suicide were illegal way back in those very, very small government days.
If you and Armey want to take the libertarian side of those arguments, fine, but don't accuse those who disagree of being "big government" types, because we're not.
Come to think of it, if we are a dime a dozen lately, wouldn't that indicate that lately there's a been a particular amount of discontent?
Maybe hold some of the same positions but to actually work for them??
WHAT THE ACLU HAS DONE:
The ACLU's founder, Roger Baldwin, stated: "We are for SOCIALISM, disarmament, and ultimately for abolishing the state itself... We seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class, and the SOLE CONTROL of those who produce wealth. COMMUNISM is the goal." (Source: Trial and Error, by Geo. Grant)
Following are some of the stated goals of the ACLU, from its own published Policy Issues:
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the legalization of prostitution (Policy 211);
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the defense of all pornography, including CHILD PORN, as "free speech" (Policy 4);
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the decriminalization and legalization of all drugs (Policy 210);
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the promotion of homosexuality (Policy 264);
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the opposition of rating of music and movies (Policy 18);
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opposition against parental consent of minors seeking abortion (Policy 262);
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opposition of informed consent preceding abortion procedures (Policy 263);
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opposition of spousal consent preceding abortion (Policy 262);
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opposition of parental choice in children's education (Policy 80)
-- not to mention the defense and promotion of euthanasia, polygamy, government control of church institutions, gun control, tax-funded abortion, birth limitation, etc. (Policies 263, 133, 402, 47, 261, 323, 271, 91, 85).
Following is a case in point (from David Barton's "America: To Pray or Not to Pray").
It's amazing what half a bottle of scotch will strip off.
Oops. Should have said homosexual, not homesexual.
Since when is murdering helpless disabled people in their beds, by the most heinous means possible, a "Constitutional" thing to do?
Every heard of the God-given right to life, liberty and property?
Ever read Article One, Section Two of the Florida constitution?
That's EXACTLY what is happening. Hey, if they want to play that game, they can just get along fine without the 24 million votes from the Religious Right. Then we'll see how well they play in 2008.
Where did I say that?
That is actually what the McCain and Giuliani supporters have said already. They don't want, and they don't NEED the Christian vote. Let them pound sand.
Evangelicals wouldn't have had to complain so loudly had they been listened to between elections. The RINOs want us in their coalition but don't want to make any concessions on issues that are important to evangelicals.
Values voters (ie practicing Catholics and Evangelicals) were the key change in the country's political alignment in the Reagan revolution. Reagan brought a lot of former dems into the party that way. My observation is that Values voters are generally also in favor of tax decreases, smaller government, devolving power to state governments, and pursuing the WOT. OTOH, moderate R's are generally in favor of higher taxes, larger government, and a nuanced approach to the WOT. Undecideds are even worse than the moderate R's. Have your coalition with them and watch taxes go up and the federal gov grow at twice it's currently unacceptable pace.
So what Armey really wants to do is toss the strongest support for smaller government out in the name of smaller government. Armey's a smart guy but he's way off base on this.
One more point, I run the GOTV for a large swing county. It's those folks you and Armey so despise that stuff envelopes, walk precincts, and man the phone banks. 90 plus percent. Good luck finding RINO's or moderates willing to work. I've had no luck in that regard.
I see that you an an evolutionist. That explains your opposition to the Religious Right.
Tell that to soon to be governor Ken Blackwell. Oh, he won't being living in the Governors mansion?
While I like the "Focus on the Family" radio show, Dobson has endorsed sleazy candidates this year from Tom Gallagher in FL to Boob McEwen in OH. Endorsements like these undermine the moral credibility of Dobson.
I don't mix religion and politics. It's lethal. the religious right is largely made up of unreconstructed southern democrats who have no interest in fiscal conservatism, personal liberty, free trade, capitalism, limited government. In other words, populists.
Huh??
Wow, thanks for illustrating his point so quickly.
Which is exactly the reason I'm not voting for the Democrats at the national level. But it's getting to be the only thing keeping me with the GOP.
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