Posted on 09/19/2007 7:14:10 PM PDT by pissant
DENVER (AP) — James Dobson, one of the nation's most politically influential evangelical Christians, made it clear in a message to friends this week he will not support Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson.
In a private e-mail obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives.
"Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?" Dobson wrote.
"He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to.' And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!"
The founder and chairman of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, Dobson draws a radio audience in the millions, many of whom who first came to trust the child psychologist for his conservative Christian advice on child-rearing.
Gary Schneeberger, a Focus on the Family spokesman, confirmed that Dobson wrote the e-mail. Schneeberger declined to comment further, saying it would be inappropriate because Dobson's comments about presidential candidates are made as an individual and not as a representative of Focus on the Family, a nonprofit organization restricted from partisan politics.
Dobson's strong words about Thompson underscore the frustration and lack of unity among Christian conservatives about the GOP field. Some Christian right leaders have pinned their hopes on Thompson, describing him as a Southern-fried Ronald Reagan. But others have voiced doubts in recent weeks about some of the same issues Dobson highlighted: his position on gay marriage and support for the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation.
Dobson and other Christian conservatives support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would bar gay marriage nationally. Thompson has said he would support a constitutional amendment that would prohibit states from imposing their gay marriage laws on other states, which falls well short of that.
Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the Thompson campaign, said Wednesday in response to the Dobson e-mail: "Fred Thompson has a 100 percent pro-life voting record. He believes strongly in returning authority to the levels of government closest to families and communities, protecting states from intrusion by the federal government and activist judges.
"We're confident as voters get to know Fred, they'll appreciate his conservative principles, and he is the one conservative in this race who can win the nomination and can go on to defeat the Democratic nominee."
In his e-mail addressed "Dear friends," Dobson includes the text of a recent news story highlighting Thompson's statement that while he was baptized in the Church of Christ, he does not attend church regularly and won't speak about his faith on the stump.
U.S. News and World Report quoted Dobson earlier this year as questioning Thompson's commitment to the Christian faith — comments Dobson contended were not put in proper context. Dobson in this week's e-mail writes that suppositions "about the former senator's never having professed to be a Christian are turning out to be accurate in substance."
Earlier this year, Dobson said he wouldn't back John McCain because of the Arizona senator's opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Later, Dobson wrote on a conservative news Web site that he wouldn't support former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani should he win the Republican nomination. Dobson called Giuliani an "unapologetic supporter of abortion on demand" and criticized him for signing a bill in 1997 creating domestic-partnership benefits in New York City.
Last week, Dobson announced on his radio show that the IRS had cleared him of accusations that he had endangered his organization's nonprofit status by endorsing Republican candidates in 2004. The IRS said Dobson, who endorsed President Bush's re-election bid, was acting as an individual and not on behalf of the nonprofit group.
I believe this is largely correct. My sister converted to Mormonism and decided to marry another Mormon at the big temple in Salt Lake City. Nobody on our side of the family was allowed to enter the temple and my sister had to have church-appointed surrogates stand in as parents of the bride while ger real mother stood outside, unable to witness the event.
FWIW, I don't condemn the Church for this. Every religion has their rules. But I do know my mother and I know wild horses wouldn't have kept her from attending the wedding of her first-born but for the locked door of the temple that kept her out.
It was talking about LDS Church members and almost half are excluded from their own temples!
Fortunately for me, I agree with nearly all of his stances AND he makes me feel safe.
I’ve got logic and heart both covered.
I’ve been trying to get excited about Fred, but he makes it so hard. I keep thinking about Dole. Only Dole had a more spring in his step.
“I was once told that when you write an email, write it as if it would be published on the front page of the newspaper. There is always a chance that is may end up there.”
Good point!
Which makes me sad for the Christian community, as it speaks of a horrific decline. Billy Graham, God bless him, understood the difference between what is God's and what is Caesar's.
>Actually, “he managed to lead Lswrenceburg High to the state championships in basketball and football.”<
He couldn’t do it today, my friend.
I think we have a winner!
Always follow the money trail.
“my guess is someone made a little donation to this guys ministry in that last coupla weeks. someone not from the fred camp.”
Dobson first expressed doubts about Thompson several months ago, to the effect that he doesn’t think he’s really a Christian. I’m not sure how he’s gauged that, unless he’s expecting it to manifest itself through works, but everyone expresses their faith differently. Thompson might not be a Christian in the fundamentalist sense, and so some claim that means he isn’t really a Christian.
That's creepy. Secrecy is one of the hallmarks of a cult. I thought the LDS were free of it.
According to whom?
During the eight years that Thompson and McCain served together, they cast votes on 102 CQ-defined key votes and agreed on 83 of them - or 81.4 percent of the time. They disagreed 18.6% of the time, that’s pretty high considering that both are Republicans and both are considered relatively conservative. Just as an example from one year, among the instances in which Thompson and McCain differed were votes in 2002 to effectively extend a repeal of the estate tax beyond 2010, to authorize oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to postpone tougher automobile fuel efficiency standards. Thompson voted “aye” and McCain voted “no” in all three cases.
Some key SenateMatch responses for Fred Thompson and John McCain:
“Abortion is a woman’s right”
Fred: Strongly Opposes (voted to ban partial-birth abortion)
McCain: Opposes (voted to allow partial-birth abortion)
“Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws”
Fred: Strongly Opposes
McCain: Favors
“More federal funding for health coverage”
Fred: Opposes
McCain: Favors
“Replace coal & oil with alternatives”
Fred: Opposes (Voted to preserve budget for ANWR oil drilling)
McCain: Favors (Voted to kill budget for ANWR oil drilling
“Allow churches to provide welfare services”
Fred: Favors
McCain: Opposes
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Fred_Thompson.htm
http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/John_McCain_VoteMatch.htm
“”Nobody on our side of the family was allowed to enter the temple and my sister had to have church-appointed surrogates stand in as parents of the bride while ger real mother stood outside, unable to witness the event.””
How do you describe a group like that? Oh ya now I remember the word.
Thank goodness men in their 60’s don’t have to play high school basketball to win an election.
Between him and Newt Gingrich (who said on O'Reilly tonight that the Dems will take the White House), I want to puke.
Folks, some of our formerly stable GOP leaders, elders, philosophers and supporters are turning loony and trying to create turmoil in our ranks. Is it their own self-perceived power that's doing this? Or compulsive quests for the spotlight at the expense of their former good sense and principles?
Newt has turned bonkers and has non-stop diarrhea of the mouth while Dobson is throwing perverse, hypocritical hissy-fits.
God help us, we have to remain strong and shield ourselves against these false prophets and con artists circulating among us.
Leni
Not having a Federal Marriage Amendment leaves rogue state citizens at the states mercy, and mercy they will not get. When families are broken down, so is society and the country. Government has a vested interest in preventing that from happening. It also has a vested interest in seeing to it that each state remains a Representative Government, as the Constitution dictates. When States or courts determine these issues, the public is not represented, thus such action is unconstitutional. That is when the Fed. govt should step in and tell that state there actions are unconstitutional.
I thought lying was against Biblical principles, didn’t you?
Just like Clinton won in 96 after a terrible 94, we too can win again in 08.
Its Hillary after all. You have to be a very devout dem to cast a vote for her.
Ooo. That adds a lot to the discussion.
“Not all care to live the eternal Law!”
It was talking about LDS Church members and almost half are excluded from their own temples!
***
What more can I say we do have free will to live at the level we feel comfortable in.
Oh my, soooooo much wrong there, I wouldn’t know where to start, so I will decline.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.