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.
“Will I become God of my own planet?”
You know that Heavenly Father is preparing a mansion for you, right? If yours came complete with its own planet, would you be horribly offended?
Where are you getting this strange doctrine? If from Scripture, please point it out to me. Are you a member of an orthodox church? Strange stuff....
“False information”? Where are the ancient manuscripts from the Book of Mormon? There aren’t any, because Joseph Smith made it up, claiming to have translated it from some golden Egyptian tablets — using divining stones that he placed in hat. Is that false information? No, it’s absolutely true.
***
They are not golden Egyptian tablets you are stretching and distorting the truth again
Where is the Arc of the Covenant was that made up too and Noah Ark?
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that Fred Thompson is the top choice for 26% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. In the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. Rudy Giuliani is the favorite for just 21%. John McCain is preferred by 14% and Mitt Romney attracts support from 13%. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee remains atop the second tier at 5%
Time will tell, of course, but I think your obituary is just a tad premature. If Rudi gets the nomination, I believe Dobson has said he won't support him, either.
Why does Jesus get tempted time and time again by Satan? Satan declared that anyone here would follow him! GOD specifically disproved it! He was not punished by GOD, he was fulfilling prophecy. He knew it.
He's really not as "flip-flop" as some would make him out to be. His record is one of a pro-life fiscal conservative who held the line against an aggressively anti-gun, 85% Democrat legislature in Massachusetts. And there's no reason to punish someone who has actually listen to conservatives and adopted more and more of their positions over the years. In fact, that's what we want our elected representatives to do.
You whole understanding is simular of a mind of a reprobate!
“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
There is absolutely no way that you could be more right on target with what you have posted. Guys like Dobson, like Pat Robertson before him have a very inflated opinion of themselves and think their opinions have the power to sway candidates and public opinion. Wrong-o. We individually have minds of our own and do not take marching orders from anyone.....even preachers who we respect otherwise.
Mahalo, everyone
“Why should I listen to some preacher about who to vote for?”
Dr. James Dobson is not a preacher. This country could use more men like him. Here is his bio. Read and learn.
James C. Dobson, Ph.D., is founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, a non-profit organization that produces his internationally syndicated radio programs, heard on over 3,000 radio facilities in North America and in twenty seven languages in approximately 4,130 additional facilities in over 160 other countries.
His commentaries are heard by more than 220 million people by way of radio every day, including a translation of a program carried on state-owned radio stations in the Republic of China. He is seen on approximately 60 television stations daily in the U.S.
Dobson was for 14 years an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and served for 17 years on the Attending Staff of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles in the Division of Child Development and Medical Genetics. He has an earned Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (1967) in the field of child development. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of California and a licensed marriage, family and child counselor in both California and Colorado. He is listed in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare.
God is the one who has the power to put in office who ever HE wants. He may just give us Hallary to put us CHristians on our knees again like He did during BIll Climton’s era until HE gave us GWB
Please Lord have mercy on us and give us a Godly man like our Dear Beloved Chosen President GWBush.
Very clever; of course the planet idea has no scriptural basis, and you conveniently ignore the word "God" in the question, but we'll just gloss over that.
Where is “your own planet with multiple wives” mentioned in Scripture? It’s not. Scripture does speak of A new heaven and new earth, though.
This is but one example of the false doctrine that Joseph invented. It’s my prayer you see this before you breath your last.
And please don’t hate Christians because of my exasperated tone. Search the Scriptures for yourself, and consider the evidence for yourself. Don’t let my strong tone turn you off to the pure gospel.
pretty odd for a conservative sight...i woulda never thought I’d live to see Christian and Conservative become labels so sneered at by some who can barely hold back their glee and mask their own personal non-Christian bigotry cloaked as objectiveness.
But that said.....Dobson is wrong. I doubt seriously Fred will do anything unrighteous about homosexuals or abortion or school prayer etc.
Just because he ain’t running as a preacher doesn’t mean Fred doesn’t know right. I believe he does, I’m more concerned about what he wants to do about the illegals.
I have pretty good faith in him on most else.
“No one is keeping a worthy child of God out of the Lord’s Temple!”
I read an article the other day that said only about 60% of Mormons are allowed in the temples. And the article was written by a Mormon working for Romney’s campaign.
Whats up with that?
Catholics won’t let you take communion in the Catholic church unless you believe that the bread and wine are the literal body and blood of Christ.
Grace Brethrens won’t let you join their church unless you’re baptised their way (three times forward), even though you’ve been baptised by immersion before. (I know, I was raised as Grace Brethren.)
Are you implying that you can’t be a Christian and vote for Fred Thompson?
sounds like Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson saying that Barack Obama is not black enough... Nothing new under the sun...
Dobson, I respect you, and believe you to be a decent and holy man, but please do the world a favor on this: STFU!
Scripture speaks of an Ark of the Covenant, and Noah’s Ark. So I believe they existed in history.
So if they’re not Egyptian tablets, what are they? And who else has translated them?
You can’t answer that, because it would betray the falsity of your religion.
You keep claiming this, yet you have not provided any refutations to him. If he's distorting the truth, then what's the truth?
Pistolshot, I think you must be a prime product of Values Clarification and Situational Ethics.
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