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.
My exact question as well.
Back it up pissant! Of course you can’t as you’ve gone down in flames over this many times before.
BullShiite. You are. By his very own words, and you know it, and you know it well.
You know, it’s a shame Billy Graham is not around to lend his support to Fred.
I cannot speak for him, but he was much more sensible than Dobson, IMO.
And ever so much more humble.
Federalism refers to divided powers-ie making sure one group or branch of government does not wield too much power.
The states have specific duties and rights.
The federal government have certain duties and rights.
Some duties are shared-like defending innocent human life.
Every public official has a duty to defend innocent human life.
Defending human life is not a federalist issue. It is the business of all of humanity.
Agreed. Billy Graham understands that man is an imperfect being, and is always striving to become one. Dobson wants perfection, when he himself is imperfect.
You’re lying again, piss ant.
There are a lot of us who do not oppose Thompson, but have a hard time getting enthusiastic about him. That is going to be a problem. We are going to need enthusiasm, both from the candidate, and from the base.
What’s that got to do with an amendment banning gay marriage?
Fred Thompson was the only contender to attend the Annual Catholic prayer breakfast. I think many of us like him.
Really? So, your position is that state courts are supposed to make new law?
Oh, yeah, I’m totally afraid of Duncan Hunter’s rousing success. His big win at that straw poll last month really put the fear of God into me. I know that he now has the momentum to surpass the top tier! He’s got the big MO!
Perhaps the constant need to remind people that Duncan Hunter is making no headway in the quest for this nomination is the fact that his supporters continue to pretend that the opposite is true...
Back it up pissant! It’s telling that you ignored my previous post above.
And this thread is just another of your obsessive smears of FDT based on a twisted logic that somehow it helps Hunter.
If I were Hunter I would have you silenced because you stain his reputation with your asinine smears.
He did not. He has admitted that prior to the birth of his children with Jeri that he was not a pro-life activist. Also, his eight years in the Senate were mostly focused on government reform and accountability.
Interesting fact to ponder: he first married at 17 and his first son was born 7 months later, back before Roe v. Wade was enacted. Surely his life must have contained many moments of reflection. He and his child bride wife stuck it out for more than 30 years until all the children were well grown before they parted ways; and he did not marry again until several years after his divorce. His ex-wife has gone on record in support of his candidacy. When his oldest daughter passed away in her 30s, he stepped down from the Senate and took time to mourn.
Therefore, this is a decent family man who has lived out his respect for family and life. He did not go into the Senate to be a "one-issue" crusader on abortion and get himself typecast and pushed aside like Santorum; hence he lived to fight another day.
As President he would have much more influence over the abortion question than he would have had fighting a losing battle when he was a Senator, first under Clinton and later under an embattled first-term Bush presidency and polarized Senate. Yet people here want to reject him as a 95% good-enough candidate because he is not, in their eyes, 100%.
The lessons of the last election cycle do not seem to have sunk in. This is politics, and in America, it involves compromise. People who will never compromise in order to make incremental improvements are extremists who end up losing.
Because he does have a 100% pro-life record, and specifically calls for the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
If Roe is reveresed, in most every state of the union, abortion would be seriously limited.
We could then work, from a grassroots level, to get further restrictions or bans in place.
That is how our Constitution is written; sorry it bothers you.
Maybe move to Venezuela where the President can just rule by edicts — it works so well.
Who is Dobson going to support, pro-abort Rudy, or flip-flopping Romney who has tried to cater to both sides of the abortion issue during his political career? One of those three is almost certain to be the GOP nominee, and even if Fred isn't wholly on board with the evangelical agenda he comes much closer than the other two.
Personally, I would much rather see Duncan Hunter in the White House than Fred, and since he is an evangelical Baptist I suppose Dobson would support him. But Hunter doesn't have a chance of being nominated, and even less chance of winning the general election if he somehow got the nomination. I would like very much to see Hunter as Fred's running mate, which would give him the national exposure and recognition that he needs to run for the top spot later on. But as of now I just don't believe that he has what it will take to defeat Hillary even if he could somehow win GOP nomination.
Still waiting....tic....tic....tic....
Oh I guess you have no response just as you have no _____ to begin with.
Very well said. We need someone who wants to make sweeping changes to the way things are done.
Um...one of the recipients forwarded it to the AP.
Gosh, what a stupid thing to say. Are all your comments like this, or are you having a bad moment?
This big issue here is does this signal some wavering of support for Thompson among the evangelical Christians. Thompson needs these people as part of the anti-Giuliani coalition. If Thompson doesn't stop Rudy, no one will and a Giuliani nomination is inevitable.
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