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.
Back it up pissant!
BREEEEEP! Wrong answer. Please try again...
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So you’re bird. Great.
Now you are lying through your teeth again. I said Fred WAS pro-choice. He NOW claims to be pro-life.
I already backed it up. You just ignored it, sally.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1899326/posts?page=583#583
Yes, I remember the magazine but I never read it. Several of my friends subscribed to the magazine, I think.
I'd like to give two examples of how the best of Christians can err politically on the side of "loving" their fellow man and "judging not."
First on many people's minds is Dubya's puzzling enablement of illegal immigration. I think his heart is overruling his head in this issue — he wants to do the good and loving thing for distressed people, but shortcutting the rule of law is a disaster.
Second, the late, beloved Pope John Paul II, having as a youth in Poland witnessed the Nazi persecution of homosexuals or the use of homosexual accusations to silence people, suppressed and turned away the question of homosexuality in evaluating church personnel, which enabled a destructive subculture to thrive unchecked. His intentions were noble, but the results were a disaster.
No man has ever been perfect but Jesus Christ. And we will never have a perfect candidate for office; but we can settle on a pretty good candidate and take our chances that he will live out his term and act effectively, with the help of God. This is a fallen world, people.
FDT was never prochoice and each of your links claiming he was is a lie.
Every one of those links was shot down numerous times.
But you finally brought those links into this thread after being challenged multiple times. So now people can read through those threads and see you are a liar.
Stand by for your weekly a*s kicking pissant!
Yes. And now it’s affirmed. You are another that believes FDT was or is prochoice.
That’s all that needs to be seen.
I warned you not to stand near a natural gas line.
Dr. Dobson is a man with conviction who is supported, not by tax money, but by individuals who have been blessed and helped by his ministry, and who willingly contribute so that others, who want it, also have an opportunity to receive help.
What do you recommend? Maybe you would have the FCC order the FOTF radio programs removed from the airwaves so that Dr. Dobson can’t “push” anything on anyone.
Do you ever listen to any radio or TV talk shows featuring very outspoken men? (Rush, Haunt, Levine, Drudge, Savage, Boortz, or others?). Would you say that these men are “pushing” something on people?
Are you not now “pushing” on us the concept that no man’s morality should be introduced on a radio or TV set (?), that those who might appreciate men like Dr. Dobson should be denied his ministry?
If you ever happen upon the Focus On the Family radio broadcast, let me remind you that your radio has a couple of useful knobs or buttons. One will change the frequency, and one will cut the power off. So again, I ask, when Did Dr. Dobson ever push anything on you?
Federalism may be, in fact, one of those areas where I might disagree with Dr. Dobson — but how does that translate in your mind that the man is dishonest about his or his organization’s income, and would accept money from another candidate to not support Fred Thompson? And if you know so little about Dr. Dobson, then how did you come to know so much about his position.
Thank God for people in our nation who HAVE a morality. People that don’t, want to shove their lack therof on us. Historically, people with Dr. Dobson’s morality, along with the source of that morality were here F I R S T !! The founding fathers openly and publicly endorsed and recommended the source of Dr. Dobson’s mind set. That source is the Bible. We have recently posted eight pages of public quotes from our founders and presidents down to FDR that endorsed the values and principles of the Bible. Need we repost those eight pages and more? There are full volumes of them, published.
You are in no position to warn anyone of anything.
You have been exposed. That’s all that people need to know about you.
I only set forth the theory of why a marriage amendment has been proposed and why its proponents think it will work. I understand and sympathize with your frustration and hopelessness; but we must not allow it to keep us from trying to hold back the huge threat of atheist socialism deeply entrenched in our society. Persons of conscience have been asleep too long. The solution will never be political; there must be campaigns for hearts and minds regarding the superiority of natural man-woman faithful marriage and parenthood over synthetics like same-sex "open relationships", "partnering" and "parenting".
True, Rudy has fidelity issues but then so did billy jeff and it didn’t hurt him attracting the women’s vote. One difference, however. Rudy has never made a show of his religion, so unlike clinton, he can’t easily be accused of hypocrisy. In politics, it often seems that hypocrisy is a bigger issue than the underlying wrongdoing.
You may be right; time will tell. But I post for the benefit of any reader here pondering these Fred questions, not just for the one-issue extremists.
I'd be quite interested in a link to that post, please.
“. . . we must not allow [frustration and hopelessness] to keep us from trying to hold back the huge threat of atheist socialism deeply entrenched in our society. Persons of conscience have been asleep too long. The solution will never be political; there must be campaigns for hearts and minds regarding the superiority of natural man-woman faithful marriage and parenthood over synthetics like same-sex “open relationships”, “partnering” and “parenting”.”
Wonderful and helpful comments. Thank you!
whenever anyone speaks of their opinions, they are "pushing" an agenda. as i said in an earlier post, this man can say whatever he wishes. so can i.
i just think it's silly to reduce a presidential election in the current political era to the issue of a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
and i think it's irresponsible to do so in the way he did. he sent out a "personal" email. a personal email to millions of followers?
i'm happy for his success. good for him. but talk about things that actually matter for the future of this country. when it's all said and done, if the states have the right to decide on gay marriage the sun will still rise on america. and i would even guess that most states would agree with doctor dobson. but obviously he doesn't trust the state reps or even the state residents to make the "proper" choice.
but let's talk about terrorism, open borders and other aspects of national security.
and did doctor dobson actually go to medical school or should i be writing "Mr. Dobson, PhD"?
“...she won’t allow Mormons to pray with her and her gang on the National Day of Prayer”
Where and when did you hear/read that?!
You cannot put Dobson and Billy Graham in the same sentence..not and have any credibility.....and this is Not huge....this is..well, the only word I can think of is....silly. Who cares?
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