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 agree.
How old is Dobson?
pissant, you have a link, know where the Duncan Hunter communications director said he was misquoted about that negative comment that the school paper said he made? I didn’t dig it up on google, but saw it posted (here at FR probably).
Dobson is old. In his early 70’s.
“”Romney was obviously far more demonstrative, no doubt.””
Good post, I had seen the Thompson video and it looked like the usual needle threading on abortion that I remember from those days. After reading the 94 National Review column it is clear to me that it is OK to place Fred in the mushy pro-choice column for that election, although I don’t think that he will ever be referenced as a very good defender of it. He was clearly making sure that he was to the right of his opponent on the abortion issue.
I guess I blanched at the comparing of him with the clearly pro-choice committed Romney, Romney is impassioned, sincere, eloquent and convincing in his support of “choice”, he even tells us it is his family’s family value, with his personal anecdote.
I compare it to the second amendment issue, it is OK to say that Romney can be placed into the mushy pro gun column for this election but he isn’t very eager about it and it is clear that he is not a strong proponent for that position.
On guns we can see Fred as impassioned, sincere, eloquent and convincing in his support of the second amendment.
Never mind, just looked up his bio ~ he’s 71.
He has some pretty set opinions of what a family should be, and Fred’s new family sort of flies in the face of that, doesn’t it. lol
I think Dobson’s disdain is very personal ~ not even something he’d put in writing.
We’ll see.
Thanks.
Just not enough to criminalize it in the first trimester or support a constitutional amendment to end it.
Not quite accurate. He said it’s bad law and believes it should be up to the states like most things the fed has usurped. I’d take that as it would still lead to an over turn of RvW - although the president has nothing to do with this other than picking judges. If he picks a judge he’ll pick a federalist judge.
“Welcome to Mitt Romney’s world.”
Dream on, Mittsters.
Not all e-mails that exist have been “leaked” yet.
“At some point, Dobson will endorse Romney.”
Wanna bet?
You wouldn't know blasphemy if it bit you in the butt!
And I will NOT take my statement back!
I am not a sheep who blindly follows the word of a child psychiatrist!
I support the use of paragraphs also
“Your 153 may be more like a half million maybe more.”
Try a couple tens of millions...
In “An Elephant Looks in the Mirror 10 Years Later,” mainstream GOP pollsters Fabrizio McLaughlin Associates reports that so-called “values voters” now make up 51% of the GOP. Twenty-seven percent self-identify as “focused” on moral issues, and another 24% have a “laser-like focus” on moral issues (the study labels the latter group “moralists”).
Poll results based upon 2,000 self-described Republican voters conducted between May 28th and June 3rd, 2007.
Among regular Republican voters:
71% describe themselves as “conservative” - up from 55% ten years ago
21% describe themselves as “moderate” - down from 31% in 1997
4% of Republican voters describe themselves as “liberal” - down from 11% in 1997.
Regular church attendance has not changed among Republican voters with 51% attending once a week.
When asked if “Having deep religious beliefs is the MOST essential ingredient to living a good and moral life” 66% of all Republican voters agreed. Only 30% said religious beliefs were not the most important ingredient to living a good life.
67% of Republican voters agreed with the statement: “People should always live their lives by God’s teachings and principles.” 28% disagreed by supporting the alternative statement: “People should always live their lives by their own personal set of morals and values even if they sometimes contradict God’s teachings and principles.”
80% of Republican voters believe that abortion should be restricted either as completely illegal (28%), or legal only in certain circumstances (52%).
When asked about same-sex relationships, 81% of GOP voters agree that: “Government should block the legal recognition of same-sex relationships.” Of that 81% who oppose same-sex marriage, 30% said they could allow civil unions. Only 13% of GOP voters believe “Government should allow the legal recognition of ANY type of same-sex relationship.”
I think Dobson’s disdain is very personal ~ not even something he’d put in writing.
____________________________________
It could be. I’m sure that they would have come in contact in the 90’s when Thompson was kind of a playboy as well as a U.S. Senator. Wouldn’t impress Dobson at all in the right way given his “Focus on the Family.”
Does anyone actually base their vote on who James Dobson likes? If so- what a group of sheep, to actually say “I’ll vote for whoever Mr. Dobson tells me to vote for”.
Who knows, it just seems odd to me.
This pretty much sums up my own lack of enthuse for Fred--that, and his history of pandering to trial lawyers.
He's just plain enjoying his life too much to really want the presidency. Heck, I don't blame him, he really had it made.
~ very good question! ~
When I focus on Fred’s family, it’s clear how sincere he is.
IMO, Dobson is projecting how tired HE would be, running for POTUS with a new family.
Fred is nobody’s cookie cutter candidate.
He’s got the brains, fortitude, skill, savvy and discretion to lead this country through dark times, with his brilliant and devoted wife right by his side.
Yeah because Newt is the pinnacle of the Christ-like life.
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