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.
No Christian would fail to capitalize “Christian.”
Ever.
Who are/were you, newbie?
RWR was the president who brought the social conservatives to prominence. He wanted to amend the constitution to allow school prayer. He wanted to end abortion. He had no opinion on gay marriage because even 20 years ago it was a ridiculous notion. The notion that the social conservatives did not vote for Reagan is patently false.
I’m know he’s pro-life, I was being semi-sarcastic. I’m constantly surprised how others can hear the exact opposite of what I hear is being said.
It would be great to see a 1-2-3, A-B-C on abortion on marriage that no one could misconstrue.
..A lot of folks here must feel really threatened by the opinion of Dr.Dobson....
..they're twisting themselves into pretzels to condemn, insult, belittle him.
A sad day.
So, you didn’t like any of the social conservative organizations that organized the Values Voter Debate and now you don’t like Focus on the Family. So, I have to ask do you like any social conservatives? Why is it such a crime to you that we have positions and don’t support candidates who disagree with us on the issues that we care about. Isn’t that what politics is all about?
I hope you don’t think I was doing that. All I said is that I don’t pay him any attention, he is not of my denomination. Just like Billy Graham, I’m sure Dobson is a fine man, I just have never paid attention to what they say or preach.
No offense taken, and I disagree! You say that: “Your stance on federalism has limits when it comes to moral issues, something Mr. Madison (and the 10th Amendment) stated were issues for the separate and sovereign states.”
I have not seen Madison state that moral issues were for the states and non-moral issues (whatever they be) for the Federal government. Point me to the statement by Madison if it exists and I will eat crow.
The issue of Federalism is in one sense resolved by the protection of marriage being in the form of a Constitutional Amenmdment. The representatives of the people vote through Congress (a national action in Madison’s analysis in Federalist 39) and the States ratify (a federal action in the same reasoning). I don’t think that Madison would be against an amendment at the Federal level blocking homosexual marriage (if he could bring himself to imagine the country he loved in such a circumstance). In fact I have evidence of this:
American citizens are instrumental in carrying on a traffic in enslaved Africans, equally in violation of the laws of humanity and in defiance of those of their own country. The same just and benevolent motives which produced interdiction in force against this criminal conduct will doubtless be felt by Congress in devising further means of suppressing the evil.
— James Madison, State of the Union,1810
Also: [I]f slavery, as a national evil, is to be abolished, and it be just that it be done at the national expense, the amount of the expense is not a paramount consideration.
— James Madison, Letter to Robert J. Evans
If the moral evil of slavery could be opposed at the national level by the Congress . . . with Madison’s approval . . . your argument that moral issues are solely for the states to decide is in tatters, if you primarily rely upon Madison’s idea of federalism to support it.
So you think that Press and Buchanan are the voices of reason? ROTFL!
Your comment that “Dobson also wouldn’t give Jesus the time of day because he was poor and couldn’t donation to his organization” is ridiculous and libelous please back it up or retract it.
>>>>The notion that the social conservatives did not vote for Reagan is patently false.
I agree completely, but according to the new trend, had they disagreed with him on one issue, they would have sat home.
The vast majority of solid conservatives are social conservatives. Reagan, Jesse Helms, Jeff Sessions, Mike Pence, Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo, Etc, etc.
I don’t thing social conservatives will sit 2008 out, unless it’s Rudy who gets the nod. The rest of the guys all have pretty good track records. But the primary is another story. It’s gonna be brutal, like it always is.
Is the floor cold down at Dobson’s feet?
Yeah, but Fred opposes a constitutional amendment to make Abortion Illegal. This is the primary reason that social conservatives don’t trust him. So, I return the question to you - would you have supported a constitutional amendment to ban slavery? Or would you oppose it since it would violate states rights and legislate morality?
I will consider your points, carefully.
Sheeat, Jimbo, you don’t speak for me!
Actually if Giuliani became the Republican nominee I would be tempted to try and draft Dobson on a third party ticket. However, his complete lack of government experiance and his age probably would rule out any such idea. He is a man of absolute integrity and I do dearly wish that we had someone like him running for President.
Mr. Madison wrote Federalist 45, which I quoted in my original post
The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.--Federalist 45
I would assume moral issues fall under 'ordinary course of affairs'. Well they have for the past 200 years at least...
You are NOT the voice of social conservatives!
This “we”, “us” and “our” of yours is a ruse to deflect from the fact that Fred is a principled Federalist.
As is Jim Robinson, the most trusted social conservative I know.
Keep spinning, newbie.
Please see my prior posts re: judgmentalism. Typical though for Dobsonites, who live by a mantra “You are not Christian enough for me!” But who cares, right” We strengthen families.
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