Dobson: Iowa Shows Christian Right Is Still Strong

AP ^ | Jan 4, 2008

[Tlaloc]

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson said Friday that GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's victory in the Iowa caucuses shows that Christian conservatives still have considerable influence.

Huckabee easily defeated second-place finisher Mitt Romney in Iowa Thursday thanks to a wave of support from evangelical Christians.

"The results of the Iowa caucuses reveal that conservative Christians remain a powerful force in American politics. That had to be a great shock to those on the far left," Dobson said in a written release.

Dobson criticized what he called media elites, saying they had written off religious conservatives.

Huckabee's victory "was evidence of an energized and highly motivated conservative community," Dobson said. "Not bad for a supposed bunch of demoralized, depressed, disillusioned and disengaged Reaganites."

Dobson said he has not endorsed Huckabee and said the former Arkansas governor may not win the GOP nomination.

In the next test, the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, Christian conservatives are expected to be less of a force than they were in Iowa.

[Petronski]

Don't beg. It's not dignified.

I'll restate it for you.

There's no reason evangelicals of good will cannot support Thompson, or feel good about doing so [...]

[Kevmo]

There’s no reason evangelicals cannot support Thompson, or feel good about doing so, except in your fevered mind and fetid disinformatsia.
***That’s fine with me.

I invite evangelicals to this thread as representative of the 2 camps and ask if you’d feel more comfortable in Thompson’s camp or in Hunter’s camp. Pray for both camps.

[Kevmo]

Thanks for participating. You make a good pasquinade.

[Petronski]

Duncan Hunter would have been a lot more successful if only he’d had a better class of supporter.

Instead: 515 votes.

[wardaddy]

yep...and the ignorance in some of their vitriol shows how low our culture has sank

[roamer_1]

There's no reason evangelicals of good will cannot support Thompson, or feel good about doing so [...]

1). McCain-Feingold-Thompson which limited Christian support of candidates. His participation and authorship, and his later defense, have not been forgotten.

2). Dissing the Value Voters Debate right out of the gate.

3). Choosing to have a pissin' match with Dobson- While the "original sin" is not his fault, Thompson could have handled it much better.

4). Coming out against the Marriage amendment and the Right to Life amendment, regardless of why.

5). Declaring himself as seldom going to church, and that his faith would not be a big part of his campaign.

[Kevmo]

Yup, Hunter didn’t do well in Iowa, because he didn’t campaign much there, if at all. But Thompson did spend a lot of time there, and came in third, just slightly ahead of McCain. Intrade greeted this news with a 25 point rise in Thompson’s dropout contract price.

Thompson: “I Need to Come in Second”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1946065/posts

Let the readers decide for themselves.

The Efficacy Of Prediction Markets The Liberty Papers ^ |
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1922961/posts

[wardaddy]

yep...and the ignorance in some of their vitriol shows how low our culture has sank

[roamer_1]

yep...and the ignorance in some of their vitriol shows how low our culture has sank

Agreed, and it is significant evidence of the most critical division in the Republican party.

[Petronski]

“I Need to Come in Second”

That was a sarcastic quip to the press. Sarcasm. Look it up sometime.

[Politicalmom]

Thank you for your service. We love you for it. :)

[afnamvet]

You have a hilarious tagline. Well done.

[Politicalmom]

FRed’s.

Hands down.

Cindy, an Evangelical, fundamentalist Christian.

[Politicalmom]

I stole it from another witty FReeper. :)

[Kevmo]

You’re already in Fred’s camp, so you wouldn’t be part of the Huckster crowd that will soon be disenchanted with their candidate and looking for a better candidate. Are you going to come into this thread and start calling Dobson a jackass as well? Perhaps that should be part of the greeting as you welcome evangelicals into Camp Fred.

[Kevmo]

Interesting, it doesn’t say it’s sarcastic in the article. There’s no hit on the word “sarcasm” on that thread, so you might want to address that issue in your haste to cover a faux pas for your candidate.

Thanks for participating.

Let the readers decide for themselves.

[Petronski]

A Freeper present as the words were spoken noted his classic sarcastic tone.

[Politicalmom]

I don’t know why you think evangelicals worship Dobson.

My father is the Godliest man I have ever met, as well as being infinitely patient and forgiving, and HE thought that Dobson’s behavior was outrageous and totally non-Christian. And he wasn’t even supporting FRed at all at that time.

[Ingtar]

Choosing to have a pissin' match with Dobson- While the "original sin" is not his fault, Thompson could have handled it much better.

All Thompson did was ignore it, reply that he was a Christian, and finally say that he saw no reason for Dobson to have to apologize when badgered about it by the MSM. What did you want him to do, crawl 100 miles on his knees to Dobson?

[ChessExpert]

Mike “Open Borders” Huckabee is “Christian left” or “Christian socialist.”

I think you are correct.

The AP headline says “Christian Right.” Right? Left? Let’s get this straight!

I don’t think Dobson helps much when he says:
"The results of the Iowa caucuses reveal that conservative Christians remain a powerful force in American politics. That had to be a great shock to those on the far left.”

I think the culprit here is stereotypical thinking. When the AP sees Christian, they just assume “religious right.” When Dobson considers that anyone objects to a Christian, he simply assumes they are on the “left.”

Left means powerful government, for example socialism or communism. American style socialism is of the tax, spend, regulate variety. A tax, spend, regulate Christian politician is no better in my eyes than a tax, spend, regulate atheist politician. The religious left is no better than the atheist left.

I am religious. But in this world, an alliance between the religious right and the atheist right makes sense. Let’s unite in limiting the power of government. I don’t see Mike Huckabee being of any help to Republicans, conservatives, or the right.

Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter seem to be the candidates that best line up with modern American conservatism. Romney is talking a good game today, but some doubt his sincerity.