A stealth Mitt Romney endorsement from the religious right's powerbrokers?

Time ^ | January 24, 2008 | Michael Scherer

[kalee]

Christian right leaders are abuzz today because a new online candidate guide that has been posted by Focus on the Family Action, the political arm of Jim Dobson's conservative Christian empire. The webpage offers edited excerpts of recent webcasts with the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, explaining where the candidates stand on "pro-family issues."

[kalee]

I'm surprised by the comments about Huckabee and Romney.

[Neu Pragmatist]

Too little too late . Dobson should feel like a fool for not backing Thompson from the start . Hope he enjoys McPain as the nominee ...

[kalee]

From the article... “Mitt Romney has acknowledged that Mormonism is not a Christian faith,” Minnery adds. “But on the social issues we are so similar.”

This was the most surprising statement in the article.

[Greg F]

Too little too late . Dobson should feel like a fool for not backing Thompson from the start . Hope he enjoys McPain as the nominee ...
_____________________________________

Nod. The straightline conservatives screwed up by not working with the evangelicals from the start in picking their horse. Same goes for the religious right. Both wings screwed up — and will lose in this primary season because of it.

[Guenevere]

to read later

[Neu Pragmatist]

Exactly .

[lonestar]

I'll start listening to these people when I listen to Rudy and Arnold.

I feel perfectly competent to make my own choices as to who would be the best POTUS.

[Cicero]

Too little too late. Dobson should feel like a fool for not backing Thompson from the start.

Exactly. And what good is a STEALTH endorsement supposed to do if no one notices it? Dobson was in a snit because Thompson correctly judged that a constitutional nomination was the wrong way to go. So, now he's blown it all.

[Neu Pragmatist]

I don’t understand the “stealth” aspect either . Dobson’s inaction has been just as bizarre as Robertson’s Rudy endorsement .

[Guenevere]

I'm a little more emotionally involved.

IF this is true...my heart is broken.

I will read/watch later, and see if true.

I too have been disappointed....wanted him to desperately endorse Duncan Hunter.

The silence has bothered me, and I'm a faithful Dobson supporter.

Later....

[Mr Inviso]

Hey Dobson.. your mouth is making noise.. you might want to see to that.

I wish he would have kept his overlarge pie-hole shut from the get-go. The whole situation would likely have been different now.

Flame away, evangelicals, now that I have attacked your Maximum Leader. I don’t really care.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Too little too late . Dobson should feel like a fool for not backing Thompson from the start . Hope he enjoys McPain as the nominee ...

You should feel like a fool for acting like you rule over everyone else's opinions, endorsements, and votes. You don't!

[Lions Gate]

I was disappointed in Dobson for refusing to support Thompson, who (along with Hunter) was the strongest pro-life conservative in the Presidential race.

However, Fred chose to be the “last to come to work and the first to leave.” And that is not a recipe for success in any area of life.

[Neu Pragmatist]

Your post is inane and childish .

Dobson is reaping what he has sown and of course he is free to support who he wants . I bet he wishes he had done a few things differently though ....

[fallingwater]

From the article... “Mitt Romney has acknowledged that Mormonism is not a Christian faith,” Minnery adds. “But on the social issues we are so similar.”

This was the most surprising statement in the article.

_____________________________________________________________

I don’t believe Mitt said that. No way.

[normy]

actually the straightline conservatives backed the straightline conservative. Evangelicals backed a pro life liberal who has steadily changed his message as the campaign wore on. Note he hasn’t called opponents to illegal immigration “racists’ since the first debate. He doesn’t mention national bans on smoking but he does talk about states rights. Huck is not now what he was at the first of the campaign but Fred would have been. Now we get the guy who is embarrassed to even bring pro life issues to the floor and one who has more respect for Ted Kennedy than John Cornyn.

[Oliver Optic]

I was disappointed in Dobson for refusing to support Thompson, who (along with Hunter) was the strongest pro-life conservative in the Presidential race.

Also, Thompson did not do much by way of reaching out to the social conservative community ("I don't care about Dobson," opposed to the pro-life Republican platform, etc.)

But no, it's all the fault of Dobson and those e-e-e-vil evangelicals. Whatever.

[Tex Pete]

“Flame away, evangelicals, now that I have attacked your Maximum Leader. I don’t really care.”

I don’t think you really understand how evangelicals think. We are Christians who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, not some hierarchical order of who will tell us what to do and when. We’re textbook free-thinkers.

Your vitriol is aimed in the wrong direction here. Take it up with Dobson.

[Tex Pete]

“Evangelicals backed a pro life liberal who has steadily changed his message as the campaign wore on.”

I think you post should read “some evangelicals in a couple of states...”

Don’t pin that on all of us. I don’t really think Iowa is a huge bastion of evangelicals(or conservatives), anyway.

[Oliver Optic]

LG ... sorry, I meant to quote the other part of your post. It sounds like I’m taking issue with you, when I’m actually agreeing with you. :-)