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.
Not a problem - I was just a little confused when I first read your post so I wanted to clarify. Think I am going to sign off now so have a great evening.
Also to you. :^)
Oh, really!
I hope they're getting tons of calls like yours.
You are an unqualified moron. By pointing out the fact that he’s not a pastor I’m somehow worshiping the man? Like a few others on this thread, I disagree with Dobson on this point; however I still think he’s basically a good man. Do you really completely lack critical thinking skills, or are you a disruptor from the DUmp?
I never suggested that he did. He does have a tremendous influence in Christian circles however, and is a very good indicator of where the Christian community is (in a general way).
The ones that follow him on ONE ISSUE should be ashamed and never say one word about what is taking place in CONGRESS or this country
I have no idea what this means. I will say that it isn't about the ones that "follow" him at all. He doesn't have followers. He does have a lot of folks that agree with him.
Therefore, stop insulting me.
Whatever do you mean by this? I have done no such thing.
Bull. You can disagree with him about Thompson (I tend to), but Dobson isn't a horse trader.
Yeah, I've heard that Focus on the Family spends a lot of time hacking people's heads off.
Thank you.
Right now they are doing it through the courts....what if they had the authority to do a Constitutional amendement? You think it’s bad now....sheesh.
Our founders based our country on the principle of federalism. They had just left a country that had a national church and it wasn’t working for them. The beauty of what they designed was to keep the feds where it belonged, narrow and strictly defined. The beauty was most of the rest was left to the states to decide and that is how it should be now.
Thank you. :)
I am far from liberal and as far as an idiot I would say that is a big not. Sorry you have had a bad run in with youth pastors.
The fact remains, the federal government should not be deciding this issue. They tried it with alocohol....what did that accomplish? There is a reason why the founding fathers made it hard to amend the constitution. They were sheer visionaries in that aspect. This is a culture war issue that needs to be decided at the state level, not the federal level.
Right. Gingrich gets on the radio with him and kisses the ring and suddenly he’s the Golden Boy.
Touché. I'd forgotten about that; it was disappointing and a bit troubling.
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (Patrick Henry)
"The Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth and laid the corner stone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity." (John Quincy Adams. An Oration Delivered Before the Inhabitants of th4e Town of Newburyport at their Request on the 61st Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 1837. p. 5-6.)
"To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. . . . Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all blessings which flow from them, must fall with them." (Jedediah Morse)
"Christianity is part of the common law"
[Sources: James Wilson, Course of Lectures [vol 3, p.122]; and quoted in Updegraph v. The Commonwealth, 11 Serg, & R. 393, 403 (1824).]
"In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people."
Noah, Webster, 1828, in the preface to his American Dictionary of the English Language
"I verily believe Christianity necessary to the support of civil society. One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the Common Law. . . There never has been a period in which the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying its foundations."
Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States p. 593
Thanks for posting this, a lot of Christians that I know are starting to take a serious look at Duncan Hunter.. I am confident that they will like what they see.
TOWARD VICTORY !
David
** MY postings are not intended to be ANTI-Fred Thompson — just PRO-Duncan Hunter — please do not misunderstand me.... being called a “FredHead Basher” just because I choose Duncan Hunter over Fred is getting a little old **
“Are you comfortable with a federal government that is happy to pass a whole Constitutional amendment about a social issue?”
Yeah, in fact, particularly since that can only happen via the process authored by Madison, Washington et al.
Said process requires that 2/3rds of the elected representatives and senators (elected by the people) must first approve such an amendment, then it must be approved by 3/4ths of...whaddaya know?...the states, via vote of their elected legislatures.
Slavery was a social issue. You want that amendment repealed?
Thumper1960,
Relax my FRiend... Why is it that ANYONAE who chooses to support ANY candidate other than FRed is a “FRed Basher”, “FRed Hater”, “ANTI-FRed”...etc..etc...
This is really getting old
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