Dr. James C. Dobson can go to hell, the . . . . I'm with the president of the liberal group People for the American Way on this one.
Dr. James C. Dobson -- the child psychologist and founder of the evangelical organization Focus on the Family and the nation's most influential evangelical leader -- unlike other conservative Christian leaders, owes his grass-roots following primarily to his partly clinical, partly biblical advice on matters like marriage and child-rearing.
And to think that years ago I let the wife Sally get me to go to Church meetings with her to watch this man's lecture series, and curse myself for having to agree he was pretty good.
He has now got the big head, and I hope he implodes and crashes and burns.
(Or even better, and while generally hating to wish ill on another, to have a Jimmy Swaggert situation himself. You might recall that Jimmy Swaggert, America's leading television evangelist around 15 years ago, resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute down in the Big Easy. And this was only the half of it. The revelation was all the more scandalous since Swaggert himself had unleashed fire and brimstone against rival TV evangelist Rev. Jim Bakker -- you remember, hubby of Tammy Faye Bakker -- only a few months before for committing adultery with his secretary Jessica Hahn.)
Anyway, back to the subject S.O.B.
Dobson is now threatening to put six potentially vulnerable Democratic senators "in the 'bull's-eye' " if they block conservative appointments to the Supreme Court.
These include Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Dayton of Minnesota, Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Bill Nelson of Florida. All six are up for re-election in 2006.
Ralph G. Neas, president of the liberal group People for the American Way, which has often opposed conservative court nominees, said, "Mr. Dobson's arrogance knows no limits." He added: "This is the kind of tactic that ultimately backfires. These senators have served their constituents well and have courageously voted their consciences. I don't think they will take kindly to threats from Mr. Dobson, and I don't think the voters will either."
Dr. Dobson's activities represent a new level of direct partisan engagement on his part. Before supporting Mr. Bush, he had never endorsed a presidential candidate.
In the aftermath of the election, some of Dr. Dobson's allies are warning their fellow evangelicals not to be seduced by political deal-making. In "an open letter to the Christian church" last month, Charles W. Colson, the born-again Nixon aide and another influential Christian conservative, warned against listing demands of the president or other elected officials.
"To think that way demeans the Christian movement," Mr. Colson wrote with his associate Mark Earley. "We are not anybody's special interest group."
He said that despite initial concerns, his political activities did not appear to have diverted donations from Focus on the Family. He created a sister lobbying organization during the last election, and the two organizations' combined budgets grew to a projected $146 million in 2004, from about $130 million in 2003, with a target of $170 million for 2005.
(The New York Times, 01-01-05.)
And to think that years ago I let the wife Sally get me to go to Church meetings with her to watch this man's lecture series, and curse myself for having to agree he was pretty good.
He has now got the big head, and I hope he implodes and crashes and burns.
(Or even better, and while generally hating to wish ill on another, to have a Jimmy Swaggert situation himself. You might recall that Jimmy Swaggert, America's leading television evangelist around 15 years ago, resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute down in the Big Easy. And this was only the half of it. The revelation was all the more scandalous since Swaggert himself had unleashed fire and brimstone against rival TV evangelist Rev. Jim Bakker -- you remember, hubby of Tammy Faye Bakker -- only a few months before for committing adultery with his secretary Jessica Hahn.)
Anyway, back to the subject S.O.B.
Dobson is now threatening to put six potentially vulnerable Democratic senators "in the 'bull's-eye' " if they block conservative appointments to the Supreme Court.
These include Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Dayton of Minnesota, Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Bill Nelson of Florida. All six are up for re-election in 2006.
Ralph G. Neas, president of the liberal group People for the American Way, which has often opposed conservative court nominees, said, "Mr. Dobson's arrogance knows no limits." He added: "This is the kind of tactic that ultimately backfires. These senators have served their constituents well and have courageously voted their consciences. I don't think they will take kindly to threats from Mr. Dobson, and I don't think the voters will either."
Dr. Dobson's activities represent a new level of direct partisan engagement on his part. Before supporting Mr. Bush, he had never endorsed a presidential candidate.
In the aftermath of the election, some of Dr. Dobson's allies are warning their fellow evangelicals not to be seduced by political deal-making. In "an open letter to the Christian church" last month, Charles W. Colson, the born-again Nixon aide and another influential Christian conservative, warned against listing demands of the president or other elected officials.
"To think that way demeans the Christian movement," Mr. Colson wrote with his associate Mark Earley. "We are not anybody's special interest group."
He said that despite initial concerns, his political activities did not appear to have diverted donations from Focus on the Family. He created a sister lobbying organization during the last election, and the two organizations' combined budgets grew to a projected $146 million in 2004, from about $130 million in 2003, with a target of $170 million for 2005.
(The New York Times, 01-01-05.)
posted by Sid Cottingham | 9:40 PM
3 Comments:
He is such a smug self-righteous bastard... near the top of my list of people I'd love to have five minutes alone in a room with. Makes my blood boil.
My thoughts exactly. Rusty is always able to convey in a line what it takes me a page to say. I despite a pious do-gooder.
Bird! and I had one of his books years ago "Dare to Discipline," which basically advcates child beating. What a loser...
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