Restore America

Tim Pawlenty's Short-Lived Post-Straw Poll Bravado

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on Sunday, 8/14/2011 1:26 pm

On Sunday, after a disappointing defeat in Iowa's Ames Straw Poll, Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the presidential race, saying that "the audience, so to speak, wanted something different." What Iowa Republicans want, at least according to the straw poll results, is Michele Bachmann, who many pundits agreed had bested Pawlenty in a harsh exchange at last week's GOP debate. Just hours before he dropped out of the race, Pawlenty's campaign emailed supporters with a claim that he was eager to continue the fight, a fundraising pitch, a new video title "The American Comeback Begins," and a bravado that seems to have lasted about 12 hours:

Hello Friends -

I want to congratulate Congresswoman Bachmann on her victory in today's straw poll. I'm also very proud of the work my campaign has done, and I appreciate their hard work. As I've said all along, we needed to show progress to do well, and we did just that. This is a long process to restore America -- we are just beginning, and I'm eager for the campaign.

I'm encouraged by our progress, and I'm so thankful for the thousands of Iowans who showed their support for my candidacy by voting for me in Ames. Don't miss my remarks at the straw poll earlier today including our latest video. 
 
We are now moving onto the next phase of our campaign. Over the coming weeks we will be visiting New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida while continuing to grow our already strong ground game in Iowa.
 
Mary and I will never forget your continued support, words of encouragement, and friendship. But we need YOUR help to take the message that resonated in Iowa to the rest of the country. Can I count on you for a special “Victory Contribution” of $25, $50, $100 or even $250, to commemorate our strong showing in Ames?
 
We’ve completed an important first step on the road to the Republican nomination and, ultimately, the White House.  We can’t do it alone, and I need your support to continue the journey.
 
Sincerely,


Tim Pawlenty

Right Wing Leftovers

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Monday, 7/6/2009 5:36 pm
  • Tony Perkins says the "essential issue" of efforts to the overhaul the nation's health care system is "will health care reform force taxpayers to pay for abortions for the first time in 30 years?"

  • On a related note, FRC also produced these fliers [PDF] to be handed out at the July 4th TEA Party rallies promoting their Clear Conscience Health Care site.

  • Alan Keyes explains why, of all the TEA Parties he could have attended, he chose the one in Boiling Springs, S.C: it was the only one that would allow him to talk about God.

  • Speaking of which, at the event at which Keyes spoke, attendees were reportedly handing out fliers reading "Zelaya today, Obama tomorrow."

  • Did you know that Sen. Jim DeMint has a new book out called "Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide into Socialism"? It was released July 4th.

  • LifeNews reports that President Obama has chosen "'Pro-Life' Catholic Sellout Douglas Kmiec for Malta Ambassador." I wasn't aware that "news" outlets were allowed to call their opponents "sell-outs."

  • Finally, later this month American Vision will be hosting its "Worldview Super Conference III" in Georgia. According to WorldNetDaily, whose own Joseph Farah will be speaking at the event, ""the conference's theme, 'The Great Reversal: How Christians Will Change the Future,' reflects the mission of the organization planning the event, American Vision, which states its purpose is to 'restore America to its biblical foundation.'"

Right: Anti-Discrimination Bill in Oregon to Lead to 'Civil War,' 'Pagan Morality'

Submitted by Anonymous on Thursday, 4/19/2007 5:03 pm

As Oregon legislators consider two bills regarding the rights of gays and lesbians, local right-wing leaders are in a frenzy. WorldNetDaily.com quotes the state Constitution Party, which warned that the legislation is “a recipe for civil war”:

"Everyone should read this legislation. It clearly gives those who choose non-traditional sexual behavior preference over those with traditional moral values," said state [Constitution Party] Chairman Jack Brown. "This legislation will lock religious people inside their church buildings and let perversion occupy the rest of the landscape!"

The bills? One would establish domestic partnerships; the other would follow 17 other states in barring discrimination based in sexual orientation in housing, public accommodations, public education, and employment.

David Crowe of Restore America warned of a “moral freefall”:

"The people of Oregon deserve people in office who respect their wishes, not those of a small minority who wish to impose their morality upon others while forcing acquiescence by using the authority of human law, in disregard of God's Law," he said. "Our next step in opposing these bills is a Referral to the people of Oregon. They have the right to approve or disapprove the actions of the legislature."

According to Crowe, the latter bill is “the most sweeping and culturally devastating law in Oregon history, establishing pagan morality under the guise of a 'civil right,' and imposing it upon all Oregonians under the cover of 'law.’” Despite an explicit exemption in the bill for churches and religious organizations, Crowe warned that churches will be “forced to hire homosexuals.” “They're seeking really to gain a foothold for homosexuals into the Christian church with the court's approval,” claimed Crowe.

After Right-Wing Conference in Oregon, Darwin-Hitler Link Enters Public School

Submitted by Anonymous on Wednesday, 3/21/2007 6:07 pm

When Florida televangelist D. James Kennedy asked his viewers to donate towards the production of a TV special on the “harmful effects” of evolution – “everything from the Nazi death camps and attempts to create a super-race to the modern push in many nations for euthanasia” – he warned that “The other side has the entire public school system of America as its platform,” whereas he came armed with only “the national network of television outlets that God has given to us.” While it’s true that most high school science classes stick to scientific curricula on evolution and stay clear of attempts to equate Charles Darwin with Adolph Hitler, the Religious Right’s campaign against the teaching of evolution has its share of recruits across the nation.

After less than two weeks on the job, part-time biology teacher Kris Helphinstine was fired by the Sisters, Oregon school board for drawing his course materials from a far-right creationist website. Echoing Kennedy, Helphinstine’s attempt to “get kids thinking” involved a PowerPoint presentation linking evolutionary science to Planned Parenthood and Nazi Germany. From The Oregonian:

Helphinstine said in retrospect slides of Nazi death camps weren't appropriate for his freshman and sophomore students.

And given a second chance, he said he wouldn't introduce arguments from Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, a group building a Creation Museum in Cincinnati dedicated to teaching a Bible-centric view of natural history.

Answers in Genesis is a straightforward advocate of young-earth creationism; the group is building a Creation Museum in northern Kentucky apparently set to open this summer. The group provides quite a few classroom resources for teaching creationism.

This material was apparently the focus of the teacher’s entire tenure at the school:

One parent, John Rahm, said his daughter reported that only "one day of 10" was devoted to the study of evolution, with the rest devoted to devoted to "Intelligent Design" materials.

"The test as well was 90-plus percent ID material," Rahm said.

It could be a coincidence, but Helphinstine, 27, began his new job only a couple weeks after a right-wing conference convened near Portland, around two hours away. Among the presentations at the 2nd Annual Restore America Conference was “Session for teachers, parents and students” on “Upholding a Christian Worldview in Education.” The speaker was Stephen Williams of Prepare the Way Ministries, based in nearby Bend, which is dedicated to “empower[ing] Christians … to uphold a biblical worldview in our schools and society.” Williams is known for suing the school where he taught fifth grade over his use of “supplemental materials” meant to emphasize the idea of America as a Christian nation.

Wallis’s Wishful Thinking?

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 2/20/2007 6:18 pm

Christian author, organizer, and Religious Right critic Jim Wallis took to the pages of Time Magazine last week to boldly declare that “The Religious Right's Era Is Over.” According to Wallis:  

In the churches, a combination of deeper compassion and better theology has moved many pastors and congregations away from the partisan politics of the Religious Right … Evangelicals — especially the new generation of pastors and young people — are deserting the Religious Right in droves … [M]any Republicans have had it with the Religious Right … The era of the Religious Right is now past, and it's up to all of us to create a new day.

It’s good news that most Americans – and most Christians -- do not share the political priorities of Religious Right leaders, and religious voters shifted away from GOP candidates in significant numbers in 2006.  But the fact that every GOP presidential candidate is in the process of openly supplicating to Religious Right powerbrokers like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and James Dobson is a sign that it’s probably premature to declare complete victory over a group that remains a core constituency of the Republican Party.

We’ve noted that trend in the past (see, for example, here, here, here, or here). Here are some examples from just the past week:

Washington Post - McCain, Romney Vying for Support Of Conservatives

New York Times - Giuliani Shifts Abortion Speech Gently to Right

Associated Press - McCain Courting Christian Conservatives

MSNBC - The Preacher Primary: GOP Leaders Battle for Support from the Three Kingmakers

Just today, the AP reported that four Republican candidates – John McCain, Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback and Duncan Hunter – all recently traveled to Florida to woo religious broadcasters at their annual convention.  

History shows that Religious Right political leaders don’t just slink away after defeat.  Some of them are holding a Restore America Conference later this week in Oregon, for which they have some blustery big plans:

Evangelical Christians are the largest voting block in America.  The future course of America depends upon them mobilizing 19 million that are eligible, but not even registered to vote.   In 2006, 22 million did not vote, but that is about to change.  The 2nd Annual Restore America Conference, February 23rd and 24th, just outside of Portland, Oregon is gearing up to educate and mobilize 1000 Christian leaders to encourage their constituents to vote and win!

And in early March, a collection of right-wing luminaries will head to Ft. Lauderdale for D. James Kennedy’s annual “Reclaiming America for Christ” conference which will provide "Christians deep within the trenches with a welcome respite from the battle and fuel to carry on" as they receive "training in Christian grassroots action and methods to mobilize churches on moral issue."

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Restore America Posts Archive

Tim Pawlenty's Short-Lived Post-Straw Poll Bravado
SUBMITTED BY: Peter Montgomery, Sunday 08/14/2011, 1:26pm
On Sunday, after a disappointing defeat in Iowa's Ames Straw Poll, Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the presidential race, saying that "the audience, so to speak, wanted something different." What Iowa Republicans want, at least according to the straw poll results, is Michele Bachmann, who many pundits agreed had bested Pawlenty in a harsh exchange at last week's GOP debate. Just hours before he dropped out of the race, Pawlenty's campaign emailed supporters with a claim that he was eager to continue the fight, a fundraising pitch, a new video title "The American Comeback Begins... MORE >
Right Wing Leftovers
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Monday 07/06/2009, 5:36pm
Tony Perkins says the "essential issue" of efforts to the overhaul the nation's health care system is "will health care reform force taxpayers to pay for abortions for the first time in 30 years?"On a related note, FRC also produced these fliers [PDF] to be handed out at the July 4th TEA Party rallies promoting their Clear Conscience Health Care site.Alan Keyes explains why, of all the TEA Parties he could have attended, he chose the one in Boiling Springs, S.C: it was the only one that would allow him to talk about God.Speaking of which, at the event at... MORE >
Right: Anti-Discrimination Bill in Oregon to Lead to 'Civil War,' 'Pagan Morality'
, Thursday 04/19/2007, 5:03pm
As Oregon legislators consider two bills regarding the rights of gays and lesbians, local right-wing leaders are in a frenzy. WorldNetDaily.com quotes the state Constitution Party, which warned that the legislation is “a recipe for civil war”: "Everyone should read this legislation. It clearly gives those who choose non-traditional sexual behavior preference over those with traditional moral values," said state [Constitution Party] Chairman Jack Brown. "This legislation will lock religious people inside their church buildings and let perversion... MORE >
After Right-Wing Conference in Oregon, Darwin-Hitler Link Enters Public School
, Wednesday 03/21/2007, 6:07pm
When Florida televangelist D. James Kennedy asked his viewers to donate towards the production of a TV special on the “harmful effects” of evolution – “everything from the Nazi death camps and attempts to create a super-race to the modern push in many nations for euthanasia” – he warned that “The other side has the entire public school system of America as its platform,” whereas he came armed with only “the national network of television outlets that God has given to us.” While it’s true that most high school... MORE >
Wallis’s Wishful Thinking?
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Tuesday 02/20/2007, 6:18pm
Christian author, organizer, and Religious Right critic Jim Wallis took to the pages of Time Magazine last week to boldly declare that “The Religious Right's Era Is Over.” According to Wallis:   In the churches, a combination of deeper compassion and better theology has moved many pastors and congregations away from the partisan politics of the Religious Right … Evangelicals — especially the new generation of pastors and young people — are deserting the Religious Right in droves … [M]any Republicans have had it with the Religious Right... MORE >