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Christian Conservative Must Replace Jewish TX House Speaker Because Christians "Do The Best Jobs Over All"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Monday, 12/6/2010 12:09 pm

For the last few weeks, we've been chronicling efforts by right-wing activists in Texas to replace Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, who is Jewish, with a true "Christian conservative." And last week we noted that while David Barton was saying that the efforts to replace Strauss had nothing to do with his faith, State Republican Executive Committee member John Cook was sending out emails saying "We elected a house with Christian, conservative values [and] we now want a true Christian, conservative running it."

Now, via The Washington Monthly, we see that the Texas Observer's Abby Rapoport has gotten Cook to speak on the record about his campaign, allowing him to explain that conservative Christians "do the best jobs over all" and that he could not possibly be bigoted against Straus because "Jesus Christ is a Jew, and he's my favorite person that's ever been on this earth": 

And Cook, who stands by his email, doesn't mince words: he maintains that his demands are in no way bigoted. Here's a summary of our conversation, and I'll leave it to readers to judge.

"When I got involved in politics, I told people I wanted to put Christian conservatives in leadership positions," he told me, explaining that he only supports Christian conservative candidates in Republican primary races.

"I want to make sure that a person I'm supporting is going to have my values. It's not anything about Jews and whether I think their religion is right or Muslims and whether I think their religion is right. ... I got into politics to put Christian conservatives into office. They're the people that do the best jobs over all."

...

Cook said his opposition was not about Straus' religion, although he prefers Christian candidates.

"They're some of my best friends," he said of Jews, naming two friends of his. "I'm not bigoted at all; I'm not racist" ... Cook was absolute that his position was not bigoted.

"My favorite person that's ever been on this earth is a Jew," he said. "How can they possibly think that if Jesus Christ is a Jew, and he's my favorite person that's ever been on this earth?"

Randall Terry and Crew Met With Boehner's Chief of Staff

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Monday, 11/29/2010 12:32 pm

It is no secret that Randall Terry is an attention-seeking right-wing zealot, always on the lookout for ways to get his name in the press.

From burning effigies of Nancy Pelosi or Lindsey Graham to destroying Korans and protesting outside the school attended by President Obama's daughters, Terry is constantly working to draw attention to his cause ... mainly as a means to draw attention to himself.

And all of that self-aggrandizement occasionally pays of, as it helps Terry to secure meetings with incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner's Chief of Staff, as he revealed when he included this photo in a recent email alert:

With Boehner’s chief of staff, after the election.

And Terry apparently  issued some big demands for Boehner and the Republicans now that they have taken control of the House - the complete end of abortion in America:

We must demand that Republicans who won the House of Representatives hasten the end of legalized child killing in America. Their victory could be a strong step forward for the babies, but it also might be yet another set back after 50,000,000 dead babies.

We must not delude ourselves! The landslide the Republicans enjoyed in the House of Reps was a repudiation of President Obama’s overall agenda; it was about the economy, about jobs, corporate bailouts, the debt, and about his health care bill.

Yet we already see pro-life fundraising letters and petitions heralding this GOP victory as an automatic victory for the babies’ lives. This is simply not true!

...

When the Republicans are in power, pro-life groups and leaders become way too “polite.” We lose our edge; we don’t hold them accountable; we settle for trite phrases and broken promises as long as they will meet with us for 10 minutes, and we can take our picture with them, or they come to one of our meetings and receive some useless award.

I beg you to carefully consider my words; look at this situation with prophetic insight. Unless the Republicans do something concrete to save babies from murder, then they are collaborators with child killers, and we must treat them as such.

We have Pro-Life DEMANDS for Mr. Boehner & House GOP

We Must Play Hard Ball: They Must Fear Pro-Lifers!

Fischer: Children Should Be Ready For Marriage and Work At Age 16

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Monday, 11/22/2010 12:35 pm

I have spent the last year or so listening to Bryan Fischer's daily radio program and reading his regular blog posts on the American Family Association website and have to admit that sometimes I wonder if he isn't really a left-wing performance artist masquerading as an ultra-conservative right-wing zealot in order to make the movement look foolish or else is just someone who concocts ever more ridiculous pieces in an effort to generate attention for himself.

Because, honestly, how else do you explain things like this in which he says that both "the Jews" and Iranian president Mahmoud Admadinejad are right: we need to start demanding that our children be ready for marriage and work by the time they turn 16 ... oh, and that criminals as young as twelve should be expected to get the death penalty:

This has implications for juvenile law enforcement, by the way. Any individual over the age of 12 should be held personally responsible for violations of the law. We shouldn’t punish his parents, and we shouldn’t impose softer penalties just because of his age. Young adults are adults, and should be expected to behave as adults and accept the punishment we dish out to adults who break the law.

There are implications in this for our system of education. We should roll back secondary education to the point where our students are graduating from high school by age 16. We can teach them everything they need to learn at the secondary level by then, and prepare them for the next stage in life, which could be further education, apprenticeship, or vocational education. We should expect them to be launching into some kind of career trajectory by the time they are 16.

...

There are implications in all of this for the institution of marriage. By idolizing adolescence, we have artificially prolonged the age at which people enter in marriage. The average is now, according to 2007 figures, about 27.5 years for men and 25.6 for women.

But the young men and women whom God has created become sexually mature by their mid-teens. The bodies that God has created are ready for sexual intimacy by the time they are 16. Unless God has made a mistake in the way he has designed our sexuality, then we need to rethink our whole understanding of the optimum age for entering into marriage.

We know that sex is good, and that it is designed by God for marriage. It is his design that all of our sexual energy be channeled into the marriage relationship. Now if God has designed our bodies so that they are prepared for sexual union by age 16, then perhaps he is telling us that we should be emotionally, mentally, and spiritually prepared to enter into marriage at about the same time or shortly thereafter.

Meet Renee Ellmers: Cracking down on Monarchy and Mosques

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Wednesday, 11/17/2010 2:51 pm

Following the election, RWW will bring you our list of the "The Ten Scariest Republicans Heading to Congress." Our final candidate profile is on Renee Ellmers of North Carolina:

Leading Democratic Rep. Bob Etheridge by 1,489 votes in North Carolina’s second district, conservative activist Renee Ellmers has declared victory and is now attending freshman orientation in Washington DC.

A self-declared “product of the tea party,” she ran on anti-health care and anti-Stimulus platform: she compared President Obama to “Louis XIV, the Sun King” and asserted that his administration is establishing “a socialistic form of government.” She blasted Democrats for their “imperial ruling class attitude,” and referred to the Stimulus Plan as “massive government takeovers of the economy.”

Ellmers believes that Obama put the country at risk because he supposedly refuses “to recognize – and tell the American people – [that] he understands radical Islamic terrorism does exist.” She then launched an ugly and bigoted campaign ad equating all Muslims with the 9/11 terrorists, and arguing that the Islamic Community Center in Lower Manhattan is a “Victory Mosque” and a symbol of Muslim conquest:

Narrator: “After the Muslims conquered Jerusalem, and Cordoba and Constantinople, they built victory mosques. And now, they want to build a mosque near Ground Zero. Where does Bob Etheridge stand? He won’t say, won’t speak out, won’t take a stand.”

Ellmers: “The terrorists haven’t won, and we should tell them in plain English, ‘No, there will never be a mosque at Ground Zero.’”

In an interview with Anderson Cooper, she suggested that Obama’s foreign policy subtly shows support for terrorists by using foreign aid to build mosques. Cooper, however, pointed out that she was referring to a program started by President Bush that helps rebuild houses of worships including churches and temples. When he asked if the Roman Catholic Church built a “Victory Church” in Rome over a Pagan temple, she took umbrage and asked Cooper if he was “anti-religion” or “anti-Christian.” Cooper replied: “That’s like the lowest response I have ever heard from a candidate, I have got to tell you.” (Watch the ad and interview below).

Defending her ad to rightwing radio talk show host Tammy Bruce, she said that “it’s time for elected officials to go to Washington who are ready to stand up for America.”

Ellmers says she decided to run for Congress after her work with Americans for Prosperity, a corporate front group tied to the Koch brothers, campaigning against health care reform. She told G. Gordon Liddy that the health care reform bill was “put in place simply to control our lives.” She also maintained that “physicians are not going to be able to continue to practice” because of the reform law, which she said “is just a monster.”

According to Ellmers, insurance companies should be able to deny individuals coverage for pre-existing conditions, saying: “private insurance companies [should] decide how they’re going to handle the pre-existing conditions situation.” Ellmers also attacked requiring insurance companies to cover maternity care and other health issues, calling such coverage “very costly.”

In a debate she came out against emergency funding to protect the jobs of teachers, and suggested that diverting public funds towards private school vouchers through “school choice” would help prevent job losses among teachers.

She said that her plan to reduce the debt would be to cut taxes and end foreign aid, and as a proponent of the “FairTax” she believes that the progressive income tax should be scrapped and replaced with a national sales tax.

An avowed opponent of immigrant rights, she claimed that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has shown “the kind of leadership we have not seen in a long time” by signing SB 1070, and suggested that Congress vote to defund the Department of Justice over their lawsuit against the draconian immigration law.

Ellmers told the conservative RedState blog that she is fiercely anti-choice and opposes the feminist movement. She was been endorsed by Sarah Palin, Concerned Women for America, and the Susan B. Anthony List.

A Tea Party activist who smears minority groups for political gain and has no real plan to cut the deficit or save jobs, Renee Ellmers appears to exemplify many of the ugliest qualities of the tea party movement.

 

Reed: Obama Need To Be More "Christ-Like," Like Sarah Palin

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 11/11/2010 12:23 pm

For some reason, Ralph Reed still has a career in politics and a corresponding platform from which he can share his "expertise" about how President Obama really needs to be, in addition to a political leader, a Christian leader ... kind of like Sarah Palin: 

Democrats would have had fewer losses on election Tuesday if President Obama had embraced a "Christ-like model of leadership," says Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Reed, who used to run Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition, says a good leader is one who provides not just the "bread, but also the bread of life" for his constituents.

"Even if you bring the capital-gains tax down to zero," create more jobs, and turn the economy around, he argues, Obama still needs to give an "eternal" set of values, such as opposing abortion and same-sex marriage.

So who would be a Christ-like GOP challenger to Obama in 2012? Reed says his friend, Sarah Palin.

Allow me to just point out, yet again, that Reed's own political aspirations collapsed when it was revealed that he knowingly took large amounts of gambling money to dupe his erstwhile Religious Right associates into mobilizing on behalf of measures that benefited the gambling interests of Jack Abramoff's clients ... work which Reed proclaims "outstanding" and of which he remains "proud" to this day.

The Good Old Days When Everyone Knew That Even "One Homosexual Can Pollute a Government Office"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 11/10/2010 4:25 pm

Paul Cameron and the Family Research Institute want to go back to the good ol' days of the 1950s when gays were banned for working for the government because everybody knew that even "one homosexual can pollute a Government office":

Today the courts are talking about the ‘right’ to engage in homosexuality, the ‘right’ of homosexuals to get married to each other, the ‘right’ to openly join the military, etc. Political candidates are afraid of appearing ‘homophobic.’ But 60 years ago, even 35 years ago, the U.S. had it right. Then, engaging in same-sex sex was NOT considered a ‘right.’ Indeed, those who engaged in homosexuality were seen as highly socially disruptive, due to a lengthy, and empirically-tested, set of reasons. In 1950, Congress discussed the Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government:

Most of the authorities agree and our investigation has shown that the presence of a sex pervert in a Government agency tends to have a corrosive influence on his fellow employees. These perverts will frequently attempt to entice normal individuals to engage in perverted practices. This is particularly true in the case of young and impressionable people who might come under the influence of a pervert. Government officials have the responsibility of keeping this type of corrosive influence out of the agencies under their control. It is particularly important that the thousands of young men and women who are brought into Federal jobs not be subjected to that type of influence while in the service of the Government. One homosexual can pollute a Government office. 

Notice what the investigation found concerning employees who engaged in homosexuality. Homosexuals were not disqualified from government service because they were ‘mentally ill.’ At the time, of course, those who engaged in homosexuality were often referred to psychiatrists for ‘treatment.’ Yet for society in general and the federal government in particular, the overriding exclusionary factor was the social disruption that homosexuals caused. This official investigation found that homosexuals:

  • “frequently” “attempted to entice normal individuals to engage” in homosexuality. The ‘try it, you might like it’ slogan has been around a long time. Instances of male homosexuals enticing and seducing boys abounded then, as they do today.
  • particularly targeted the “young and impressionable.” The homosexually-obsessed have both drive and commitment — especially when it comes to the young or younger.

Based on these facts, the report recommended the following policy:

Government officials have the responsibility of keeping this type of corrosive influence out of the agencies under their control. It is particularly important that the thousands of young men and women who are brought into Federal jobs not be subjected to that type of influence while in the service of the Government.

The report also observed that “one homosexual can pollute a Government office.” Not that ‘every homosexual’ polluted his Government office, but rather “one can.” Most anyone who has worked in a business is familiar with at least once such circumstance. What is striking here is that there is no ‘animus,’ no ‘hatred,’ and no appeal to Christianity or any religious notions — just a statement of the facts and a reasonable social policy conclusion given those facts.

Texas Eagle Forum Calls for Banning Muslims From Military, Government Jobs, and Running for Office

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 11/4/2010 3:39 pm

Via the Texas Freedom Network, we see that the Texas Eagle Forum has endorsed a position staked out by Elijah Abraham, an evangelical Christian convert from Islam, calling for the banning of Muslims from serving in the military , running for public office, or serving as government employees:

In the U.S., there are Muslim training camps across the country actively planning attacks on American soil. Young Americans are being converted to Islam in our jails, our military, public schools and universities, and in churches that preach Liberation Theology. Muslims have gained two seats in the U.S, Congress and have won seats in state and local races. Public school textbooks are becoming pro-Islam and anti-Christian. Muslims are buying Fortune 500 companies and high tech companies. There is a Dow Jones Islamic Index. Islamic banks, insurance companies and mortgage companies are springing up across the country. Our open borders welcome Muslims.

The challenge to America is to stop the spread of Islam in the U.S. before it is too late.

SOLUTIONS:

1. Congress MUST outlaw Shariah and international law
2. Eliminate Muslim government employees
3. Outlaw Muslim terrorist organizations, such as The Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, etc.
4. Muslims should be ineligible to run for political office
5. All Muslim military personnel should be removed from the U.S. armed forces
6. Monitor mosques
7. Shut down terrorist training camps in the U.S.

Texas Eagle Forum also announces that it "will push for a bill against Shariah law during the 2011 legislative session, which opens in January in Austin."

2012 Candidates Weekly Update 11/02/10

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Tuesday, 11/2/2010 10:06 am

With the midterm elections taking place today, tomorrow is the unofficial beginning of the race for the 2012 GOP nomination.

Haley Barbour

Tea Party: Claims that Tea Party candidates will find a home in the GOP (AP, 11/2)

GOP: Says that Party will have to earn trust since voters are “not saying ‘Hey, we love you Republicans,’” (CBS, 11/1).

Newt Gingrich

2012: Tells WaPo that a 2012 bid is becoming “increasingly” practical (WaPo, 10/29).

Florida: Holds “Jobs Here Jobs Now” rally in Florida (Florida Times-Union, 10/29).

Mike Huckabee

Alaska: Making robo-calls on behalf of Joe Miller (AP, 11/1).

Iowa: Making robo-calls against the retention of three Iowa judges (Daily Caller, 10/29).

Mitt Romney

Health Care: Defends MA health care program, says national reform law is “unconstitutional” (GOP 12, 11/2).

Maine: Stumps for congressional candidate Dean Scontras, who is challenging Rep. Chellie Pingree (News 13, 11/1).

Iowa: Campaigns with GOP gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad (Des Moines Register, 10/27).

Sarah Palin

2010: Find out how Palin-endorsed candidates perform on election day (WaPo, 11/2).

GOP: Says that the “good old boys club” is working against her (Politico, 11/2).

Colorado: Making robo-calls on behalf of Tom Tancredo (ABC, 11/1).

Media:  Floats Breitbart-linked conspiracy theory (Media Matters, 11/1).

West Virginia: Stumps with John Raese and praises “Mountain mamas” (LAT, 10/30).

Tim Pawlenty

Minnesota: Low favorability numbers may hurt GOP chances of retaining the governorship (City Pages, 11/1).

Palin: Defends Palin over Twitter over claims that she is unelectable (TPM, 11/1).

Mike Pence

GOP: Calls on his Party to focus on deficit reduction if in power (National Journal, 11/2).

2012: May leave GOP leadership to seek presidency or governorship (Indy Star, 10/31).

Barton: God Will Hold You Accountable For How You Vote

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 10/29/2010 11:00 am

David Barton has released a nearly nine minute video explaining to Christians that God will only bless this nation if we are righteous and that our national righteousness is determined by our public policies.  As such, if we want God to bless our nation, we have to give him a reason to do so and that is why Christians must vote. 

But not only do Christians have an obligation to vote, Barton says, but they will one day have to answer to God for exactly how they used that vote:

We're to seek righteousness first, and dozens of Bible passages affirm that a nation's righteousness is determined by its public policies, by how well those policies conform to God's standards. We love to sing "God Bless America," but if we really want God to bless America, we've got to give him something to work with.

For Christians, voting is not a right, it's a duty. It's a stewardship that we owe to God and it's a stewardship for which we'll answer directly to him. One day we'll stand before him and he'll say "what did you do with that vote I gave you?" And we'll have to answer.

Righteousness must be the issue. It must be the measure to define what we're for politically and what we're against. And each of us will answer to God not only for whether we voted, but for how we voted, for what issues drove our vote.

If we stand before God and He says "why did you vote for a leader who's attempting to redefine my institution of marriage and who wills the unborn children that I knew before they were in the womb?" If He asks us that and our answer is "Because that leader was good on jobs and the economy," He's not going to accept that.

You can see the entire video here:

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 10/22/2010 5:37 pm

2012 Candidates Weekly Update 10/19/10

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Tuesday, 10/19/2010 9:33 am

Haley Barbour

Washington: Ranked #1 of GQ’s “DC Power List” (GQ, 10/18).

Mississippi: NYT columnist looks into his record of pardons as Governor (NYT, 10/15).

GOP: Raises $31 million for Republican Governors Association (WaPo, 10/14).

Mitch Daniels

Economy: Hit by conservatives for floating idea of value added tax (Newsweek, 10/18).

2012: Praised by President of US Chamber of Commerce (Courier & Press, 10/13).

Newt Gingrich

2010: Predicts takeover of House and Senate by GOP (KTAR, 10/18).

Fundraising: His 527, which has no cap on donations, raised over $4 million (Politico, 10/16).

Mike Huckabee

Media: Brings Ohio GOP gubernatorial nominee on TV show, says he is “not the least bit objective” (Media Matters, 10/18).

Crime: Seattle Times looks into Huckabee’s pardon of Maurice Clemmons (Seattle Times, 10/17).

Religious Right: Tells “Freedom, Faith and Family” conference that God guided Founding Fathers, condemns abortion (Winston-Salem Journal, 10/16).

2010: Predicts a “tsunami of change” while campaigning for Indiana Republicans (Indiana News Center, 10/13).

Mitt Romney

2010: Campaigns for Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Minnesota’s Tom Emmer (GOP12, 10/18).

Fundraising: Collects $1.7 million for leadership PAC over summer (Politico, 10/14).

Iowa: May not focus as much attention on Iowa Caucuses in 2012 as he did in 2008 (Des Moines Register, 10/14).

Sarah Palin

Tea Party: Launches Tea Party Express Bus Tour in Reno, NV (Christian Science Monitor, 10/18).

2010: Set to rally in Florida with Michael Steele and Marco Rubio after appearing with Steele in California (Politico, 10/18).

Religious Right: Speaks to Liberty and Freedom Foundation about patriotism, God, and Pat Tillman; knocks First Lady Michelle Obama (Opposing Views, 10/17).

George Pataki

Health Care: Wants 1 million people to sign his petition to repeal reform law (Jackson Citizen Patriot, 10/14; The Hill, 10/14).

Economy: Criticizes Obama Administration’s green-jobs initiatives (Wall Street Journal, 10/14).

Tim Pawlenty

GOP: Holds rally with Mitt Romney in Minnesota (Star Tribune, 10/18).

Government: Criticizes federal government spending but requests money from Washington for flood aid (Up Take, 10/18).

Fundraising: Leadership PAC raised over half a million dollars over the Summer (AP, 10/14).

Rick Santorum

Abortion: Set to address Tennessee Right to Life’s annual dinner (Knoxville News, 10/17).

Religious Right: Spoke Friday to Cornerstone Action fundraiser (CPR Action, 10/15).

Brownback Refuses to Comment On His Association With Engle

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 10/13/2010 11:10 am

As we have noted before, Democrats in Kansas have rightly been making an issue of Sam Brownback's ties to Lou Engle given that the two lived together for several months after Brownback's condo burned down. 

Recently, Brownback tried to distance himself a bit from Engle, saying that he had some concerns about some of Engle's views but for the most part Brownback has been trying to ignore the issue ... which is getting harder as Democrats continue to make it an issue:

Kansas Democrats are highlighting Republican gubernatorial nominee Sam Brownback's ties to a controversial evangelist, saying the association raises questions about his judgment.

The Kansas Democratic Party cites Brownback's appearance at a 2007 rally for evangelist Lou Engle, who has urged Christians to fast and pray that "God, the avenger of blood" will heal the nation's sins of abortion and homosexuality.

"Does Sam Brownback know where to draw the line?" said Kenny Johnston, the Kansas Democratic Party's executive director. "It's an important question to ask about Sam Brownback's judgment."

Brownback's opponent, Tom Holland, even released a statement questioning Brownback's ties to Engle:

"I have read the stories in the Topeka Capital-Journal, the Lawrence Journal World and by the Associated Press detailing Senator Brownback's relationship with Lou Engle, and my staff has shared with me additional information1 on Mr. Engle's views and statements. I found all of this to be very troubling.

"The next Governor of Kansas will need to bring people together, not divide them along lines of fear and bigotry.

"Whether it's upholding the executive ban on workplace discrimination against gays and lesbians, or preventing our state from being defined by the messages of Fred Phelps and Lou Engle – the next Governor has a responsibility to protect the rights of every Kansan.

"We've seen what happens when right-wing extremists get the spotlight; our state becomes a punch line on late night talk shows and companies think twice before bringing new jobs to our state. We can't go down that path again.

"I'm running to be a leader for all Kansans, so that we can continue our legacy as a Free State, where discrimination and bigotry – against anyone – is not tolerated."

Brownback's campaign refuses to comment, but as Bruce Wilson notes, it is not only Engle with whom he has ties, but other leaders like Dutch Sheets as well (you may recall how Sheets' prayers led to the capture of Saddam Hussein):

Former US Senator Brownback told the Topeka, Kansas Lawrence Journal-World, "He [Engle] said a number of things that I'm troubled by," and Brownback added, "I haven't had much association with him for some period of time." In Sam Brownback's lexicon, 'some period of time' would have to mean 'at least ten months' because back in December 2009 Brownback could be found up onstage with Lou Engle, who led the Family Research Council's nationally broadcast "Prayercast" against health care reform.

Brownback's disavowal elides his long association with Lou Engle. As I broke here at Talk To Action in late December 2009, Lou Engle says he and Sam Brownback lived together for 7 months in a rented Washington DC condominium. And, in footage from Brownback's 2007 appearance at Lou Engle's Nashville TheCall rally, evangelist Dutch Sheets stated that Brownback, whom Sheets called a personal friend to both Sheets, Lou Engle, and other mutual associates, had already attended four of Lou Engle's TheCall events.

If Brownback has "concerns" about Engle, it sure didn't stop him attending at least four of his The Call events.

Right Wing Hypocrites Outraged By New Grayson Ad

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Monday, 9/27/2010 4:13 pm

Rep. Alan Grayson released a new ad in which he called his Republican opponent "Taliban Dan Webster":

And so, of course, the Religious Right is outraged:

“Alan Grayson is an embarrassment to the citizens of Florida,” said Gary Bauer, chairman of the Campaign for Working Families which has backed Webster. “While the voters of his district lose their jobs and their homes he conducts a campaign of smears and hatred against anyone who challenges the tax raising, big government policies that he has voted for. November 2 can’t come quickly enough.”

“The Grayson ads are despicable and reach a new low which reflect the character of the man who approved them,“ said John Stemberger, president of Florida Family Action. “Christians everywhere ought to be outraged at Grayson and his bigoted claims.”

Can I just point out that Stemberger is being sued for $10 million by the attorney for Rifqa Bary's parents for repeatedly accusing him of having ties to terrorists and that the Florida Bar Association is preparing to file a misconduct complaint against him?

Can I also point out that just a few weeks ago, Gary Bauer explicitly compared progressives to Islamic terrorists?

Progressives and Islamists are indeed on the same side. Their common disdain for Christianity explains why left-wing judges in America find any inkling of Christianity in the public square unconstitutional, while Islamist judges in the Middle East deem it executable.

Their common view that life is expendable explains the left’s embrace abortion-on-demand and why the Islamists don’t hesitate to deploy their own children for homicide bombings.

Their common totalitarian impulse explains why each group has as its governing objective to render its subjects entirely dependent on the state for everything in their lives, from education to healthcare.

So what was that they were saying about the despicable new lows reached of those who smears their political opponents?

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 9/21/2010 5:54 pm

Huckabee Endorses Glen "Hitler Created Church-State Separation" Urquhart

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Monday, 9/20/2010 4:19 pm

Last week, we highlighted this video of Delaware's Republican House nominee, Glen Urquhart, claiming that the phrase "separation of church and state" did not originate with Thomas Jefferson but rather came from Adolph Hitler:

Do you know, where does this phrase separation of Church and State come from? Does anybody know? ... Actually, that's exactly, it was not in Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists. He was reassuring that the federal government wouldn't trample on their religion. The exact phrase 'separation of Church and State' came out of Adolph Hitler’s mouth, that’s where it comes from. Next time your liberal friends talk about the separation of Church and State ask them why they’re Nazis.

So imagine our complete lack of surprise to see Urquhart today secure the endorsement of Mike Huckabee:

Huck PAC and I are proud to support Glen Urquhart for Congress from Delaware. Glen shares our traditional conservative values like the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and the right to keep and bear arms.

Glen has the right kind of experiences to make a positive difference in Congress. Glen served as Chair the National Capital Planning Commission first appointed by President Ronald Reagan and saw first hand the benefit of sound fiscal policy. Glen understands how to create jobs and spur on economic growth – and we need that kind of leadership now more than ever in Washington.

Please join me in supporting Glen Urquhart for Congress from Delaware, let’s make sure we send him to Washington.

 

Fischer: Muslims Are Stupid and Violent Because of Inbreeding

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 9/10/2010 1:07 pm

As if he's trying to prove the point that I made earlier that he's a viciously anti-Muslim bigot, the AFA's Bryan Fischer unleashes his latest attack, writing a post based on the claims of Danish psychologist Nicolai Sennels in which he claims that Muslims are dangerous, violent, and stupid because of rampant inbreeding:

Lowered intellectual capacity is another devastating consequence of Muslim marriage patterns. According to Sennels, research shows that children of consanguinous marriages lose 10-16 points off their IQ and that social abilities develop much slower in inbred babies.

The risk of having an IQ lower than 70, the official demarcation for being classified as “retarded,” increases by an astonishing 400 percent among children of cousin marriages.

In Denmark, non-Western immigrants are more than 300 percent more likely to fail the intelligence test required for entrance into the Danish army.

Sennels says that “the ability to enjoy and produce knowledge and abstract thinking is simply lower in the Islamic world.” He points out that the Arab world translates just 330 books every year, about 20% of what Greece alone does.

In the last 1,200 years years of Islam, just 100,000 books have been translated into Arabic, about what Spain does in a single year. Seven out of 10 Turks have never even read a book.

Sennels points out the difficulties this creates for Muslims seeking to succeed in the West. “A lower IQ, together with a religion that denounces critical thinking, surely makes it harder for many Muslims to have success in our high-tech knowledge societies.”

Only nine Muslims have every won the Nobel Prize, and five of those were for the “Peace Prize.” According to Nature magazine, Muslim countries produce just 10 percent of the world average when it comes to scientific research (measured by articles per million inhabitants).

In Denmark, Sennels’ native country, Muslim children are grossly overrepresented among children with special needs. One-third of the budget for Danish schools is consumed by special education, and anywhere from 51% to 70% of retarded children with physical handicaps in Copenhagen have an immigrant background.

Learning ability is severely affected as well. Studies indicated that 64% of school children with Arabic parents are still illiterate after 10 years in the Danish school system. The immigrant drop-out rate in Danish high schools is twice that of the native-born.

Mental illness is also a product. The closer the blood relative, the higher the risk of schizophrenic illness. The increased risk of insanity may explain why more than 40% of the patients in Denmark’s biggest ward for clinically insane criminals have an immigrant background.

The U.S. is not immune. According to Sennels, “One study based on 300,000 Americans shows that the majority of Muslims in the USA have a lower income, are less educated, and have worse jobs than the population as a whole.”

...

Bottom line: Islam is not simply a benign and morally equivalent alternative to the Judeo-Christian tradition. As Sennels points out, the first and biggest victims of Islam are Muslims. Simple Christian compassion for Muslims and a common-sense desire to protect Western civilization from the ravages of Islam dictate a vigorous opposition to the spread of this dark and dangerous religion. These stark realities must be taken into account when we establish public polices dealing with immigration from Muslim countries and the building of mosques in the U.S.

Let’s hope America wakes up before a blind naivete about the reality of Islam destroys what remains of our Christian culture and our domestic tranquility.

So let me ask again why conservative leaders like Newt Gingrich, Bob McDonnell, and Mike Huckabee are so willing to share the stage with a viciously anti-Muslim bigot like Bryan Fischer at the upcoming Values Voter Summit?

Americans for Job Security: Corporate Astroturfing Extraordinaire

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Thursday, 9/9/2010 4:17 pm

The same group who hailed the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United as an “unequivocal victory” has launched new ads to promote corporate interests in this year’s election. After spending handsomely to criticize Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s Democratic primary opponent with offensive and inaccurate ads, Americans for Job Security today began to run television ads against Rep. Zack Space (D-OH) and Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), along with Democratic candidates Bryan Lentz in Pennsylvania and Trent Van Haaften in Indiana. The group has already spent close to $3 million in the election, and is a huge booster of Republicans such as Pat Toomey and Ken Buck.

Americans for Job Security is a true corporate creation: founded in 1997, it initially received two $1 million contributions from the American Insurance Association and the American Forest and Paper Association. In fact, it is registered as a 501c6 trade association, and consequently does not have to disclose its donors to the IRS.  Also, since it generally runs  “issue ads,” it is not required to disclose its donors to the FEC, although the thin line between political advocacy and lobbying is often difficult to see. The Washington Post writes that even though Americans for Job Security classifies itself as a trade association, it “spends the vast majority of its budget on television and radio ads before elections,” and the vast majority of them are negative.

The ads slam the stimulus package, which improved job growth and Real GDP and prevented total economic collapse, and dishonestly malign progressive legislation. In their ad against Bryan Lentz, who is running to replace Joe Sestak, Americans for Job Security alleges that health care reform cuts $500 billion from Medicare, a claim FactCheck.org forcefully debunked as a gross distortion. When criticizing Rep. Space for backing the American Clean Energy and Security Act (“cap and trade”) in their new ad, the group claims the bill would “kill Ohio jobs.” However, a University of California, Berkeley study found that ACES “would create between 918,000 and 1.9 million new jobs, increase annual household income by $487-$1,175 per year, and boost GDP by $39 billion-$111 billion.”

Like the Club for Growth, Americans for Job Security is not afraid to take on Democrats and even some conservative Republicans who they feel haven’t fully embraced the pro-corporate agenda. Public Citizen claims that “Americans for Job Security is a sham front group that would be better called Corporations Influencing Elections” and also alleged that it was “one of the most egregious offenders” in circumventing FEC rules on “electioneering activity.”

Utilizing hefty and anonymous corporate donations to run a misleading and deceptive ad campaign, Americans for Job Security proves that it is truly the epitome of pro-corporate astroturfing.

Barbour: Religious Right is "Using Up Valuable Time and Resources" On Issues Voters Don't Care About

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 9/8/2010 10:37 am

Earlier this year, Gov. Mitch Daniels came in for all sorts of criticism from the Religious Right for suggesting that truce might be needed in the culture wars so that the nation can focus on addressing economic and security issues.

If there is one thing the Religious Right hates, it is being told that their issues should be placed on a back burner or that they don't motivate voter turn out.  In fact, just yesterday we noted that the Religious Right was warning House Republicans not to ignore social issues as they lay out their issues and agenda, warning that it would be an "electorally costly mistake for the future for the GOP to write off" the anti-choice, anti-gay social conservatives who make up much of the grassroots base.

So I am guessing that this is not going to sit well with them:

Republican Governor's Association Chair Haley Barbour cautioned Republican candidates on Wednesday against bringing social issues into the campaign, arguing that any discussion beyond the economy would prove distracting and problematic to their election hopes.

In a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, the Mississippi Republican was asked for his take on remarks made earlier in the year by Mitch Daniels, the Indiana Governor, who had urged social and fiscal conservatives to reach an informal truce for the purposes of 2010.

"I think what Mitch said is very similar to what I have responded to today," Barbour replied. "The voters have on their mind the economy, jobs, spending, debt and taxes and good campaigns are about the issues that are on the peoples minds.

"I'll put my bonafides up against anybody as a social conservative," he added, noting that as governor, Mississippi was voted the safest state in the country for an unborn child. "But that ain't going to change anybody's vote this year because people are concerned about job, the economy, growth and taxes... you are using up valuable time and resources that can be used to talk to people about what they care about."

You know, Mitch Daniels thought that it was his bonafides as a social conservative that gave him the standing and credibility to be able call for a truce in the culture wars, but that didn't stop him for getting raked over the coal ... so if Barbour thinks that the Religious Right is going to simply accept it when he tells them that they "are using up valuable time and resources" talking about issues nobody cares about, I think he is going to be in for a bit of a surprise.

Pawlenty Requests Stimulus Funds He Criticized

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Tuesday, 9/7/2010 4:14 pm

After criticizing Congress for passing a $26 billion aid package to state governments, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has sent a formal request to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for $236 million for Medicaid from the very same funding bill he blasted as a “reckless spending spree.” After pronouncing that “the federal government should not deficit spend to bail out states,” the governor and likely presidential candidate even offered clues that he won’t accept any new money from the federal government (unless that money was for abstinence-only programs).

Pawlenty decided to relent like other “principled” Republican governors before him such as Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford, who proudly disparage government programs and threaten to refuse the federal aid meant to protect the jobs of public employees and salvage state budgets—then agree to accepting stimulus dollars when it’s politically convenient. Similar to the Republican members of Congress who proudly vote against the stimulus and later publicly take credit for providing stimulus dollars in their districts, Pawlenty is attempting to both please the anti-government zealots in the GOP base while also benefiting from Democratic efforts to govern responsibly.

Pawlenty’s backpedaling on the stimulus coincides with the news that Michele Bachmann isn’t the only government spending-critic to receive farm subsidies from the federal government, as Indiana’s favorite Tea Party politician and congressional candidate Marlin Stutzman also obtains federal aid in the form of farm subsidies. Stutzman, who explicitly said that “it’s time to get rid of farm subsidies” in the name of free market orthodoxy, collected $179,370 from the federal government since 1995 for his farm.

For Republicans such as Pawlenty and Stutzman, it’s easy to denounce federal spending to further their political careers and agendas, but they still have no problem with benefiting from the same federal government programs they rail against.

Religious Right Demands Inclusion in GOP Agenda

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 9/7/2010 10:49 am

Earlier this year, House Republicans launched a website called "America Speaking Out," which allowed Americans to "share their priorities and ideas for a national policy agenda" that they wanted Congress to focus on.

In a few weeks, House GOP leaders are expected to roll out set of guiding principles and agenda that is based on the suggestions they have received and reportedly distributed a 22-page draft packet to members earlier this month.  And the draft focuses largely on issues related to jobs, spending, health care, and the economy while almost entirely ignoring social issues ... which, of course, is not sitting well with the Religious Right:

Today, the Susan B. Anthony List announced the launch of its “Life Speaking Out Campaign” aimed at encouraging House GOP leadership to make protecting women and the unborn a priority in its legislative blueprint expected after Labor Day. The campaign includes a website for pro-life activists to lobby House GOP leadership (www.LifeSpeakingOut.com) and an encouraging letter to leadership signed by SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.

“The Republican Party must show what it is made of this time around. They can do so by acting on their convictions and those of their party, and by making a commitment to passage of common-sense, life-saving legislation,” said Dannenfelser. “Missing from the GOP’s original Contract in 1994 was any emphasis on policies protecting the unborn. Pro-life legislation was not made a priority in the following Congress. With the support of a vibrant pro-life movement that understands the urgency of addressing the tragedy of nearly 4,000 abortions per day coupled with the vast majority of Americans who support a commonsense pro-life agenda, enacting that agenda would not require a heavy lift ... It would be an electorally costly mistake for the future for the GOP to write off one leg of the three-legged stool of Ronald Reagan conservatism. Real leaders multi-task. The strongly pro-life GOP leadership should be able to respond to the economic crisis and enact pro-life legislation,” Dannenfelser said.

Expect to see more of this, as other Religious Right groups started demanding that things like support for "traditional marriage" and religious freedom also be explicitly included in any GOP governing agenda.

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Bachmann: The American People Are Concerned About "The Rise Of The Soviet Union"
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Thursday 08/18/2011, 1:29pm
Michele Bachmann dropped by "Jay Sekulow Live" today to talk about her win last weekend in the Iowa Straw Poll and her presidential campaign in general.  During the discussion, Bachmann asserted that while the American people are very concerned about the state of the economy, they are concerned about other issues as well like abortion, defending marriage ... and the rise of the Soviet Union: I would say it's a unified message. It really is about jobs and the economy. That doesn't mean people haven't [sic] forgotten about protecting life and marriage and the sanctity of the... MORE
Harvey: Gays And Lesbians Should Be Banned From Teaching
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Monday 08/08/2011, 5:31pm
Mission America’s Linda Harvey launched into another anti-gay tirade on her radio show on Friday, criticizing the National Education Association for supporting the rights of gays and lesbians to become teachers. Harvey, who once claimed that the NEA was using scholarships to make kids gays, on the other hand contends that schools should ban gay and lesbian teachers until they “leave that behavior behind.” Her view is not uncommon in the Religious Right, and Harvey insists that “no homosexuality should be in our schools, period.” Harvey: Kids should not be put... MORE
Looking to 2012, Robison More Focused On "What" Than "Who"
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Wednesday 07/13/2011, 12:16pm
It has been reported that James Robison has been gathering Religious Right leaders and mobilizing them to defeat President Obama in 2012.  While some reports that have suggested that Robison is seeking to rally them behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Robison himself is making it clear that he is less interested in "who" the candidate is than he is in laying out "what" needs to be done to save America: I am declaring to everyone with ears to hear: Now is the time to return to God. Stand up like a mighty army! Pierce the darkness, storm the gates of hell, set captives free... MORE
Remembrance of Bachmann Things Past: Her Ties To Janet Porter
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Wednesday 07/06/2011, 2:19pm
In 2009, Janet Porter of Faith 2 Action organized a right-wing conference in St. Louis called "How To Take Back America" that was co-sponsored by the likes of WorldNetDaily, The American Family Association, Vision America, Liberty Counsel, and WallBuilders.  The keynote speakers at the conference were Mike Huckabee and Rep. Michele Bachmann. The line-up at this conference was so radical that we put together a report on the participants which gave special attention to the truly fringe views espouse by Porter:  It is probably impossible to overstate the extremism and lunacy... MORE
Anti-Choice Group Fundraises To Encourage "Freedom From The Homosexual Lifestyle"
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Wednesday 07/06/2011, 12:22pm
Steve Jalsevac, the cofounder of Life Site News, wants readers to know that the fight against reproductive rights isn’t enough, and that the group will be redoubling its efforts to combat LGBT equality. While describing a recent trip to a Pride Parade, where he “was filled with sadness for all the lost, confused souls who were participating in it,” Jaslevac warns that “our freedoms” are at stake if the gay rights movement continues to advance. Jaslevac ends his missive by asking for financial help in order to help “the homosexuals themselves” by... MORE
Tea Party Nation Condemns "Non-European" Immigration
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Tuesday 07/05/2011, 10:40am
Eliana Benador, the neoconservative PR agent who lost her outlet in the Washington Times after she speculated that former congressman Anthony Weiner may have converted to Islam, now has a new outlet: the Tea Party Nation. In her column for the tea party group that once lamented that America is facing white “extinction,” Benador blames immigrants from “non-European nations” for much of the country’s social ills. She claims that such non-European immigration was responsible for President Obama’s election and claims that the U.S. should consider revoking First... MORE
Tea Party Nation: Bring Back McCarthyism And Ban Muslims From The Cabinet
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Friday 06/10/2011, 11:07am
Judson Phillips, president of the Tea Party Nation, is raving about Herman Cain’s stance on appointing Muslims to public office. Cain has consistently shifted and lied about his position, earning himself a “pants on fire” rating from PolitiFact. While he denies ever having told Think Progress he would have a ban on Muslims serving in his Administration, Cain told Bryan Fischer exactly that, saying he didn’t have time to screen out Muslims who support imposing Sharia law from ones who don’t. Then the presidential candidate told Glenn Beck that he would have... MORE