« Jim Inhofe
March 19, 2008
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Pretend to Join 'Em
With the passing of right-wing luminaries such as Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy in recent months, coupled with the aging of many of the Right’s traditional leaders, the movement itself appears to be in flux and some are getting worried about just what will become of it in the future. Just last week, James Dobson voiced these concerns while addressing the National Religious Broadcasters Convention:
“It causes me to wonder who will be left to carry the banner when this generation of leaders is gone. The question is, will the younger generation heed the call? Who will defend the unborn child in the years to come? Who will plead for the Terri Schiavos of the world? Who’s going to fight for the institution of marriage, which is on the ropes today.”
The emerging conventional wisdom is that the Religious Right is on the verge of being replaced by a “new evangelical” movement that shares the old-guard’s opposition to gays and abortion, but also cares about issues like poverty and the environment. The standard-bearer of this “new breed” is Mike Huckabee who, as he puts it, drinks “a different kind of Jesus juice” than the traditional leaders and routinely says things like this:
I don’t see [the right-wing movement] going into decline. I see it going into a maturing process. I think the issues are going to broaden and force Evangelicals to expand their horizons of concerns to poverty, disease, issues of education and homelessness. These are issues that I think are going to become increasingly important along with the environment as part of an overall focus that you’re going to see from - I would use a broader term - values voters - that would include not only Evangelicals but also Catholics and conservative Jewish voters as well.
Of course, just because a bunch of young upstarts think that caring about the environment is important doesn’t mean that the old-guard has any interest in broadening their agenda. As we noted last year, when the National Association of Evangelicals started to voice concerns about the environment and global warming, right-wing stalwarts like Dobson, Tony Perkins, Don Wildmon, Gary Bauer, Rick Scarborough, and Paul Weyrich dashed off an angry letter essentially demanding that the NAE fire its own Vice President over it.
The NAE didn’t back down, but the Right didn’t give up. Instead, they formed their own organization, the American Environmental Coalition, and now seek "to bring balance to the debate by being an alternative source of reliable information to Americans who seek the best way forward for our country.”
Because if you are looking for “reliable information” on environmental issues, you couldn’t ask for a better group of experts:
# Pat Robertson, The Christian Broadcasting Network
# Paul Weyrich, Free Congress Foundation
# Gary Bauer, American Values
# Jay Sekulow, American Center for Law & Justice
# Rev. Lou Sheldon, Traditional Values Coalition
# Rev. Rob Schenck, Faith & Action
# Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
# Steve Elliott, Grassfire.org
# Amy Ridenour, National Center for Policy Analysis
It appears as if AEC was set-up back in September, with the site being registered to Gary Marx, who, along with being head of the Judicial Confirmation Network, also served on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
While the AEC has, to date, kept a pretty low profile, it appears as if the organization already has one key ally on the Hill - global warming denier Sen. James Inhofe:
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment & Public Works Committee, today welcomed a letter signed by leading evangelical and conservative leaders opposing S.2191 - America's Climate Security Act (Lieberman-Warner). The letter, sent to all 100 U.S. Senators, urges the defeat of climate change legislation which they say would lead to “imperceptible” changes in temperature “while doing grave harm to our economy, the poor, and U.S. competitiveness.” The letter dispels the myth made by a few on Capitol Hill that people of faith have somehow embraced the more radical climate change proposals. Over 70 religious leaders, economists, scientists, state legislators and public policy advocates signed the letter.
“Leading evangelical and conservative leaders made a bold statement by joining together and sending a letter to all 100 Senators outright rejecting the economic wrecking Lieberman-Warner bill,” Senator Inhofe said. “I welcome this letter and encourage each of my colleagues to seriously consider the arguments made by these leading evangelical and conservative leaders. In particular, the letter states their concerns over the severe economic impact on American families as a result of millions of job losses, skyrocketing energy costs, as well as increased price of food, especially on the poor.
“Further, this letter clearly dispels the myth advocated by a few on Capitol Hill that leading evangelicals support Lieberman-Warner.”
Signatories to the letter include AEC founders Norquist, Weyrich, Sheldon, and Bauer as well as others like Richard Land, Tony Perkins, Ken Blackwell, Roy Innis, Jerome Corsi, and dozens more.
The Religious Right has made no secret of the fact that it opposes efforts to broaden its agenda because it fears that doing so will ultimately distract the movements from his anti-gay, anti-abortion agenda. But they have apparently concluded that they can’t win that argument and have decided to set-up their own anti-environmental front group instead.
After all, what need is there to be concerned about global warming when it is really just a sign of the Second Coming?
Posted by Kyle at 4:13 PM | Permalink
March 2, 2007
CPAC: Presidential Candidates Descend upon Fabled Base
Much has been written of the unseasonably early 2008 presidential campaign, but one unanticipated side effect is that the Conservative Political Action Conference agenda is larded with ambitious politicians hoping to surprise – or at least appease – what all of them have apparently decided is their best hope, the far-right base. No less than eight Republican contenders (if you count Newt Gingrich, who appears to be looking for the side entrance to the White House) are scheduled; the only major candidate missing is John McCain.
And so the activist crowd, compared to last year’s conference, is more enthused with people than with causes. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, a relatively unknown candidate, managed to fill a good portion of the large hall first thing in the morning. By 10 this morning, Mike Huckabee had people standing in the back, and at noon, CPAC staff closed off the wing as Rudy Giuliani had filled it up. At that point, a line began forming for those who wanted to see Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, and Mitt Romney, and by the time Giuliani finished his hour-long speech, the hundreds in line stretched back to the exhibit hall in the next wing. Of course, that may not have reflected any popularity on the part of the candidates themselves so much as the crowd wanting to get their money’s worth at the three-day event.
Hunter, who struck a martial theme, received a mixed response for his ideas on trade, but garnered standing ovations for his tough talk on building a fence to halt immigration over the Mexican border, and for his promise that “As president of the United States, I will pardon” the two border agents convicted in a shooting incident. Another plank of his platform that drew approval was his policy on picking judges: “If any judicial candidate comes before me and can look at a sonogram … and not see valuable life, then I will not appoint him.” While most polls hardly register Hunter's candidacy, a straw poll in South Carolina found him a close second to Giuliani, a result that could give some life to his campaign.
Following an interlude on global warming – in which Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) repeated his now standard tirade involving the UN, Richard Cizik, and animal worship – former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came in, armed to the teeth with folksy charm, and took aim at competitors who he said were changing their positions with the “prevailing winds”: “Some folks here had so many road-to-Damascus experiences they’ve had more than a Syrian camel driver,” he cracked. He reiterated his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, repeating his crack about “Moses coming down” from “Brokeback Mountain,” and accusing opponents of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage of preferring to amend the Bible, which he called “the very text upon which that Constitution was based.” Huckabee’s surprise move was to counter fervent opposition from the Club for Growth by announcing that “I plan later today to deliver to Grover Norquist a signed pledge” against taxes.
Giuliani, speaking at noon, eschewed all talk of the social issues that alienate much of this crowd, preferring instead to play to his perceived strengths. He briefly mentioned taxes, crime, welfare, and education (speaking in favor of school vouchers), but the bulk of his hour-long address was on terrorism and the war in Iraq, evoking his role as mayor of New York on September 11, 2001. Announcing himself as part of the “Reagan revolution” in that, like Reagan, he was interested in being “a leader,” Giuliani promised he would be making a lot of “tough decisions.” That meant, he claimed, that he differed from Democrats, who he said wanted to “go on defense” in the war on terror by opposing “the Patriot Act and electronic surveillance and interrogation,” the things he said helped him bring down the Gambino crime family as a prosecutor. Mostly, though, he compared the “tough decisions” he would make as president to Reagan during the Cold War. “A little heavy on the Reagan,” muttered one audience member.
Posted by Ezra at 4:10 PM | Permalink
February 26, 2007
“I Am Not a Scientist”
Jerry Falwell dedicated this week’s sermon at his Thomas Road Baptist Church to debunking “The Myth Of Global Warming.”
Almost right off the bat, Falwell issued the disclaimer that “I am quick to say that I am not a scientist,” but that didn’t stop him from making a series of boldly incoherent statements:
The endless hysteria and alarmism over alleged global warming has increasingly become a national and international nuisance and loses credibility with every passing day. The entire myth has little to do with science and much to do with politics.
Falwell lays the blame for the perpetuation of this myth squarely at the feet of Al Gore, liberal politicians, the media, “radical Hollywood,” … and the Weather Channel:
The Weather Channel has taken up that task with its series ‘It Could Happen Tomorrow’. The Weather Channel started its "It Could Happen Tomorrow" series in January 2006. The program includes episodes where a tornado destroys Dallas, a tsunami destroys the Pacific Northwest, Mount Rainier erupts and destroys nearby towns, and San Diego is devastated by wildfires. What is the Weather Channel up to? … The big lie, conceived by the Weather Channel in cahoots with environmental extremists, is to get us in a tizzy over global warming.
Despite admittedly having no scientific credibility whatsoever, Falwell nonetheless feels that he is perfectly qualified to declare:
This so-called fact is the greatest deception in the history of science. We are wasting time, energy and trillions of dollars while creating unnecessary fear and consternation over an issue with no scientific justification.
As for why Hollywood, liberals, and The Weather Channel are so intent on pushing this myth, Falwell offers three simple explanations:
(1) To Create Major Economic Damage to America.
(2) The Desire To Change the Subject Concerning the World’s Moral Bankruptcy.
(3) Most importantly, it is Satan’s Attempt to Re-direct the Church’s Primary Focus.
You can’t argue with that sort of rigorous scientific reasoning, especially since Falwell’s presentation appears to have been based largely on “A Skeptic’s Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism,” (PDF) a report released by that other noted scientific expert, Sen. James Inhofe.
Posted by Kyle at 5:00 PM | Permalink
February 1, 2007
Now in Senate Minority, Inhofe Takes Aim at Children's Book
With control of the House after November’s elections, Democrats are investigating the Bush Administration’s manipulation of science, apparently including efforts to edit references to “global warming” out of findings. On the Senate side, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) is no longer the powerful chairman of the Committee on the Environment and Public Works, but as the ranking member still holds substantial influence on issues such as global warming, which he passionately denies.
But it appears Inhofe is setting his sights a little lower than federal policymaking. The senator took his case to the pages of the right-wing CNSNews.com to warn of the dangers of a children’s book written by environmental activist and “Inconvenient Truth” producer Laurie David.
Inhofe said he also found it interesting that Scholastic made the announcement regarding David's book just before the United Nations is set to release a major study on climate change.
"It appears that Laurie David is joining the United Nations in aiming its global warming propaganda at children," the senator said.
"Having failed for nearly three decades to convince the American people and their leaders to jump on the global warming alarmism bandwagon, David and the U.N. are trying to fill the minds of children with 'sky-is-falling' global warming hysteria," Inhofe said.
This is not the first time Inhofe has invoked the U.N. as a sort of global-warming bogeyman. In fact, as he detailed at last fall’s “Values Voter Summit,” the U.N. is only a part of his argument – which also touches on animal worship and those who wish to “shut down” America – as to why Christians should fight back against concern about the environment.
Posted by Ezra at 5:55 PM | Permalink
September 24, 2006
Values Voter Summit: Anti-Environmentalism As a 'Scriptural' Position
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) warned the crowd at the Values Voter Summit about the "attack to eliminate the conservative agenda of Evangelicals," which includes "scriptural" issues such as flag burning, abortion, and homosexuality. But the main thrust of his speech was a push back against environmentalism. According to Inhofe, the "smartest thing" that "liberal groups" have done is to introduce the issue of the environment to churches, and he said he was "very worried" that the majority of the audience "believe[s] global warming is real." He set out to dispell that understanding, using a somewhat convoluted logic.
"It was started really by the United Nations," Inhofe's argument began. He said that the "motive" was "to try to shut down this machine called America." From there he turned to environmental terrorism, and then he jumped to "animal rights people" who say animal and human lives are "morally equal." He returned to the theme of "global governance" briefly before asking, "What does God say about this thing?" He quoted Romans' warning of those who worship "birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." He concluded: "We have something that we know is scriptural."
Armed with this conclusion, Inhofe had harsh words for the National Association of Evangelicals, a group strongly allied with the Right which nevertheless has spoken out about the environment, and NAE spokesman Richard Cizik, "the man behind this." The senator called on the Values Voter Summit crowd to fight back: "If you do this, you'll be doing the Lord's work and he'll richly bless you for it."
Posted by Ezra at 12:00 PM | Permalink