The backlash begins

December 7, 2005

The Bush gang really hasn’t been paying much attention to the far-right whining about the alleged “war on Christmas,” or they’d be far more on-message. At this point, the White House has done nearly everything wrong — from Laura Bush’s “happy holidays” wishes, to “Children’s Holiday Reception” (where kids were encouraged to have a “very happy holiday”), to the “holiday reception” for the White House press corps.

But it’s the greeting card that wishes Bush’s supporters a happy “holiday season” that seems to have completely sent the conservative base over the edge.

“This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture,” said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Bush “claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn’t act like one,” said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. “I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it.”

One of the generals on the pro-Christmas side is Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether this is sinister — it’s the purging of Christ from Christmas — or whether it’s just political correctness run amok,” he said. “I think in the case of the White House, it’s just political correctness.” […] “It bothers me that the White House card leaves off any reference to Jesus, while we’ve got Ramadan celebrations in the White House,” Wildmon said. “What’s going on there?”

Laura Bush’s press secretary defended the holiday card saying the First Family “included best wishes for a holiday season, rather than Christmas wishes, because they are sent to people of all faiths.” But that’s only likely to make things worse — conservative whiners don’t care about non-Christian faiths and they don’t want the White House to care either.

The Catholic League’s Bill Donohue told the WaPo, “They’d better address this, because they’re no better than the retailers who have lost the will to say ‘Merry Christmas.'”

OK, but how does the White House respond? If they continue to respect diversity and keep their holiday wishes generic, far-right activists will continue their public gripes, only with increasing volume. If they turn around and start explicitly honoring Christmas, it’ll look like the president is letting his base push him around.

Can’t you just feel the holiday spirit? Let’s all remember the reason for the season — petty semantics debates the whole family can enjoy.

am i the only one who wakes up most mornings and says “what fcuking country am i living in?”

a happy festivus season to the rest of us!

  • a happy festivus season to the rest of us!

    Honestly, if I found a store that sold Festivus cards, I’d buy them in a heartbeat.

  • But Mr. CB, you’re making a fantastic contribution to the season by fostering the airing of grievances. Many thanks!

  • I remember back when “Keeping Christ in Christmas” was tied with “Peace on Earth” and “Doing unto the least of these.”

    Now it’s tied to what the front of your greeting card says?

    Christianity’s under attack, all right.

  • If the fundies religious faith must be affirmed by some clerk wishing them Merry Christmas, I wonder how strong their faith is.

  • The thing that gets me is how superficial and shallow this whole controversy is. It’s not as if the beleaguered Christians are saying we’ve forgotten to honor the Prince of Peace and his humility and mercy. (And really we don’t.) They’re furious because the word “Christmas” isn’t on the damn Target ad. This is what passes for spirituality in this country?

  • Scott is correct–Christianity is under attack all right, but not by the secularists or common sense religious. The vast Ignorocracy is the aggressor on this one.

    Pass me the festivus pole–time to whack a few nutjobs (whack-a-troll??).

  • Yes! Finally, Bush is being called to task for his complete lack of domestic or economic policy, his worse than abysmal leadership in the war on terror, for lying to the country to put us in Iraq, his failure to offer any plan to support even his own goals in the wars we’re in, and his utter lack of leadership or even interest in rebuilding New Orleans.

    Oh wait, there’s something more important than any of those things. Huh. What was I thinking? The president isn’t [i]Christian[/i] (read: insane rightest) enough.

    I don’t know if it seems morbid of me to think so but I really hope these self-destructing assholes continue stabbing themselves by directing their attacks at Bush instead of Target or Ford.

  • Srange how the least Christian people on the planet are the ones who claim to be the most Christian. Irony is not dead.

  • I fear for the days when all non Christians will have to wear a star on their jacket to warm all the good Christian children not to go near the lesser americans…

  • I remember when Christian-zealots whined about the over-commercialization of Christmas. Now they are begging stores to hang a Christmas signs. Oh the irony of it all.

  • I’m trying to imagine what the White House gurus must have gone through about a month ago while deciding what to write in the official Christmas cards.

    “Peace on earth”, no, that’ll look awful. “Goodwill to all men”? The ‘men’ part would at least get Hillary’s knickers in a twist, but it could start people wondering about whether “compassionate conservatism” has been successful, so maybe not. Can’t send “Happy Christmas” to Prince Bandar – he’d never hold W’s hand again. “Happy New Year” sounds too much like setting a measurable goal for Iraq or a schedule for Katrina recovery. Anything with “love” or mistletoe might get people nostalgic for Clinton. “Happy Holidays” kind of emphasizes the plural, which might get people thinking about all W’s days off. OK, “Happy Holiday Season” it is.

  • CB – I don’t know where you can get Festivus cards, but here is where you can go to get your “unadorned and lusterless” Festivus Pole.

  • It’s irritating that these wackos are characterized as being on the “pro-Christmas” side and are causing Christians in general to be tarred with the same broad brush. I’m pro-Christmas, but I am not anti-nonChristians (wish I could come up with a better phrase for that!). This reminds me of the successful framing of the “pro-life” movement, which encompasses anyone that opposes abortion, even those who support the death penalty. Personally, I believe they are more accurately described as “anti-choice.”

  • Guys, this is more proof that nothing–NOTHING–will satisfy the religious zealots. There will always be something to complain about. This is simply another wedge issue for the religious oligarchy to determine who is with ’em or agin ’em.

    What’s really so funny, to my mind, is that Xtians are trying to claim ownership of a holiday that they had appropriated from the pagans by giving it a new name, as Ed pointed out (i.e., the Saturnalia). Well done, Ed! But justice and fair dealing was never a Xtian virtue, so I have a feeling we won’t be seeing any Happy Saturnalia cards at Target anytime soon.

  • These people are as “pro-Christmas” as they are “pro-family.” They want it their way, only their way, and rage against anyone who isn’t just like them– even on Christmas. They have no manners whatsoever.

    I don’t think this recycled “war on Christmas” thing is going to work much longer, however. It’s pretty clear who is ruining Christmas– the people throwing out Bush’s Christmas cards for not being religious enough. Do they not realize who might be on Bush’s holiday card list? It’s more respectful to send a “season’s greetings” instead of a blatantly Christian card. Bush may be Christian but the White House and the American government is SUPPOSED to be non-denominational.

  • “Political correctness run amok” is exactly accurate– it sums up the horseshit the “oppressed majority” pushes.

    “Affirmative action is discriminating against us, the Oppressed Majority!”

    “Happy Holidays discriminates against us, the Oppressed Majority!”

    “Evolution discriminates against us, the Oppressed Majority!”

    I don’t think there’s ever been a bigger bunch of fucking whiners in the whole history of human civilisation.

    Your race, religion, and gender dominates 90% or so of the Earth’s resources. GET OVER YOURSELVES! Sheesh. At least the aristocrat scumbags of the feudal age had a sense of noblesse oblige. You people all their power, and none of their sense of responsibility and obligation! Be adults. Treat women and the other races and religions of the world– which dramatically outnumber you!– a little nicer. Will it kill you? Try it. Maybe you’ll make friends instead of enemies. Maybe you’ll be stronger and safer when surrounded by friends and allies than by enemies.

    Assholes.

  • “Evolution discriminates against us, the Oppressed Majority!”

    I actually agree with that one, goatchowder. Somewhere along the way, evolution jumped the shark with these whackos and their brains stopped evolving.

  • Wow, there are some great posts here. Bill O’Reilly had Happy Holidays ornaments he was selling on the FoxNews site and Bill is the spokes person for the war on Christmas, lol. Whats next? A war on Festivus!

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