Religious right fissures deepen

November 9, 2007

As recently as a few weeks ago, it looked like the religious right’s leading groups and activists were coalescing around Mitt Romney, the one candidate they think is both credible and capable of beating Giuliani in the primaries.

Bob Jones III and Mark DeMoss threw their support to the former governor; James Dobson seemed to be openly leaning in Romney’s direction, and James Bopp Jr., the legendary pro-life activist and attorney, insisted the movement didn’t have much of a choice. In a letter Bopp sent to hundreds of social conservatives, he said, “While several of the other candidates are certainly fine social conservatives, none has established his viability as a serious presidential contender. Only Mitt Romney has the resources to compete with Rudy Giuliani for the nomination.”

Bopp concluded, “A divided field means that Giuliani is likely to win the nomination. This is our choice to make, and we don’t have long to make it.”

So much for that idea. This week, it seems the religious right, insteaof coalescing, started to splinter.

Paul Weyrich, a religious right pioneer who helped create the Moral Majority, announced his support for Romney, while the American Family Association’s Don Wildmon announced he’s backing Mike Huckabee.

American Family Association chairman Donald Wildmon, has endorsed the former governor and Baptist minister, saying that Huckabee “understands the needs of our country and has the ability to lead us in meeting those needs.”

Wildmon’s activism has included organizing boycotts against the entertainment industry, as well as the Ford Motor Company, for sponsoring the homosexual agenda.

Of course, crazed TV preacher Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani, which is having repercussions of its own.

Garance Franke-Ruta notes the train-wreck:

Marc Ambinder reported this morning that Iowa Christian Alliance president Steve Scheffler is not going to follow Christian Coalition co-founder Pat Robertson’s lead and support Rudy Giuliani. That’s not too much of a surprise, as the Iowa branch of once-vigorous Christian Coalition was so disgusted by the scandals of the national group that it broke with the Coalition and changed its name to the Christian Alliance in March 2006, saying “the Board… would rather function as an independent organization than as an organization shrouded with perceptions contrary to its Christian commitments.”

Now the Iowa Right to Life Committee’s president, Kim Lehman, says she won’t be following in the footsteps of her former favorite candidate, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, either. Brownback yesterday endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has a 74 percent pro-life voting record according to the Iowa group, and Lehman had previously endorsed Brownback, in January, and then served on his Iowans for Brownback Leadership Committee.

And what about Giuliani? Lehman told Franke-Ruta, “I hate to be the reminder to the Republican Party at the national level, but a lot of their base is staunch pro-life Christians and they’re not going to come out to vote for Giuliani.” She added, “Giuliani will not be getting the votes — I don’t care who the other candidate is. It’s a prediction you can take to the bank.”

Of course, the more the religious right groups and leaders splinter, the better the news is for Giuliani. He doesn’t need to win the theocons over, he just needs them to divide their votes among his rivals. When the movement started to rally behind Romney, this was a problem for Giuliani. Now that the movement is going off in a variety of directions, it’s exactly what Giuliani needs.

“Now that the movement is going off in a variety of directions, it’s exactly what Giuliani needs.”

Unless Captain McClusky aka Kerik decides to take Roodee down with him.

  • While it’s interesting to watch the GOP spasm and convulse in its confusion, am I out of line in saying that it doesn’t matter who the Republican nominee is? I think that in the absence of a terrorist attack the Republican party has essentially zero chance of winning the general election. The GOP realize that too, they’ve written this election off.

  • Heathwood, these organizations are not churches, but they are tax exempt. I looked up Christian Alliance’s website, for example, and under “Donate” I see, “Here is my tax-deductible gift ”

    So you’re right, it’s not right. Even if the leaders maintain the fiction that, “it’s a personal endorsement, not on behalf of the organization.”

  • All of this disagreement on the right about which morally proper candidate to vote for will lead to registering independent 3rd party. Already people all registering this way in record numbers and so far it looks like independent voters might very well have a huge say in the 2008 Presidential election. It needs to be this way in order to put an end to this ridiculous closed two party system. Both the democratic and republican candidates are largely a bunch of buffoons that all belong to the same corporate agenda, only with a different political affiliation behind them.

  • It looks more and more like the power elite is going for Guiiani. That is a real problem.He will get a free pass from the media, and the benefit of sophisticated Rethug vote stealing machine. Guiliani vs. Hillary? Rudee wins, and we’re in double-deep shit. If you think Bush is crazy (he isn’t, he’s just very dim) you ain’t seen anything yet. Really seriously nuts, thy name is Rudee.

  • Ghouliani isn’t going to make it past the convention. It won’t matter if the anti-Ghoul bunch splinters into a thousand directions; what will matter is that a very big piece of the GOP machine is going hardcore “Anti-RooDee.” Once the primaries begin to illustrate this, the measly wimps in the MSM will have no choice BUT to acknowledge it. There’s just no way to spin a primary where Ghoul can’t pull a simple majority….

  • “crazed TV preacher Pat Robertson”

    That has me giggling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better description of an extremist xian loudmouth.

  • Pat Robertson
    “I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that’s the way it is, period.” –Pat Robertson

    “(T)he feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” –Pat Robertson

    “God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says ‘This is my land,’ and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, ‘No, this is mine.’ … He was dividing God’s land. And I would say, ‘Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations, or the United States of America.’ God says, ‘This land belongs to me. You better leave it alone.'” –Pat Robertson, on why Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke

    Well, I totally concur.” –Pat Robertson to Jerry Falwell following the Sept. 11 attacks, after Falwell said, “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way — all of them who have tried to secularize America — I point the finger in their face and say: “You helped this happen.”

    When some one ardently seeks an endorsement he is seeking to join with his endorser. Most Democrats seek union endorsements to say the are fighting for their causes and beliefs. This is what an endorsement is, a confirmation , a promise that they will be an advocate for their principles. Rudy Giuliani ardently sought out support from Pat Robertson and should be scrutinized by the deeds of Pat Robertson and judged in the light Pat Robertson casts.

    Cervantes said Tell me what company you keep and I will tell you what you are.

    The endorsement of Rudy and the fact that Rudy sought out Pat Robertson’s endorsement is all that need be said.

    A man of character wouldn’t associate himself with such a vial misguided person any person of character would be denouncing Pat Robertson’s statements and trying to distance himself from someone with such a perverted sense of the world and the American culture.

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