What the James Dobson Endorsement Means

Mike Huckabee is not going to become the Republican nominee. If by some strange accurance, he were to receive the nomination, the public would reject his bizarre views. Huckabee wanted to quarantine people that are HIV positive. Wayne Dumond raped a distant cousin of Bill Clinton. Baptist minister Jay Cole and New York Post columnist Steve Dunleavy believed that convicted rapist Dumond was innocent. Their logic was Bill Clinton was responsible for falsely imprisoning Dumond. Dunleavy said exactly that in his his column "Clinton's Biggest Crime - Left Innocent Man In Jail For 14 Years."

"Dumond, now 52, was given conditional parole yesterday in Arkansas after having being sentenced to 50 years in jail for the rape of Clinton's cousin," Dunleavy wrote. "That rape never happened."

Dumond was released. He raped and murdered Carol Sue Shields and Sara Andrasek. Dumond was early-received from a life sentence. Rapists don't get early released, unless serious strings are pulled.

Huckabee is not a believer in the separation of church and state. He has associated with Christian reconstructionist Janet Folger. A woman whom was outraged that Clinton White House Press Secretary Michael McCurry denounced Trent Lott for comparing homosexuality to alcoholism and kleptomania.

Another Huckabee Christion Reconstructionist ally is Star Parker. The progressive blogosphere has had great fun making a mockery of Parker's reality-challenged writing. Parker compared the tax system to a plantation.

"Under the dictate of Uncle Sam, the risks of life become engineering problems and the goal of government is to eliminate those problems. The federal solution to poverty is the redistribution of wealth via disproportionate taxes on the wealthy. The plan is ingenious really: identify the need for atonement, demonize the people with the most money, tax them unfairly, and if anyone complains, say they are racist or heartless or both." P. 73

"Uncle Sam has developed a sophisticated poverty plantation, operated by a federal government, overseen by bureaucrats, protected by media elites, and financed by the taxpayers. The only difference between this plantation and the slave plantation of the antebellum South is perception."

Parker fails to recall that Jesus preached that the rich should give their money to the poor.

Huckabee will never get elected to the White House. Which makes James Dobson's endorsement all the more hysterical. Previously, Dobson gave Huckabee the cold should. Dobson is endorsing Huckabee in protest of John McCain's inevitable nomination. Dobson will have no sway with the Republican Party if he sabotages McCain's candidacy.

The Republican Party have made dangerous alliances with radicals such as Dobson, Grover Norquist, Ralph Reed, Jack Abramoff, Sun Myung Moon and Norman Podhoretz. Repubican politicians make it a point never to be photographed with these people. The country and party are moving to the Left. The GOP is being held for ransom by extremists. It couldn't happen to more more deserving group of people.

Update: Texas Governor Rick Perry asked Mike Huckabee to drop out. The Huckster declined.

Conservative Establishment Against McCain

What we are seeing is the Republican Party being pulled from the fringes. GOP voters aren't as conservative as the pundits and evangelical kingmakers.

James Dobson said he will not vote for John McCain in the general election. Dobson will rather destroy the base and help Republicans lose the White House. His fanatical ideology of pushing the culture wars trumps all other interests. Dobson has stood by the Bush administration's use of torture and anti-environment policies. Mainstream evangelicals are on the forefront of fighting poverty, war and global warming. Dobson uses his radio pulpit to preach the fire and brimestone of intolerance.

Rush Linbaugh views McCain as no different than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

“‘If I believe the country will suffer with either Hillary, Obama or McCain, I would just as soon the Democrats take the hit . . . rather than a Republican causing the debacle,’ he said. ‘And I would prefer not to have conservative Republicans in the Congress paralyzed by having to support, out of party loyalty, a Republican president who is not conservative.’”

Limbaugh has endorsed Mitt Romney. That should help the Governor get that much sought after angry white man who spends too much time listening to the radio vote.

The most bizarre is Ann Coulter says she will vote for Hillary over McCain. Coulter likes Hillary's hawkishness on the Iraq war. Coulter finally notices want many progressives fear about Hillary.

Fred Thompson on End of Life Issues

Many people (myself included) do not see Fred Thompson speaking passionately about anything. He spoke with great conviction about how the government should have stayed out of the decision to take the brain dead Terri Schiavo off the feeding tube.

Citing his own personal experience with the death of his adult daughter in 2001, Thompson said the question is “an intensely personal thing with me,” and added, “It should be decided by the family. The federal government and the state government, too, except for the court system, ought to stay out of those matters as far as I’m concerned.”

Thompson was faced with with the decision with the same difficult decision. His daughter Elizabeth Thompson Panici died from an accidental overdose.

"I was at that bedside and I had to make those decisions with the rest of my family," Thompson said" "And I will assure you one thing, no matter which decision you make, you will never know whether or not you made the right decision."

This statement will hurt his damaged reputation with the Christian Right. It says much about how the Republican Party has become fed up with having to pander to people like James Dobson. Dick Armey described James Dobson as a man "you can‘t make that man happy." Armey said Dobson should have the courage to run for public office and stop abusing Republican candidates.

2008 will be a pivotal year for the Christian Right. I will be more than happy if it diminishes their political influence. Supporting the Iraq war, intolerance towards gays and saying that global warming is nonsense illustrate how angry these people are. They are all Old Testament fire and brimestone. Amanda Marcotte sums up what Thompson's stance does for his presidential hopes.

He’s underestimating how much of the Republican party is fueled by a bunch of busybodies that just know that they are the final moral arbiters on other people’s lives, and they don’t need to be bothered with things like facts or understanding before declaring other people unfit to make the most private decisions about their lives. In other words, he’s toast.

I concur.

In Defense of All Marriage

"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

14th Amendment

Personal injury lawyer John Stemberger is representing the Florida Family Policy Council. The group is affiliated with James Dobson's Focus For the Family - a man whom has dedicated his to protecting America from SpongeBob SquarePants.



The Florida Family Policy Council nearly has enough petitions to get a ballot amendment to make gay marriage illegal under the Florida Constitution. The law already states that gays and lesbians can not marry or have civil unions. That isn't enough for the FFPC. The group is upset about the Iowa Supreme Court decision to allow civil unions.

"Iowa is Exhibit A for why the marriage amendment needs to be codified in the constitution," said Stemberger, president of the conservative Florida Family Policy Council. "Massachusetts (the only state that allows same-sex marriages) is exhibit B."

An obstacle the group faces is all ballot amendments must pass by 60 percent. The law is undemocratic, but helps Fairness For All Families defeat the ballot. 60 percent is difficult to reach. Conservative groups have been disorganized. They failed to get enough signatures in 2006.

Hat tip to Ron Mills.

Fred Thompson To Make Announcement

Fred Thompson will announce his candidacy for President on September 6, 2007.

“I believe that there are millions of Americans who know that our security and prosperity are at risk if we don’t address the challenges of our time; the global threat of terrorism; taxes and spending that will bankrupt future generations, and a government that can’t seem to get the most basic responsibilities right for its citizens,” stated Fred Thompson.

“The response that we’ve received makes me confident that we have an opportunity to change politics in Washington and across the country, and take on these challenges the way every generation of Americans has faced the challenges of their time – with unity, hard work and a belief that we will come out on the winning side,” continued Thompson.

There is nothing fresh about that message. That comes straight from Republican Candidate 101. Thompson has other problems Christian Right kingmaker James Dobson can't stand him.

"Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said of Thompson. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.

Thompson was part of the defense fund fund for the convicted felon Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Thompson posted a poor fundraising quarter. He also has a long career as a lobbyist.

Let's be real. Republicans are going to wake up and realize the flip-flopping Mitt Romney is their best option. Thompson started too late. McCain's campaign is a joke. Giuliani is shrill and too socially liberal. Romney is building a state by state machine of campaign workers. He can dip into his personal savings to fund his campaign. He also looks the part. He may be dumb, but that hasn't stopped anyone from getting elected to public office.

Conservatives will cringe at a Romney nomination. They won't hesitate to vote for him over Hillary. A Thompson candidacy will put people to sleep. Just listen to the man talk.

Does Tony Dungy Share the Same Views As James Dobson?

The Indiana Family Institute will host a banquet in honor of Tony Dungy. IFI President Curt Smith thanked George W. Bush for supporting a constitutional ban on gay marriage. IFI is associated with Focus on the Family. James Dobson of FOTF is known for strong anti-gay views and attacks on cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants.

The Indiana Family Institute website is all about marriage between a man and woman. They are wise enough not to outright attack gays and lesbians. They know they would drive people away. Deservingly so.

The question for Tony Dungy is does he believe that gays and lesbians do not have the same rights under the 14th amendment as hetrosexual? Does Dungy share the same religious ideology as Dobson and Smith? Their brand of religious conservatism strikes many as uncompassionate towards a group of people who have been mocked and oppressed.