Hotline After Dark -- 'Cause I Gotta Have Faith
In addition to talk about Gen. Wes Clark, a lot of last night's TV coverage focused on Barack Obama's plans to expand and alter Pres. Bush's faith-based initiatives.
CNN's Toobin: "I remember way back when Barack Obama was a Democrat. And he was talking about things like the middle class, tax cuts. Now it's all about wealth -- it's all about faith-based initiatives, supporting the Second Amendment, against the Supreme Court on the death penalty for child rapists. He is moving to the center so fast that I think he has to be careful" ("Situation Room," 7/1).
Dem strategist Steve Murphy: "First of all, let's remember that Barack Obama is an evangelical Christian himself. He's a born-again Christian. He shares fundamental beliefs with the Evangelicals. ... And secondly .... evangelicals have got to eat, too. And they're not getting any loaves and fishes from the Bush
administration" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 7/1).
Pat Buchanan: "He's not going to win over the evangelicals, but he'll diminish some of the hostility. It looks like he's reaching out to them. And it also shows him as something other than somebody way out on the left. It's a win for him. What he's got to do is detoxify himself to Middle America, if he does that, he will win the election" ("Verdict," MSNBC, 7/1).
More after the jump.
(KATHERINE LEHR)
CNN's Yellin: "In the primaries, Barack Obama won among churchgoers overall. But he lost to Senator Clinton among Catholics in particular. As we face the general election, Barack Obama inherits John Kerry's disadvantage with evangelicals" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 7/1).
CNBC's Harwood: "Barack Obama's move is very smart politically, very substantively defensible. ... I don't care if Barack Obama wears cowboy boots every day for the rest of the campaign or buys a ranch in Crawford. He is in no danger of looking like George Bush ever, and that's a big asset for him in the campaign."
Air America's Maddow: "Literally, he's in no danger of looking like George Bush. But sometimes if you squint, he's around the corner" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 7/1).
GOP strategist Andrea Tantaros: "I think expanding faith-based initiatives is great. But I will say this, evangelicals can smell a phony a mile away. ... The issues that matter to evangelicals run in direct contrast to Barack Obama's. ... Evangelicals do not go to the polls to vote on expanded faith-based programs. They go to the polls on issues of choice."
More Tantaros: "From a tactical standpoint, it's not going to work, and he's going to have to defend his liberal positions by having to translate scripture, and this is a sticky area for any political candidate" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 7/1).
Family Research Council pres. Tony Perkins: "The issue set has expanded and evangelicals are concerned about the environment. They're concerned about poverty. ... [But] there's still a prioritization that takes place. ... The traditional issues still outweigh the other issues. ... His whole talk about, you know, really a rebirth of the president's faith-based initiative, when he's made comments about those that support traditional marriage being divisive and discriminatory, you have to wonder who would be able to participate in the faith-based initiative under a Barack Obama administration" ("AC 360," CNN, 7/1).
How much are they paying Pat? Do they have weed in the green room at MSNBC?
Buchanan has always been forthright. Remember in 2000 when he said that many S. Florida voters punched his "chad" instead of the Gore one they really wanted? Whether you agree with him or not, he lets them loose.
I bet any amount of money that Pat Buchanan does NOT smoke weed haha.
But to the point, I'm in favor of Obama's faith initiatives AS LONG AS they are apolitical. It HAS to be apolitical.
That was Bush's big failure, he tried to use every aspect of government to benefit the Republican party. The use of religion as a political wedge is disgraceful in this "free" country of ours.
The biggest fear the RNC has always had is the truth, and Buchanan, for all his faults, is a person of candor. So, just suck it up Flyboy.
Fortunately, I don't watch MSNBC. (I was kidding about the weed, I am sure Pat thinks a weed is crabgrass). Pat's mentors at the old, now defunct St. Louis Globe Democrat, where he was an editorial writer must be very confused. The few times I have watched him (during commercials on Fox), he just seems to be trying to fit in on that left wing show by criticizing his old pals. Pat, it isn't necessary to preface every criticism of libs by starting off with a compliment. The other side never does. Be careful, Royal King, royalty doesn't usually do well when the commies take over.