Barkley sounds off on gay rights, religion and Katrina

AP, ESPN ^ | August 30, 2006

[Dane]

NEW YORK -- Charles Barkley was his usual outspoken self during a recent television interview in which he said, among other things, that he advocates gay marriage, believes Republicans have screwed up the country and is "struggling with my idea of what religion is."

The former NBA MVP, who is considering running as a Democratic candidate for governor in his home state of Alabama, also said Democrats have concentrated too much on criticizing President Bush in the last two years instead of focusing on what they can do to improve things in the country.

"They're criticizing a guy who can't run again, who can't get fired," Barkley said during an appearance on "CMI: The Chris Meyers Interview," which will air on Sunday night on Fox SportsNet. "So they spent the last two years criticizing him instead of saying, 'Some things aren't right. This is our game plan.' And now we're two years away from the election, and we have no solutions and no front-runner."

Barkley was a Republican until recently, saying he switched parties when the Republicans "lost their minds." He said he is troubled by some of the actions of people in the United States in the name of religion.

"Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me," he said. "My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is."

He also said he supports gay marriage.

[Dane]

Hey Charles, politics is the real world, not the pampered PC gobledygook world of the NBA.

[shankbear]

I wish that you read this Chuckie boy. You are an idiot, DUrat and your golf swing sucks.

[quantim]

Barkley a gubner? lol.

[John Lenin]

A role model, he isn't ...

[Shimmer128]

Arrogant! I loathe arrogance, because no one ever lives up to it.

Ole Charles makes me want to use the F word to tell him where to get off.

:\

[Liberty Valance]

Barkley was a Republican until recently, saying he switched parties when the Republicans "lost their minds".

He may have a point about [some] republicans but just wait until he finds out what democrats are really about.

[KoRn]

"Democratic candidate for governor in his home state of Alabama, also said Democrats have concentrated too much on criticizing President Bush in the last two years instead of focusing on what they can do to improve things in the country.

"They're criticizing a guy who can't run again"

I'm glad all the dems aren't thinking like this. Even though his views are wrong, he seems to know what he's doing strategically.

[sdk7x7]

If I know anything about Alabama.... an article like this isn't going to do you any good, politically speaking.

[Dane]

I'm glad all the dems aren't thinking like this. Even though his views are wrong, he seems to know what he's doing strategically.

That is ture, but he is still offering up the same old democrat mantra of not promoting any new policies and criticizing people for their religion.

[KoRn]

Very true. I think I was surprised to see a democrat who has managed to get off of step one by realizing Bush isn't running again. I'm still shocked lol.

[Dominic Harr]

He may have a point about [some] republicans but just wait until he finds out what democrats are really about.

Y'know, that's how I see it, too.

I'm with him, on his opinion of the R party. I'm politically conservative. Conservative meant as in "conservative with our money". Careful. Deliberate. Plodding. Always moving forward one step at a time.

Socially, I could give a rat's bum. Live and let live. Drugs, consentual sex, etc. As long as it isn't a problem to me and mine, do what you want.

Therefore, I'm not really welcome in the R party.

But I vote R 85% of the time -- because I can't believe what the D party is. And it isn't the 'liberals' so much. They're just fun to talk to, now.

It's these new, self-styled "progressives". They don't even like the old-school liberals. They are the ones that have made the D party so scary. They believe they can say things like "Katrina was Bush's fault" and "Bush Lied" without anyone noticing that it just isn't true.

[upchuck]

[Barkley] said Democrats have concentrated too much on criticizing President Bush in the last two years instead of focusing on what they can do to improve things in the country.

...

"So they spent the last two years criticizing him [President Bush] instead of saying, 'Some things aren't right. This is our game plan.' And now we're two years away from the election, and we have no solutions and no front-runner."

Even Barkley, who appears to not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, can see the problem the RAT organization can't: they have no game plan. Oh, Nancy rattles on about the American Dream, etc. But I've not seen any concrete, realistic, group tested, written down on paper plan.

Have you?

And I wonder how The Hildabeaste reacted to Sir Charles' claim that the RATS have no front runner? Maybe he's smarter than we thought? LOL!!

[LouAvul]

Who gives a .......... what someone like him thinks?

Why should anybody care what any celebrity thinks about anything?

If I want to know about basketball, I'll ask this mental midget. If I want to know about anything even remotely cerebral, I'll ask somebody else.

[stylin19a]

would ALA elect a black republican for gov. ?

[Paleo Conservative]

Makes you wonder why he got involved with dwarf tossing.

[p[adre29]

A former felons basketball league player wants to run for Governor of Glabama?

Good luck charles, hire Schrum as your campaign manager, you'll go far....

[macamadamia]

Tell us something that isn't inane, Barkley. What a chucklehead. Is there not one person around you who is honest with you and says, Charles, you are out of your league? Or is everyone afraid of being called a racist?

[YankeeinOkieville]

couple of points:

The former NBA MVP, who is considering running as a Democratic candidate for governor in his home state of Alabama.....

Newsflash, sparky: there's nothing democratic about the Democrat party. In evidence, I give you exhibit A: the shameful treatment and shunning of Joe Lieberman by his own party for daring to exercise his right to run as an Independent candidate and for supporting what in his opinion is best for the country.

"Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me," he said.

Someone should give CB a copy of the latest talking points. Ahem.... "As many "religious" people have a "D" on their voter card as have an "R"." Religious Republican. Open your eyes, doofus, long enough to notice exhibit B: the number of proudly open homosexual ministers in their various denominations, sects, cults, and yes even religions.

"My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is."

Sounds like a good start actually. (although, strangely, I'm channeling Mr. Rogers speaking with Lady Aberlin here) Just don't forget to add the salt with all that sugar, CB. Decency and respect for others, BTW, is also known as morals, and is not a mutually exclusive concept with "hating the sin while still loving the sinner".

[blondee123]

Charles, the dems criticize Bush cause they DON'T have a plan either! Don't you understand that?

[Dane]

..."He's right," Charles Barkley said of Mellencamp. "The word conservative means discriminatory practically. It's a form of political discrimination. What do the Republicans run on? Against gay marriage and for a war that makes no sense. A war that was based on faulty intelligence. That's all they ever talk about. That and immigration. Another discriminatory argument for political gain."

In mid show Friday night, Mellencamp introduced a song with "This next one is for all the poor people who've been ignored by the current administration," according to witnesses.

Quayle almost immediately marched towards the exit from his high profile seat at the outdoor venue.

"I didn't appreciate the comment and besides I didn't think the show was very good," Quayle told an observer as he bolted.

Barkley argued that attacking George W. Bush is a waste of energy that frustrates him, but he wasn't going to dispute the premise.

"The Democrats have done a horrible job," Barkley said. "A really crappy job. They spend all this time and energy getting on George Bush. They're going after a guy who's on the way out in two years no matter what they say anyways. He can't run again. He can't get fired. Why are you worrying about him?

"Democrats have wasted the last two years going after this guy and two years from another election, we don't have a frontrunner or a plan."

Hearing Barkley saying "we" with the Democrats would be surprise to many. For years, the NBA Hall of Famer was a very public card carrying member of the Republican party.

Link

So Barkley thinks that the word conservative means "discrimination".