Posted on 10/07/2006 1:10:21 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
What does the reprehensible behavior of a now-disgraced gay Republican congressman have to do with Christian conservatives? Nothing, says the founder of Focus on the Family Action.
Focus on the Family Action Chairman Dr. James Dobson took on liberal news media and politicians today and accused them of using the behavior of former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., to try to make political hay and tarnish the reputation of conservative candidates and all Christians — including him — in the process.
"What Congressman Foley did was inexcusable, reprehensible and morally depraved," Dobson said. "Let there be no question about the position we have taken on this."
Speaking on his nationally syndicated radio program, Dobson made a point of distinguishing between the actual behavior of the former Florida congressman — who resigned after sending inappropriate e-mails and messages to teenaged pages — and the scandal the media is trying to generate while seeking the ouster of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
"A representative who has been a closet homosexual for years, apparently, was finally caught doing something terribly wrong and when the news broke, he packed up his things and went home," Dobson said.
And that, he said, should have been the end of the story. But it wasn't.
"As we know, the media and the Democrats saw an opportunity to make much, much, more out of it," Dobson said, "impugning the morals and character, not only of this disgraced congressman, but of entire the entire Republican Congress — and Christian conservatives, including me."
Dobson said the liberal media is bizarrely — and wrongly — trying to somehow connect evangelicals with this scandal.
"Somebody is going to have to tell me what in the wide world this indiscretion by a member of Congress has to do with evangelical Christians. And in my case, especially me," he said. "What in the world is the connection there? And yet the media is trying to link us somehow."
He quoted from a New York Times editorial with the headline "Conservative Coalition appears to be Coming Apart at the Seams" that was written by Paul Krugman.
"It will be interesting to see how Dr. Dobson," Krugman wrote, "who declared about Bill Clinton that no man has ever done more to debase the presidency — responds to the Foley scandal. Does the failure of Republican leaders to do anything about a sexual predator in their midst outrage him as much as a Democratic president's consensual affair?"
Dobson emphatically said he stands by his assessment of President Clinton's scandal. As for Foley's action …
"In fact, it does outrage me, Mr. Krugman," Dobson said. "We condemn the Foley affair categorically. And we also believe that what Mr. Clinton did was one of the most embarrassing and wicked things ever done by a president in power.
"Let me remind you, sir," he said, referring to Krugman, "that it was not just James Dobson who found the Lewinsky affair reprehensible. More than 140 newspapers called for Clinton's resignation. But the president didn't do what Mr. Foley did in leaving — he stayed in office, and he lied to the grand jury to obscure the facts."
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said what Krugman and the rest of the liberal media basically want is for Dr. Dobson — and by extension, all Christian conservatives — to vindicate themselves by condemning the entire Republican Party "or risk being seen as the biggest of all hypocrites."
"They see this only in political terms," Minnery said. "Not in terms of illicit sex, not in terms of the evil of somebody going after a young person with salacious e-mails, they turn it immediately to the party — and they do that only because we're now a month before a very important election."
Dobson said the liberal media's fixation is based on nothing but politics at its basest. He said even the timing of this "scandal" is suspicious.
"(It was released by liberals on) the last day of the session of Congress, when it couldn't be responded to do — the last day," he said. "It is the day you would not want something like this to break. And they've known it for years. They've held it for years, and then they threw it out there on the last day of the session demanding that the speaker of the house resign."
At heart, Dobson said, what the liberal media and some Democrats have been trying to do in the way they played this story, is to suppress the turnout of values voters on Nov. 7.
"What they really want to do is to convince (value voters) that 'all of Washington is wicked and evil, and there is no sense in your even voting, because one's as bad as another,' " he said, "and to impugn the character of those who are trying to live a righteous life, even if imperfectly.
"None of us is perfect. None of us can claim to have any perfection. If we did, we wouldn't need a Savior."
Dobson says the liberal media despise the significant role religious conservatives played in the 2004 election.
"Two years ago, (the media) didn't see it coming," he said. "They didn't know the values voters were going to come out in great numbers. And they were shocked when it happened. And they've been determined ever since then to make sure it didn't happen again — and this is part of that effort."
For those in the media who are making allusions between the Foley situation and the 1980s scandals of televangelists Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, Dobson has a message:
"I'd like to remind everybody that Mark Foley was not an evangelical Christian, he was not a pastor, he was not an evangelist — he wasn't even really part of the pro-family movement, he was a closet homosexual."
Dobson encouraged his listeners not to be duped by liberal members of the media into staying home on election day, especially since there may be another Supreme Court opening or two in the next two years and the results of this election will determine who gets to confirm the president's nominees.
"If the values voters come out again," he said, "it will turn the direction of this country, and maybe forever."
Hope the National Republicans are watching this. This is a brilliant response.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1715525/posts?page=2
A Tale of Two Ads
The Weekly Standard ^ | 10/16/06 issue | William Kristol
Posted on 10/07/2006 2:40:27 PM CDT by AmericanExceptionalist
Repelled by former Republican congressman Mark Foley's sexual overtures to congressional pages and ex-pages, and by the House GOP leadership's alleged failure to move aggressively against him? Vote Democratic. Worried about the Demo crats' tendency to coddle jihadists? Vote Republican.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
1) Young male pages were being victimized by a sexual predator, Mark Foley. These liberal dirtbags had evidence but didn't do anything to protect the pages, but instead waited to launch it as a dirty tricks campaign tactic right before the election. Screw the well-being of the kids, we want control of Congress!
2) Then they decide to start speculating on the sexual orientation of Republican staffers to divide the GOP because liberals cannot stand gay Republicans, black Republicans, Hispanic Republicans, labor union member Republicans, etc... They don't care about the people who comprise their core constituencies - they only care about manipulating these people for political power and holding them hostage in the Democrat Party. Should anyone stray and become a Republican then they are to be destroyed. Clarence Thomas, Miguel Estrada, etc...
3) Oh but wait, they cannot tolerate Christians either, and now they have a witchhunt out to destroy Christians involved in the Bush Administration and say they have too much power and influence. A witchhunt against Christians and gays by the same liberal thugs in one week. Those people have absolutely NO SHAME!
"To win in November, Republicans need to refocus voters on two things:
1. Liberal judges to be appointed by Democrats.
2. Liberal laws on abortion and other life issues under Democrats.
Another brilliant response. How can we have so many smart people here on this website and so many dumb people in the media?
I have not heard one conservative defend Foley. With clinton, the dems were not just defending him, they were defending the behaviour(everybody does it) past presidents have done it). you get the picture. i did not agree with impeachment, but i found the dems celebrating the behaviour disturbing
Did you see the Patty Wetterling ad? It is absolute garbage, she actually says that top Republicans admitted they knew Foley was interested in the pages and covered up for him.
>How can we have so many smart people here on this website and
>so many dumb people in the media?
Because bright people know how far they are from the standards required to righteously lead, and thus never pat themselves on the back and say, "Indeed I AM perfect, and I must channel my greatness to lead/guide the minions and the unwashed masses."
Thus, they enter the media, government, academia, and schools, and behold the rotgut we must stand against, while the bright people ...
1) start families
2) start businesses
Patt Wetterling is an ignorant slut. I'm sorry her kid was abducted, but that doesn't make her qualified to run for anything or change the fact she's an idiot. She's the Cindy Sheehan of the north.
I got a feeling all Democrats are doing is reminding the GOP base that despite some serious flaws in our leadership that must be fixed they are SO much better then the other side's complete lunatics that we got to hold our noise and get out in mass and vote. I do NOT think MS Wetterling's ad will sell. A lot depends on how her opponent responses. They got a good canidate in the 6th distic. I think Michelle Backman is her name Hopefully she will responed by pointing out the complete lack of anything resembeling an idea in Patty's campaign
I suggest you put a warning to that link, or remove it. Lest you get banned. It is extremely offensive.
Thank you Mod!!
They have to work at it...
They have to work at it... Thanks for the laugh. Perfect response to end the day on.
BINGO!!! That's the point.
Melanie Morgan makes a similar point in her new column - HERE
I notice you said you DIDN'T agree with impeachment :)
You can guess by my screenname I have a slightly different view haha! I came of age as a FReeper back during the impeachment saga.
This seems to be untrue. Both the e-mails and the IM's were with males who were back home after their internships. And the IM's (the most damaging) were either with males over 18 (above the age of consent) or hoaxes. We don't know for sure yet.
Sure, Foley is a creep. But there's no proof that the supervision of pages was lacking, or that he did anything criminal.
YES!!! Telling it like it is.
"What they really want to do is to convince (value voters) that 'all of Washington is wicked and evil, and there is no sense in your even voting, because one's as bad as another,' " he said, "and to impugn the character of those who are trying to live a righteous life, even if imperfectly. "None of us is perfect. None of us can claim to have any perfection. If we did, we wouldn't need a Savior."
Beautifully stated.
Dobson says the liberal media despise the significant role religious conservatives played in the 2004 election. "Two years ago, (the media) didn't see it coming," he said. "They didn't know the values voters were going to come out in great numbers. And they were shocked when it happened. And they've been determined ever since then to make sure it didn't happen again — and this is part of that effort."
They tried to "talk" Christian and no one fell for it because their lives & policies don't testify to that faith. No, no one is perfect. But they haven't even made the effort to try to improve their characters. Nor do they evidence any desire of wishing to. So they come up with sleaze and think social conservatives are going to take the bait. Not quite.
Dobson encouraged his listeners not to be duped by liberal members of the media into staying home on election day, especially since there may be another Supreme Court opening or two in the next two years and the results of this election will determine who gets to confirm the president's nominees. "If the values voters come out again," he said, "it will turn the direction of this country, and maybe forever."
Indeed. This election and '08 could destroy this immoral crop that calls itself the Democratic Party if we're willing. The Dems made a real bad call firing up social conservatives and their leaders in a mid-term election where turnout is key. You can have a polling advantage and still lose, if your voters don't show up.
I am glad we got an impeachment bill on Bill Clinton through the House even though it failed for his removal in the Senate. Since then, I have also been glad we didn't prevail because Al Gore would have become President, and might have been re-elected for a future term or two.
I might warn : I don't think the gay people being outed are going to take this lying down!
.... so sorry, couldn't resist...... :)
MNJohnnie, I believe Bachman did a good job pointing out the flaws of the Wetterling ad. Could have done better, but it will be effective anyway.
lesser_satan, I agree. Losing a child as horrible as it is does't give one either sainthood or any particular qualifications to lead.
Don't forget Charlie Rangles promise to reverse the Bush Tax Cuts!
The distinction you seem to offer is that the worst and most blatant conduct was when they were back home, based on what we know. But the evidence at hand that has yet to be controverted shows Foley was on the prowl with at least some of them while they were serving as pages in Washington.
It's clear he was on the hunt. And it's clear that that is inappropriate for a member of Congress to do. He put his own desires ahead of his responsibility to be a role model for these kids and it made at least some of them feel uncomfortable while in D.C. doing their duties.
There's no need for us to try to absolve Foley of what he was clearly doing.
The only question is how much the GOP leadership in the House knew of what was going on, and that's the part I think we don't know for sure yet, and I'll reserve judgment till we do.
BINGO
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