New York Times Poll: Evangelicals Agree with Dr. Dobson

A New York Times/CBS News poll shows white, evangelical Republicans agree with Dr. James Dobson.

Nearly 60 percent of those who plan to vote in the primaries said they could not support a candidate they didn't agree with on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Eighty-six percent said presidential candidates should be judged on both their political record and their personal life.

Dr. Dobson has taken a beating in the media for promising to vote only for a candidate who shares his basic values, even if that means supporting a third-party candidate.

Last week, he wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times to clarify his position: "Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed."

Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America, a Texas-based group that has a network of 5,000 pastors willing to mobilize their churches to vote, said evangelicals are not bluffing.

“I am not going to cast a sacred vote granted to me by the blood of millions of God-fearing Americans who died on the fields of battle for freedom, for a candidate who says it’s OK to kill the unborn,” he told The Times. “I just can’t.”

WATCH DR. DOBSON ON TV
Dr. James Dobson will be a guest on Hannity & Colmes on the Fox News Channel tonight at 9 ET. The program re-airs at midnight ET. He will offer his views, as a private citizen, on the 2008 presidential election.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Read Dr. Dobson's op-ed that ran in The New York Times last week.

I don't hear all of Hannity but he has been arguing with Dr. Dobson about his non-support of Guliani and possible support of a third candidate. He is very,very much pushing Guliani.

He should be working to promote a candidate who is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage and pro second amendment. Conservatives have not been voting because they don't see someone that supports their views. Holding your nose to vote for the lesser of 2 evils only works for so long.

First, this nation is not what it was 200 years ago. It has drifted far from its religious moorings. As a christian, I know that can only be restored by a revival brought about by God. Conservatives see the world for what it is and deal with the situation appropriately. In that respect, christianity and conservatism are at an uneasy tension with one another.

Second, many presidents have been professor of the christian religion, but that does not mean that they actually embraced Christ with a true faith. This country has always had leaders who professed Christ, but often their politics got in the way of their faith. Something that modern evangelicals seem to forget.

Third, evangelicals must realize that they have, like it or not, become part of a political coalition. Many establishment libs hated Clinton for approving welfare reform, but they did not abandon him. Rather they still effuse love for the guy. Evangelicals do not have the same affection for someone who deviates from their evangelical principles.

Fourth, which christian magistrate is the most useful to God's people? The one who professes Christ but does is soft in combat and actually does nothing to protect God's people from the Muslim horde, or one who is extremely inconsistent in his principles and profession, but annihilates the buggers from off the face of the homeland?

I am casting my vote for a commander in chief, not a pastor. Both have their useful roles but I will not confuse the two.

The thing that gets me is these folks stand are principle are full of crap.

I am sorry but the that is all there is to it.

They are willing to condemn babies to death for another 20 years or more. We have a shot at actually getting the judges in place with several of these guys WHO CAN ACTUALLY WIN. Judges are the only ones who can do this, we don’t have the votes in congress for an amendment for the foreseeable future, if ever.

If Hillary gets in, and gets judges appointed, we have another 2-3 decades of death before we may, and I mean may, get a crack at it again. I think this is it though, I think abortion maybe the rule of the land forever if we don’t take the WH with someone from this side, someone who can win and do it now while we face several SCOTUS retirements. This is not bringing on Jimmy Carter, HRC will be there for two terms and will get the judges. That is not a "lesson" to the republican, it is damning the innocent.

Selfish fools are going to bring on the very thing the abhor to pass. Idiotic, pure and simple.

I’ll be the first to pitch in for the memorial to more dead babies with quotes that these folks at least stood on principle...

It’s fine for certain christians to vote their principles but those christians cannot by voting their principles impugn the principle of others. IN other words, they cannot say anyone who votes for Fred can’t be a good christian. Second, they must be willing to accept the consequences of their actions, realizing that if they abandon the GOP and the GOP goes on to win, they will no longer have a place at the table.

Sorry, I missed H&C tonight, I’ll catch the rerun, I was going by what I have heard on his radio show.

I’m sure that SH is a good Conservative, and he probably believes that RG will not be hostile to us on those issues, or maybe he believes that RG has changed or something, much like other candidates do over time, and with age.

Yes, holding your nose is aggravating, but it is reality, for most of us, a reality that encompasses our entire voting lives.

If you ask anyone older, you will find that if we are lucky, we maybe get one candidate in our lives that we are passionate about.

Most are flawed, (as we are), and with media attention now, every little hair out of place is amplified. But, its' SO early, no need to worry now, the debates are just getting started!

“I am as Conservative as Dobson but, his third party, or sit at home routine puts abortion judges on the court.”

He isn’t really wanting that to happen. What Dobson wants if for the Republican party to straighten up and fly right. It really isn’t all that complicated. Look at the weak field of candidates we have running and the worst are at the top of the polls. It is thoroughly depressing. The MSM doesn’t have to divide and conquer, our choices will do that job for them.

There is only one candidate that I will be truly excited to vote for. Everyone else is a “I might have to but could care less” vote.

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