Booman Tribune ~ Lazy Quote Diary: Evangelicals for Obama

Lazy Quote Diary: Evangelicals for Obama

by Migeru
Sat Jun 21st, 2008 at 03:11:34 PM EST

Politico.com: Bush backer pens pro-Obama book (6/16/08)

The conservative Evangelical biographer of George W. Bush and Tom DeLay has moved on to a new subject: Barack Obama. And his new book, due out this summer, may lend credibility to Senator Obama's bid to win Evangelical Christian voters away from the Republican Party.
The forthcoming volume from Stephen Mansfield, whose sympathetic "The Faith of George W. Bush" spent 15 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list in 2004, is titled "The Faith of Barack Obama." Its tone ranges from gently critical to gushing, and the author defends Obama-and even his controversial former minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright-from conservative critics, and portrays him as a compelling figure for Christian voters.
"Young Evangelicals are saying, 'Look, I'm pro-life but I'm looking at a guy who's first of all black-and they love that; two, who's a Christian; and three who believes faith should bear on public policy," Mansfield, who described himself as a conservative Republican, said in a telephone interview. "They disagree with him on abortion, but they agree with him on poverty, on the war."

Looks like all the rats except the Neocons and the Dead White Men is leaving the Republican ship for the Democratic one and Obama may succeed in unifying the Corporate party, leaving the Greens on the left, and the Libertarians on the Right. I'm inching ever closer to the idea that the US party system will change into Republicrat/Libertarian over the next election cycles, which is not good news for progressives in any case.

Lazy Quote Diary: Evangelicals for Obama | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Tip jar (4.00 / 7)

Please tell me I'm wrong.

They say the best way to learn something is to teach it. No allowance is made for the damage done to students.

by Migeru on Sat Jun 21st, 2008 at 03:13:32 PM EST

Re: Tip jar (4.00 / 6)

Can't. I think you're correct.

A foo-foo message about toning down the Progressive stuff is just what Obama needs to ignore the Progressive Wing and build a mirror-image of the Reagen/Bush GOP coalition. Then, of course, he will then play them just like he's played the Progressive Wing with the FISA vote.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bork! Bork! Bork!

by ATinNM on Sat Jun 21st, 2008 at 03:38:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip jar (4.00 / 4)

This is wholly speculative, but if I had to guess who and why is pushing the story that the Religious Right is supporting Obama I would say that the leaders of the Evangelical movement are seeing that the Republican party is imploding and have decided to move their voting bloc into the Democratic Party. Evangelicals are not known for logic or consistency, and moreover the followers are quite gullible. This book, to be published in August and not unlikely to make the NYT bestseller list like its predecessor, might just be the last thing to push the Evangelicals (who already don't like McCain) to vote for Obama.

If this speculation is correct, the progressive netroots should get ready for a raft of Evangelicals running in the Democratic primaries in 2010.

They say the best way to learn something is to teach it. No allowance is made for the damage done to students.

by Migeru on Sat Jun 21st, 2008 at 03:52:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip jar (4.00 / 4)

this is being driven by economic decline.

You will see some fundies running as Dems in the south, using an anti-immigration, anti-corporate platform. Expect loud populists to emerge from the south, but with a strong xenophobic and patriarchal flavor.

by BooMan on Sat Jun 21st, 2008 at 03:58:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip jar (4.00 / 3)

I think you overestimate anti-immigrant sentiments in the South a little, Boo, and I don't think the economic-decline motivator is going to be very strong. Rather what's going on in the South is economic consolidation as the cities increasingly come to dominate the southern economy. So you'll have decline perhaps in (say) Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but Raleigh-Durham will be just fine. There are ten times as many people in the latter as in the former.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to you country.

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 at 12:00:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip jar (none / 1)

Is that a good or a bad thing for the Democratic wing of the Democratic party?

They say the best way to learn something is to teach it. No allowance is made for the damage done to students.

by Migeru on Sat Jun 21st, 2008 at 04:04:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip jar (none / 1)

"Please tell me I'm wrong."

OK, you're wrong, and (putting tongue firmly in cheek) here's why:

The grand change in politics is away from money-and-media based politics, toward informed, mobilized citizen power. This mobilization is, of course, entirely reality-based and hence entirely good and progressive.

An influx of non-reality based, misinformed refugees from the Republican party will be just great, because a huge base of captive voters will make it easier for even wild-eyed lefties to win elections -- no more struggling to look almost-Republican.

As part of this process, Democrats can follow the Republican example of cheating and exploiting Evangelicals whenever convenient.

Finally, Obama is a saint from another world, or a representative of the brave new world, or something. Whatever he does that we don't like is merely tactical, and will lead to a comprehensive strategic victory of good over not-so-good. He will then exploit the trends and opportunities cited above to work political miracles.
-----------

Are you happy now? And what are you doing here at the other end of the EuroTrib/Booman link anyway?

BTW, my tongue is firmly placed, but not all of it is within my buccal cavity.

Words and ideas I offer here may be used freely and without attribution.

by technopolitical on Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 at 10:04:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It wouldn't take much (none / 0)

George Bush won by a relatively small margin. You could imagine most of the ~100,000 in Ohio on busses from the Evangelical churches, being pushed to the polls. (I am not denying the facxt that some of the problem was flat out caging and cheating...another diary, another comment.)

If a) there's a move among Evangelicals to back off of overt movement of voters to the polls (which is there), and b) just a few people suggest that "true" Christians can have diverse opinions, the gang may break up.

There's also a third faction out there--one that says that it would be worth losing the election to demonstrate to the Republicans that they are absolutely essential. Those folks may sit out, vote Barr, or simply do less calling and stamp-licking.

It wouldn't take much.

Michaela

by michaelmt (MrMichael_t@yahoo.com) on Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 at 09:37:02 AM EST

Lazy Quote Diary: Evangelicals for Obama | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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