Thompson Bashing
The last week or so I’ve been blogging on Cumberland County politics and also Presidential politics. It’s back to Presidential today.
I saw the following in an e-mail today from Newsmax.com. I’ve cut away the fluff to get to the point.
Dr. James Dobson: Fred Thompson ‘Not a Christian’
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has dealt a potentially devastating blow to Fred Thompson’s presidential aspirations, saying the former senator is not a Christian.
“Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,” Dobson – considered the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the U.S. – said in a phone call to Dan Gilgoff, senior editor at U.S. News & World Report.
“[But] I don’t think he’s a Christian. At least that’s my impression.”
Thompson’s spokesman Mark Corallo took issue with the statement.
“Thompson is indeed a Christian,” he said. “He was baptized into the Church of Christ.”
Focus on Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger sought to clarify Dobson’s statement, telling Gilgoff that while Dobson didn’t believe Thompson belonged to a non-Christian faith, he “has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian – someone who openly talks about his faith.
“We use that word – Christian – to refer to people who are evangelical Christians. Dobson wasn’t expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy.”
Thompson has said he is leaving the door open for a presidential run. A Gallup-USA Today poll released on Tuesday has the Tennessee Republican running third behind Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters.
Although Dobson has not endorsed any Republican presidential candidate, he told Gilgoff that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was the “brightest guy out there” and “the most articulate politicians on the scene today.”
Here is my commentary on this - Way to be out there bringing all the demoninations together Dobson!!! You’re such a team player. More specifically, since I am Catholic, Dobson just told the over 1 billion Catholics of the world that they aren’t real Christians. Good job.
Since when does he get to define who is a real Christian or not? Ok, so Thompson doesn’t wear his religion or faith on his sleeve - there are lots of people who don’t who live a very Christian life. Do you think Mother Theresa was going around shoving religion down people’s throats - I doubt it. She spent most of her life toiling away actaully doing the good works that needed done as opposed to judgementally pontificating on who is a Christian and who is not. But then again, according to Dobson’s definition, Mother Theresa wasn’t a Christian either.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Your’e dead on Matt. I’m catholic, and I resent evangelicals condescension towards us. The Republican party is disaffecting the same Catholics they gained when the Democrats started pissing on us more than 20 years ago.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
As a fellow Catholic, I say: Amen. Politics of division, whether it is religious, racial, or anything else, is dispicable and counter-productive. At some point, true conservative voters had better wake up. The party has been slowly hijacked since the 80s. It is fine to have differing positions on social issues, but to make that the be-all and end-all of political discourse spits in the face of democracy.
And the “not expressing a personal opinion on Thompson’s candidacy” comment by Dobson’s spokesman is laughable. Let’s at least try some honesty, folks.
August 15th, 2007 at 3:26 am
I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100% regarding Thompson Bashing, but it’s just my opinion, which could be wrong