When will the Dems ever learn? Obama is about to get disinvited by the wacky evanglicals....

[trumad]

That's what he gets for trying to suck up to the religious nutwhacks.

By Eric Kleefeld | bio

Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to evanglical Christians in preparation for his possible Presidential campaign is running into very stiff resistance from the Christian right. As the Chicago Tribune reported recently, Obama is set to attend a huge evangelical gathering in California on Dec. 1, at the invitation of megachurch Pastor Rick Warren, the evangelical superstar who wrote The Purpose-Driven Life. Analysts have interpreted Obama's scheduled appearance as a sign he's working much harder than Dems ordinarily do to win over Evangelicals.

But the appearance is now provoking an intense backlash from leaders of the Christian right. They are calling on Warren to disinvite Obama from the event because of his liberal positions, especially abortion rights — or as one of those leaders put it, Obama's support of "the murder of babies in the womb." More after the jump.

Obama's efforts are running into fierce resistance. For instance, an open letter from a group of Christian-Right figures — including Phylis Schlafly, Tim Wildmon and others — criticizes the invitiation by citing Obama's pro-choice stance and his support for condom distribution in answer to the AIDS epidemic, "not chaste behavior as directed by the Bible." The letter ends, "No, Mr. Warren, Mr. Obama, we will never work with those can support the murder of babies in the womb."

Then there's this press release from the National Clergy Council, an umbrella group representing various conservative denominations. In the release, Rob Schenck, president of the group, did not mince words: "Senator Obama's policies represent the antithesis of biblical ethics and morality, not to mention supreme American values."

Obama's attempted inroads with evangelical voters may end up being successful, but not without a significant struggle from leading figures in that movement.
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/nov/28/christian_right_leaders_bash_obama_warren_appearance

[bluestateguy]

1. Cozying up to people who will never vote for him

As far as Christians go, Democrats should stick with Mainline Protestants and Catholics and leave the evangelicals behind.

Democrats don't have to be the party of everybody. Nor should they try.

[trumad]

2. Right---

and it sure looks like the evangelicals are slowly losing grip on the minds of their sheep.

[WI_DEM]

5. but the democrats did cut into the evangelical vote in '06

according to exit polls. Even if we picked up a few percentage points it would hurt the Republicans.

[warrens]

7. Not true

30 percent of Evangelicals voted Dem this year, up from 20 percent two years ago. Some of them are honest, well-intentioned folks. Others are hatemongering fanatics. Ignore the latter, but go after the former. After all, Dems believe in a far more Christian set of policies than Repukes do.

[skipos]

15. Exactly. And we appealed to those 30% without pandering.

There is no harm in trying to win those voters over if it is done without losing our principles.

[JackBeck]

3. Merely a distraction from what Obama was going there to speak about.

December 1 is World AIDS Day. He was going there to talk about HIV/AIDS. Schlafy needs to STFU and own up to discussing a pandemic that has been ignored by her community.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Check this out! Christian Coalition president resigns over agenda dispute

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/11/christian-coalition-president-resigns.html

...
"Rev. Joel C. Hunter, currently the senior pastor of the Northland Church in Longwood, Florida, was to assume the presidency in January. But Hunter said CCA leaders resisted his calls to expand their issue base.

"I wanted to expand the issues from only moral ones -- such as opposing abortion and redefining marriage -- to include compassion issues such as poverty, justice, and creation care," Hunter said in a statement. 'We need to care as much for the vulnerable outside the womb as inside the womb."

Hunter also said he wanted to focus on rebuilding the CCA's once powerful grassroots network -- an appeal he says board members rejected."
...

[Richard Steele]

8. As soon as he suggested some CHRISTIAN COMPASSION, he was out on his ear.

That says a lot right there.

[BuyingThyme]

9. It makes one wonder what MORALITY means to these animals.

[butterfly77]

6. These are suppose to be christians...

these hypocrites really do believe that republicons are the only ones who are christians. If they are so godly why aren't they protesting the murders in Iraq,the thievery of their government,foley,haggard,etc...

[stopbush]

13. They ARE Xians...just the worst kind of Xians. Let's not call them

non-Xians.

As far as being godly, I thought that real Xians thought themselves to be the least-godly people around. Why else
go through all that scraping and guilt?

[DaveinMD]

10. simple math

its not an attempt to win the evangelical vote. But if we peel just a small portion of that vote away, we win in a landlide.

[TwentyFive]

11. I'm not christian - but I commend Obama for confronting them in this way

Obama is brilliant. 95% of the public favors condom distribution and 75% favor abortion rights. He is giving these nutjobs a chance to act like nutjobs.

He won't be president in 2008....but he'll make it there someday.

[demnan]

12. Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat

is an evangelical Christian. I know a few people who are Democrats and evangelicals.

[Orangepeel]

14. I dunno. This sounds kind of smart to me.

It's pretty good press.

If most people hear that he wanted to speak at a religious conference at the invitation of the writer of a popular Christian book but that a nutcase like PHYLIS SCHLAFLY wanted to disinvite him because he holds positions that most Americans agree with?

That sounds like gold for him.

[Red Zelda]

16. Fuck the fundies

all of them.

[Jack Rabbit]

17. Reaching out to evangelicals is the right idea, but this is the wrong way to do it

If I were a Democrat who wanted to be president and wanted to make my case to evangelical Christians, I'd go to small churches and speak directly to real people rather than to right wing organizations that think they've been telling evangelical Christians to vote Republican for the last thirty years. The leaders of these organizations aren't interested in Chrisitianity; they are Republican party hacks. Look at who were are talking about: Tim Wildmon and Phyllis Schlafly.

I would assure any Christian evangelical that no Democrat is going to ban the Bible, contrary to a vicious urban legend that that got some legs for some unknown reason. I don't think it is right for the government ot involve itself in religious matters or to pass laws simply to satisfy someone's religious convictions that may not be shared by all or even most citizens; however, the government has no more business telling a citizen how to worship. As Democrats, we will force no woman to get an abortion against her will nor will we force any minister or priest to perform a gay wedding ceremony. I would tell them that Democrats can offer them a social and economic agenda that would benefit them and their traditional families.

[BlueManDude]

18. Obama is a massive disappointment.

I'm already sick of his presidential aspirations.

Maybe he should be senator for a while?

[bling bling]

19. Notice it's the LEADERS who have the problem.

This is totally typical. Same shit different century.

Can you think of any reasons why the leaders would be afraid of Obama speaking to the people they've been manipulating for years? I can think of all kinds of reasons why they would be freaking out at the thought of Democrats speaking directly to their followers. The followers may start to realize that the liberals aren't who the leaders have led them to believe.

The followers may start to realize that their leaders are full of shit.

[Vinca]

20. Just my opinion, but I think reaching out to extreme fundies

is a huge waste of time and resources. They will never vote for a candidate who is pro-choice and supportive of gay rights. Face it - there are some votes we will never get under any circumstance.