October is turning into a disastrous month for Republicans. The charnel house that is Iraq, ongoing corruption and sex scandals, and now the latest salvo: a new book called Tempting Faith, penned by former Bush administration official David Kuo, charges that Bush and his advisors have exploited evangelical Christians for political gain without demonstrating any real commitment to the issues that are important to many evangelicals (e.g. banning abortion and gay marriage). Kuo writes:
National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then
were dismissed behind their backs and described as ‘ridiculous,’ ‘out
of control,’ and just plain ‘goofy’.
Kuo also writes that Karl Rove referred to evangelical leaders as “the nuts.”
The notion that Republican elites cynically pander to religious conservatives–while giving them little in the way of substantive policy or political victories–is not new. Thomas Frank posited a similar thesis in his book What’s the Matter with Kansas? And at least some evangelicals are beginning to reconsider their allegiance to the GOP. In some ways, the Republicans’ much vaunted Southern Strategy–which has relied heavily on appeals to traditional moral values (not to mention xenophobia)–may now be fomenting an ideological civil war within the party. The big-business, monied classes of the Republican Party have never had much patience for the fire-and-brimstone fervor of their evangelical brethren. If November 7th goes badly for them (a distinct possibility), those tensions will bubble to the surface and the knives will come out.
Of course, Democrats have their own internecine conflicts, but we are more suited to tolerating ideological dissent within our ranks. Remember Will Roger’s eminently quotable line: “I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat.” The Republicans’ insistence on identifying itself as the party of conservative Christianity may lead to its downfall as much as it contributed to its ascendancy.
Hello WinterMute and all,
Here’s some more red-hot ink for your pen. Keep the heat on our evil leader in chief and his cohorts and help me “vanquish the sword!”
More stunning proof that Christians are easily duped into supporting blatant evil
The latest book of stunning revelations titled “Tempting Faith” by former Bush Administration insider David Kuo provides compelling first-hand evidence that the Christian Right was purposely duped into providing pivotal political support and cover for a host of crimes and excesses by Republican leaders and the Whitehouse. This book and the Foley fiasco are serving to awaken Christians to the undeniable fact that they have been deceived into abetting the evil deeds of duplicitous scoundrels, once again.
The events of recent years and the several millennia before them have provided us with comprehensive proof that religion is the chosen and purposeful tool of great deceivers. Whether we view the actions of the Temple priesthood of ancient Israel that conspired with Greco-Roman invaders, the sad and sordid history of the Vatican and Papacy, Christian crusaders and colonizers, injustices by leaders and followers of Islam, the oppression of Palestinians by the State of Israel, or the more recent activities of the so-called Christian Right and Republican Party, religious followers are regularly and easily misled into supporting obvious evil.
In recent years, I have produced stunning and comprehensive proof of purposeful deception in the canons of all three Faiths of Abraham and struggled to alert people to this and to related upcoming events and situations. Due to “poisoning of the waters” by deluded religious leaders and followers over the centuries, most have greeted my efforts with derision or indifference, thereby failing to pay attention long enough to discern the accuracy of my research and assertions. Starting with the perfectly timed Atlantic hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, a small number of people, some of them in government leadership positions, began to recognize the truth of my conclusions and assertions. The events of the last year-plus, starting with the ramifications from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, have helped to sweep away many of the facades erected by the Bush-Cheney crew and cohorts. Many of their deceptions have been exposed, their greed and arrogance proven, the myth of their competence destroyed, and most recently the depths of their duplicity and hypocrisy have been illuminated by a series of stunning revelations.
Nonetheless, the so-called Christian Right has continued faithfully supporting them, in spite of mountains of evidence that should have dissuaded any clear-thinking soul. The recent non-stop flood of stunning evidence leaves little doubt that the so-called liberals and the left were 100% correct about the Bush-Cheney crew. Despite assertions to the contrary, conservatives and the Christian Right are now exposed as having arrogantly and foolishly supported blatantly evil scoundrels. We now have proof, beyond disproof, that Republican leaders viewed them as little more than marks and dupes to be milked of their faith, money, political support, and the lifeblood of their son’s and daughter’s on the battlefields of Bush’s and Cheney’s deceptive wars.
It is a sad but true statement that deceived and deluded Christians are much more responsible for the evils perpetrated by the Bush administration than any other group. They have arrogantly and foolishly supported those who simply pretended to have the same beliefs, even though their deeds provided stark and irrefutable evidence to the contrary. My recent articles and book expound upon the reasons why religious followers are so easily duped into doing and supporting blatant evil. Now the events of recent weeks have provided stunning evidence that these assertions and conclusions are true. Christians and conservatives must now come to grips with the sickening reality of the great harm they have caused to everyone else because of their blind support of scoundrels who merely pretended to serve the Creator, as a purposeful ploy to gain wealth and power.
What then is the purpose of “faith” but to prevent otherwise good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?
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Peace…