Romney Hanging With Mr. Robertson in Virginia
Bill Berkowitz printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Thu Sep 13, 2012 at 12:35:51 PM EST
You'd think that after all these years of demonizing gays and lesbians, goofy weather predictions, the raising of millions of dollars from the hapless viewers of his television programs, the charitably challenged practices of his charities, and an all-purpose never-ending stream of mean-spirited and loopy statements, that at least in presidential election years, Pat Robertson would have been relegated to the outer reaches of Hageeville.

Yet there was Mr. Robertson, on stage with Mitt Romney, the Republican Party's presidential nominee, at a recent rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia. 



Seeing Robertson directly behind Romney's podium - now a little grayer and more stoop shouldered - a few days before the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one couldn't help but flash back on one of his, and the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's, most shameful, divisive and ignominious moments. 



Robertson's 9/11 moment

On September 13, 2001, the Rev. Jerry Falwell appeared on Robertson's television program "The 700 Club."

A partial transcript of the telecast reads:

JERRY FALWELL: And I agree totally with you that the Lord has protected us so wonderfully these 225 years. And since 1812, this is the first time that we've been attacked on our soil and by far the worst results. And I fear, as Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, said yesterday, that this is only the beginning. And with biological warfare available to these monsters -- the Husseins, the Bin Ladens, the Arafats -- what we saw on Tuesday, as terrible as it is, could be miniscule if, in fact -- if, in fact -- God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.

PAT ROBERTSON: Jerry, that's my feeling. I think we've just seen the antechamber to terror. We haven't even begun to see what they can do to the major population.

JERRY FALWELL: The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this.

PAT ROBERTSON: Well yes.

JERRY FALWELL: And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

PAT ROBERTSON: Well, I totally concur, and the problem is we have adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government. And so we're responsible as a free society for what the top people do. And, the top people, of course is the court system.

JERRY FALWELL: Pat, did you notice yesterday the ACLU and all the Christ-haters, People For the American Way, NOW, etc. were totally disregarded by the Democrats and the Republicans in both houses of Congress as they went out on the steps and called out on to God in prayer and sang "God Bless America" and said "let the ACLU be hanged." In other words, when the nation is on its knees, the only normal and natural and spiritual thing to do is what we ought to be doing all the time - calling upon God.

PAT ROBERTSON: Amen.

Under pressure, both Falwell and Robertson later apologized.

Romney plays the God card

Ironically, shortly after endorsing Iowa's Steve King - one of the most strident anti-immigrant voices in Congress - for re-election, Romney pivoted towards Robertson. In his Virginia Beach speech, Romney, who declared that he would "not divide this nation," ripped into Obama and then played the God card.

According to BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins, "Romney launched into a riff designed to needle the Democratic Party for initially removing the word `God' from its 2012 platform, and then adding it back in despite protests from many delegates. `That pledge says 'under God.' I will not take God out of our platform. I will not take God off our coins. And I will not take God out of my heart,' Romney declared."

Hagee's Hitler sent by God sermon had him dumped by McCain

You will be forgiven if you don't remember that Pastor John Hagee, he of the multi-million Texas-based mega-church and the founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) - the biggest evangelical-inhabited Israeli support group on the planet - was an up close and visible supporter of John McCain's run for the presidency in 2008 for about a New York minute.

Then, Hagee had a run-in with his sermonic hits.

After being hotly pursued by Team McCain, a tape was discovered by Bruce Wilson, the co-founder of Talk2Action, that had Hagee bellowing his belief that Hitler and the Nazis were sent by God to chase Europe's Jews to Israel. Team McCain was forced to drop Hagee like a hot knish.

In Pat Robertson's case, these days, the man who was once labeled a political kingmaker in Rob Boston's book titled, "The Most Dangerous Man in America?: Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition" (Prometheus Books, 1996), has been more comic relief than hard-hitting political powerhouse.

It's not that Robertson has moderated his rhetoric; he still can provide the knuckle-headed observation with the best of them.

People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch recently pointed out that during a segment on a recent broadcast called "Bring It On," where viewers ask Robertson questions, "one man wondered how he should go about repairing his marriage with a wife who `insults' him and once tried to attack him.

"'Well, you could become a Muslim and you could beat her," Robertson said. "This man's got to stand up to her and he can't let her get away with this stuff," Robertson continued. "I don't think we condone wife-beating these days but something has got to be done."

Right Wing Watch noted that Robertson "later said the woman is a `rebellious child' and pondered if she has psychological problems. Robertson told the viewer that since he `can't divorce her according to the Scripture, so I say: move to Saudi Arabia.'"

During the Democratic Party's convention, Robertson maintained that the Dems are a Party that represents only "gays, godlessness, and whatever else." Lord knows what that "whatever else" might consist of!




Display:
Those two words are disconcerting. They conjure up Mr. Romney having someone hanged, or Mr. Romney being hanged himself. Or perhaps the latter for the former.

by Rey Mohammed on Sat Sep 15, 2012 at 09:07:21 AM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (375 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (203 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (111 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (251 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (65 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (177 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (180 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (331 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (149 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.