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Cory Booker: Stealth Religious Right Democrat for U.S. Senate?
In the early days of Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition, Ralph Reed advocated stealth Christian Right candidates run in GOP primaries against moderates for offices at all levels, and to also conceal their true agenda in general elections against Democrats.
The creeping religious rightism in the Democratic Party has taken many forms over the years, and the list is long. But we need look no farther than the pandering to and promotion of false moderates like Rick Warren and Samuel Rodriguez, and the adoption by some of the ideas and even the phrasings of the Religious Right on such things as "secularism" and "abortion reduction") to get a sense that there is an underlying trend to which these are more the rule than the exceptions. In the past few years, we have also seen stealth Religious Right candidates in the Democratic Party, for example in Hawaii and Jacksonville, Florida. Most recently, stealth Christian Rightist Max Myers is currently running as a progressive for the Democratic nomination for governor of Pennsylvania.
Now veteran journalist Susie Madrack, writing at Crooks & Liars has an important discussion of the rightwing involvements -- including the Religious Right -- of Newark mayor and leading contender for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, Cory Booker. Excerpts below. |
Cory Booker is very, very tight with the religious right wing -- but he's also very careful about what he says, since he hopes to run for president one day and cultivates strong LGBT support. The problem is, he hangs with the Dominionists. Is this a case of "I'll work with anybody who wants to help my city", or is there something more?
He's very religious himself. So where are the lines he won't cross? Is it okay for Democrats to validate and support any parts of the right-wing agenda that's politically convenient?
Fundies claim their "Transformation Newark" program turned the city around by having volunteers pray for each street. Bruce Wilson at Talk2Action: Endorsed by Newark's liberal mayor, PrayforNewark would seem a blessing for any city. What could be wrong with prayer ? But the effort is directly tied to an international movement that, as detailed in my new video documentary Transforming Uganda, played a significant role in organizing and inspiring Ugandan politicians who have backed the internationally notorious "kill the gays" bill, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently before Uganda's parliament.
Remember the Seven Mountains theme so beloved of Dominionists? These are the same people. These seven mountains are business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion. There are many subgroups under these main categories. About a month later the Lord showed Francis Schaeffer the same thing. In essence, God was telling these three change agents where the battlefield was. It was here where culture would be won or lost. Their assignment was to raise up change agents to scale the mountains and to help a new generation of change agents understand the larger story. The part they don't usually include on their websites? That Dominionists believe it's perfectly okay to "lie for the Lord." If by lying, you can win high political office with the larger agenda of winning the world for Jesus, Jesus would be okay with that! They actually intend to rule the world.
So here's the question: Does Cory Booker simply cultivate useful relationships with a lot of un-American, unsavory, pro-corporatist, right-wing religious extremists -- or is he one of them?
Booker has enthusiastically endorsed PrayforNewark, a coalition headed locally by Apostle Bernard Wilks, a minister at Booker's church and a member of the International Coalition of Apostles
Check out the whole story which is studded with lots of links and video clips.
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