Comments on: Influence

By: Benny One Six

Benny One Six — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:46:19 +0000

Isn’t Hagee precisely the type of man McCain has bottomless disdain for? Hagee’s extremism just has to make McCain physically cringe and were the two in school together I just know Hagee would be on the receiveng end of a beating or two..

By: Daniel Larison

Daniel Larison — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:25:14 +0000

It depends on what we’re talking about. Obama doesn’t buy into the loopy conspiracy theories. I’m fairly sure about that. Whether or not he believes in his heart of hearts that Israel has engaged in state terrorism, he will never, ever say so out loud and has never acted as if he believes this. Does he believe in the Social Gospel and think that his faith obliges him to adopt a certain activist approach to the world? Of course, and I think believing in the Social Gospel is dangerous enough when it comes to making policy. McCain doesn’t share Hagee’s religious views, because I can’t imagine McCain caring about such things. He certainly did and does think that striking Iran is appropriate. The problem with Hagee is that he will have access to the administration to keep pushing his policy views and reinforcing all of the worst instincts of McCain.

By: Benny One Six

Benny One Six — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:17:26 +0000

Personally, I think the evidence is over-whelming that at least a part of Obama believes in what Wright espouses… Much as a certain type of American with Catholic Irish ancestry used to believe in the IRA… It doesn’t appear that he’s a true believer or a sleeper agent or anything, but I do think in his weaker moments he succumbs to Wright… HIs wife clearly identifies strongly with Wright and he himself was very close to Wright. What other conclusion is there to draw.

On the other hand, I do not think McCain in even his darkest moments thinks of the Pope as the Whore of Rome or that Catholics want to kill Jews or that Catholics should be targeted for being Catholics…

Now, that being said, I think both men should distance themselves from Hagee and Wright. And, that due to the closer realtionship, Obama has to be more forceful and specific in his repusiation…

By: Elvis Elvisberg

Elvis Elvisberg — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:52:15 +0000

When either Wright or Hagee says that God should/might/did damn America, they are criticizing how it has treated minorities. Wright thinks blacks have been treated poorly, while Hagee thinks that our failure to jail gays causes hurricanes.

The extreme black perspective is less palatable to the media than the extreme white perspective because it’s more unusual, and comes from a scary minority group.

I agree with your post. I think that the attacking the majority/defending the majority dichotomy explains a bit here, too, along with policy views on the Middle East.

Harping on this issue is just a way for people who don’t want to vote for one of Them, but don’t want to admit it, to justify believing that Obama represents the Other, so his loyalty is suspect. There’s nothing, after all, in any of Obama’s policy proposals, votes, or speeches that indicates that he wants to… do whatever it is that Wright would do if he were president, after he ordered a halt to the manufacture of AIDS. (We know what Hagee wants: conflagration in the Middle East. And McCain’s just the man for the job).