Rick Perry & The Christian Right

[superstring01]

An interesting article from Mother Jones on the REALLY far, right wing movement (scroll to the bottom for the really good stuff):

What to Expect From Rick Perry's Prayer Festival
MotherJones
By Tim Murphy | Fri Aug. 5, 2011 3:00 AM PDT

On Saturday morning, Texas Governor Rick Perry will join Christian religious leaders at Reliant Stadium in Houston for a day of prayer and fasting for America. "With the economy in trouble, communities in crisis, and people adrift in a sea of moral relativism, we need God's help," Perry explained in a YouTube spot promoting the event. "That's why I'm calling on Americans to pray and fast, like Jesus did, and as God called the Israelites to do in the book of Joel."

Joel 2, the specific Old Testament chapter Perry is referring to, has a special meaning for many Evangelical Christians—and more specifically among a small but growing movement called the New Apostolic Reformation. Its adherents believe the nation has become unmoored from its moral foundations, and that our present misfortunes are a direct consequence. They believe it will take a new push by modern-day apostles—messengers who've received their instructions to directly from God—to put things back on course. And the apostles, as the Texas Observer's Forrest Wilder has detailed, believe Perry is one of them.

Continue here.

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[Pinwheel]

No surprises there about Japans suffering.

[Tiassa]

An interesting article from Mother Jones on the REALLY far, right wing movement ....

Scary stuff. Right now the thing that puzzles me is how we got here. The Republican Party I remember from childhood, most certainly I disagreed with it, but I don't remember that it was so ... strange.

I don't even have a good analogy for the difference.

Even the difference between now and Bush's inauguration is puzzling.

I mean, yes, I recognize that the Bachmanns, Perrys, and so on of the GOP still represent something a little bit off the main stream, but they're so damn powerful within the party that they really are mucking up the identity parameters.

To wit, we might say that it's unfair to bash the whole GOP for the words an actions of these people, but they seem more and more to be claiming the Republican banner, and what we might call the rational conservatives don't seem to be taking it back.

Which is curious, I suppose, because that makes the rational conservatives sound like Democrats for the appearance of staggering political inefficacy.

[chimpkin]

Hmm, I wonder if I will feel up to going down there to protest the loons after I get off work at 3 am.

Caffeine is my friend?

Edited to add: sign title- "I see wingnuts."

[iceaura]

The Republican Party I remember from childhood, most certainly I disagreed with it, but I don't remember that it was so ... strange.

I don't even have a good analogy for the difference.

Even the difference between now and Bush's inauguration is puzzling.

I mean, yes, I recognize that the Bachmanns, Perrys, and so on of the GOP still represent something a little bit off the main stream, but they're so damn powerful within the party that they really are mucking up the identity parameters.

Nixon invited the bigots and loonies and fundies in, Reagan solidified their presence and necessity. Their takeover has been inevitable since '68, and obvious since '94 - the Party cannot win a national election without them, and this has been true for more than fifty years now; the chance to repudiate their influence rather than cater to it is long past.

You may remember the existence of "moderate Republicans" from your childhood, but they were being purged then and are gone now.

Bachmann, Perry, et al are not mucking up the identity parameters, but clarifying them. There has always been a fascistic faction in the US, a large one, and the Republican Party has been riding it to victory for more than a generation.

There has been little or no significant change in the Republican Party since W's inaugeration - revisit the political discourse during Reagan's campaign or Clinton's tenure for easy verification of that.

[joepistole]

Well there should be plenty of room there. It looks like they have only sold 1 out of ever 10 seats. So out of 75K available seats, they have only sold 8k.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/08...o_have_hi.html

[Trooper]

Perry is running for President


That is some scary shit, eh?

On August 11, 2011, a spokesperson for Perry told the Associated Press that Perry is running for President. The spokesperson revealed that Perry is expected to announce his presidential bid Saturday, August 13.

[billvon]

An interesting article from Mother Jones on the REALLY far, right wing movement

It's not just Perry.

"I almost wish that there would be, like, a simultaneous telecast, and all Americans would be forced — forced at gunpoint no less — to listen to every David Barton message, and I think our country would be better for it. I wish it’d happen." -Mike Huckabee, march 2011

[superstring01]

David Barton is as close to evil as you get in political movements in the USA.

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[GeoffP]

It amazes me that human society hasn't evolved to a point where the likes of Perry can simply be shot.

[cosmictraveler]

If you look at what Wisconson did and voted Republican in the last election and showed that they were fed up with the debt problems the state was having I can understand why why this attitude is being formed and can see this man as a Republican choice for President not because of his religious values but how he has organized his state and has created more jobs than anywhere in the US and has a much better economy than most other states. When states are always running debts and taxes are always being raised to pay expenses people get fed up no matter who is getting the paychecks especially those who insist upon 100,000.00 pensions and 60,000.00 paychecks or more with benifits and want to see that stopped.

[Giambattista]

Rick Perry is a phony. He is a fake.

[joepistole]

If you look at what Wisconson did and voted Republican in the last election and showed that they were fed up with the debt problems the state was having I can understand why why this attitude is being formed and can see this man as a Republican choice for President not because of his religious values but how he has organized his state and has created more jobs than anywhere in the US and has a much better economy than most other states. When states are always running debts and taxes are always being raised to pay expenses people get fed up no matter who is getting the paychecks especially those who insist upon 100,000.00 pensions and 60,000.00 paychecks or more with benifits and want to see that stopped.

Yeah, Perry was really good at creating government jobs in Texas - just like George II and his merry band of Republicans when they controlled Washington.

And if you have not noticed, Wisconsin voted Democrat in the lastest Wisconsin elections with Republicans loosing two seats in the state senate.

[CptBork]

Rick Perry reminds me an awful lot of that evil, insane senate candidate in the movie adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dead Zone". He definitely looks like he's out of his league though, with the way he shoots his mouth off. Still though, if a guy can win a presidential election based on a partisan court decision with less votes than his opponent, despite inexplicable gaps in his military, academic, criminal and medical records and plenty of not-so-flattering stories to fill those gaps... then Perry certainly has a fighting chance.

[quadraphonics]

Rick Perry reminds me an awful lot of that evil, insane senate candidate in the movie adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dead Zone".

He was actually a Presidential candidate (hence the premonition of him launching nuclear war if elected), and played by Martin Sheen - and directed by none other than David Cronenberg. And a classic Christopher Walken performance to boot - kind of surprising that movie isn't better known, really... But yeah, he does resemble that character quite a bit.

He definitely looks like he's out of his league though, with the way he shoots his mouth off.

He's all catch-phrases and no ideas. Which is maybe good for breaking into a primary race, but probably a liability in the longer run. "Obama sucks" may be a great GOP primary tactic, but I doubt it'll bring in the kind of independent/centrist votes needed to really carry an election.

less votes than his opponent,

There's an interesting movement afoot at the state level to build a popular end-run around the electoral college system that enables all that. Specifically, if enough states enact laws giving all of their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the (national) popular vote, then the electoral college becomes a formality and the popular vote will be all that matters.

http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/

CA is close to adopting such a measure, which if it happens will put the effort within striking distance of succeeding. Note that it doesn't require all states to participate - just enough to get 270 electoral votes and so determine any Presidential election.

[spidergoat]

Rick Perry reminds me an awful lot of that evil, insane senate candidate in the movie adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dead Zone". He definitely looks like he's out of his league though, with the way he shoots his mouth off. Still though, if a guy can win a presidential election based on a partisan court decision with less votes than his opponent, despite inexplicable gaps in his military, academic, criminal and medical records and plenty of not-so-flattering stories to fill those gaps... then Perry certainly has a fighting chance.

Except he doesn't have Karl Rove.

[wellwisher]

The liberals like to turn the electron process into a soap opera instead of a battle of skill. I suppose women like soap operas and liberal are feminine, therefore a soap star for president is their goal. I am more old fashion and think skill is more important than song and dance when the economic ship is sinking.

The liberals may be right Perry is not soap opera star material. He is more about skill which is not as important to liberals.

[CptBork]

He was actually a Presidential candidate (hence the premonition of him launching nuclear war if elected), and played by Martin Sheen - and directed by none other than David Cronenberg. And a classic Christopher Walken performance to boot - kind of surprising that movie isn't better known, really... But yeah, he does resemble that character quite a bit.

Ah, but you're wrong on two counts here. Firstly the guy's a senate candidate in the movie's "present", and secondly he actually becomes president in the "future", not just a campaign Or at least...

that's how it's supposed to go before Christopher Walken tries to shoot him and fails but gets the guy to hold a baby up in front of him as shielding to ruin his campaign.

There's an interesting movement afoot at the state level to build a popular end-run around the electoral college system that enables all that. Specifically, if enough states enact laws giving all of their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the (national) popular vote, then the electoral college becomes a formality and the popular vote will be all that matters.

http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/

CA is close to adopting such a measure, which if it happens will put the effort within striking distance of succeeding. Note that it doesn't require all states to participate - just enough to get 270 electoral votes and so determine any Presidential election.

That's pretty clever, and it doesn't need the craziest states to cooperate. Gotta love 200 year-old loopholes to 200 year-old laws.

Except he doesn't have Karl Rove.

Well he can always have Ham Rove, whose morals are every bit as sound.

[spidergoat]

Wellwisher,
Bullshit. Republican politics are about winning, telling lies, stimulating irrational hate, and pushing our emotional buttons. Democratic politics are about solving problems for the people. The Republicans can't claim to do this since they don't represent the people, they represent their corporate donors.

[quadraphonics]

Ah, but you're wrong on two counts here. Firstly the guy's a senate candidate in the movie's "present", and secondly he actually becomes president in the "future", not just a campaign Or at least...

that's how it's supposed to go before Christopher Walken tries to shoot him and fails but gets the guy to hold a baby up in front of him as shielding to ruin his campaign.

Oh, my bad. It's all coming back to me now...