Obama needs to hit back hard on the Dobson accusation, Radical Fundamentalists have no monopoly on..

[usregimechange]

biblical interpretation, truth, or especially integrity. Dobson's religious arrogance and hypocrisy needs to be called out.

[anonymous171]

1. This may Obamarang.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/dr-dobson-has-just-handed_b_108989.html

[monmouth]

2. I just read that. Obama is wise to pick his battles to win the war. Dobson

appears to be irrelevant.

[usregimechange]

3. If he uses it properly. Criticizing his Christianity...

[tridim]

4. Obamarang.. Love it!

:)

[JerseygirlCT]

31. Dobson = Nader

Interesting - makes sense!

[whistle]

5. It's a no win for Obama to counter someone like Dobson who is obviously baiting him

[usregimechange]

6. Which is why we lose these battles, punch counterpunch

[donco6]

7. Normally, I would agree, but . . .

I've been scanning the blogs all day on this one, and Dobson's getting KILLED. Out of the hundreds of "FOF sucks" posts, I find one supporting Dobson, and it's only the ultra-ultra Charismatic type. I don't think Obama needs to do much on this one. Save the ammo for the real fight.

[JerseygirlCT]

33. I agree. Most Christians in this country don't hold to Dobson's

strange interpretation, anyway. And as a people, we like to think of ourselves (Americans, that is) as an inclusive and ecumenical group. There was absolutely nothing objectionable in what Obama said - I think Dobson may have done him a favor by bringing it to light.

Now if Obama could get out of his own way and march into the nearest mosque for a big speech on the topic... I think he's really blowing it by trying to dodge the issue. Bring a bunch of prominent Muslim-Americans and hit the bigots where they live. Make anyone who wants to forward stupid e-mails have to own up to their bigotry. Take it out of the sniveling dark corners and into the light.

[AllentownJake]

8. No direct response

If he responds he rallies their base. Let the RW Fundamentalist spew their hate.

Let him talk about his faith and what he believes not why Dobson is an ass.

[usregimechange]

9. Then they define his faith, I thought we learned this with the Kerry campaign

[AllentownJake]

10. No

Talking about your own faith is the way to go.

Getting in a debate with Dobson elevates the converstation past the cable channels and onto the Nightly News.

[hendo]

18. The problem with Kerry was

that his faith was an after thought.

Well, that was one of the many problems. He was also too passive in responding to the swiftboating. It was like he thought it would just go away on its own.

[Barack_America]

11. Let Dobson's own call him out.

The last thing Obama needs is to be seen as attacking a Fundie.

[Faygo Kid]

12. Not sure I would give much credence to the a-hole, although I'm usually up for hitting hard.

I think most people will see this for the garbage it is.

Sure, Hannity will run with it for the next three weeks, but his racist shtick is already tiresome.

Dobson is pulling an Ann Coulter here: Trying to stay relevant by saying something outrageous.

[AllentownJake]

13. Exactly

Respond and you elevate it into a debate with Dobson. Instead of a RW preacher who always endorses the GOP spewing hate.

[Arkana]

14. Nah. The fact that Dobson hates him makes him more attractive to those of us

who AREN'T insane.

[islandmkl]

15. dobson mistakenly thinks he is a 'swiftboater'...

we don't need to make the same mistake...

dobson will self-destroy...the more he spews, the more Barack ignores HIM and just addresses his own faith...the more obvious dobson's bullshit becomes...

this is not a fight...why engage in one?

if dobson is making some impression, it doesn't appear to be resonating beyond his own 'true believers'...

and assholes like joewherestheintern...

on edit: spellcheck does not like dobson EVERY TIME it occurs...but it didn't even throw out joewherestheintern...

:evilgrin:

[w13rd0]

16. Respond, yes...

...but don't bother getting into a theological debate with that knuckledragging piece of shit.

[Perky]

17. I posted the same sentiment this morning.

He neds yo takes Dobson to task for an uncharitable attitude toward others who share the faith. then enlarge the argument to those who claim to be the Guardians of Godliness (to reemind people of the Agents of Intolerance) He needs to call them on creating a generatiopn of people who are turned off by religion.

And then he needs to move one. The point is that the CHurch needs to have this debate abnnout faith and politics. and deal with the fact that Obama is far more evangelical and arednt in his faith then is McCain.

[Gabi Hayes]

26. he needs to dismiss him as the drooling lunatic he is, and ridicule him in the

most pointed matter

then, let the matter drop

his surrogates MUST refuse to go along with any Dobson-related premise and immediately turn it back on the weasel questioner, demanding them explain WHY on earth they're taking ANYTHING seriously from the mouth of a person who thinks SpongeBob Squarepants is at the spearhead of the homosexual agenda!!!!

jeez, when are they going to learn how to play in the big boys' sandbox

[Thrill]

19. Obama dismisses Dobson criticism about Bible

LOS ANGELES - Barack Obama said Tuesday evangelical leader James Dobson was "making stuff up" when he accused the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible.

Dobson used his Focus on the Family radio program to highlight excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal.

Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane before landing in Los Angeles, Obama said the speech made the argument that people of faith, like himself, "try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us."

Obama added, "I think you'll see that he was just making stuff up, maybe for his own purposes."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080624/ap_on_el_pr/dobson_obama

[crim son]

20. Obama cannot win the support of Dobson types.

Let him speak thee truth and have fun doing it!

[Perky]

21. How would you define "Dobson types"?

Just curious

[crim son]

22. People who would vote for GWB

over Kerry and cite religion as the primary reason. For example.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. He's up by 15 pts.

That would have to include some GWB voters.

:shrug:

[crim son]

27. I think seven plus years of the shrub

has converted a few repubs, but not the members of the religious far right. Why are you pursuing this? Thoughts?

[Perky]

29. Well I think in that case

if you are going to let shared faith be the final arbiter of your vote. A vote for Bush over Kerry is not all that surprising. Not justifying it or excusing it just saying Kerry did not give people of faith a lot to bote for on the basis of shared faith.


But now having said that. I think that if you are going to base you vote on shared faith in 2008. McCain certainly does not come across as either pious or evangelical.. But Obama, much to the consternation of some on the right and the the derision of some on the left, does echew a faith that Bush lacks in action and Kerry and McCain seem ambivalent about.


To that extent, picking a fight on religious grounds using the language of faith with Dobson and simply ignoring McCain and Hagee in the process is sure to cause people heads to exploode on the religious right and for the rest of the church to see that is actually a very good thing..... So if Obama wants to set a trap for Dobson... I am all for it.

He needs to validate that what McCain said in 2000 about "agent of intolerance" and dare McCain to enter the fray.

[crim son]

35. "Shared faith."

What matters is the style of faith. I have traditionally republican, Christian relatives who did not vote for the shrub twice because his first four years demonstrated to them that his faith was not theirs. They voted for Kerry. I doubt very much that these relatives of mine are unique in their disappointment with Mr. Bush's "Christianity". On the other hand, I have Catholic inlaws who voted twice for the shrub and would do so again if they could but will choose McCain as the lesser of two evils, because apparently wanton war, disregard for the environment and a callous lack of concern for the vulnerable in our society, do jive with their faith. I'm not sure where "pious and evanglical" fit in with the inlaw's views but I do know that God never backed a democrat.

That's sarcasm, BTW.

[1Hippiechick]

23. I think Dobson has political aspirations..if Huckabee, why not him?

[Gabi Hayes]

25. why doesn't he just give a few examples of Dobson's CLEAR insanity?

like the SpongeBob fiasco

the Clinton penis drawing contest (bet you never heard about that one), though, once again, they benefit by saying stuff so bad that it can't be repeated in polite company:

http://www.slate.com/id/2000043/entry/1001588


In his opinion column, Garry Wills revisited the wild claim of conservative leader James Dobson, whose book Children at Risk reported that the White House distributed a workbook to schools asking children "to draw the world's largest penis, compare white and black penises, and show their parents making love." (I'm quoting Wills.)

Dobson has never been able to substantiate this claim, despite repeated requests for evidence. And Wills persists in pointing out the credibility gap because the book's introduction was written by William Bennett. "Bennett goes about denouncing Clinton as a liar," Wills says, "but he promotes the kind of lies that right-wingers want to hear."

[PretzelWarrior]

28. Done and done. Looks like rapid response is still the strategy

WAY TO GO OBAMA AND TEAM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_el_pr/dobson_obama

[Gabi Hayes]

30. they should dismiss him with something like this: He's the Jerry Falwell of the

Deliverance demographic

why do they give that madman the time of day?

Father Coughlan is rolling on his spit. pass the hot sauce

[Perky]

34. Wrong strategy

You don't want to offend people of faith... You want to Tell Dobson that his comments are offeneive to Jesus, And then tell him why.

[Gabi Hayes]

37. anybody who takes Dobson seriously is WAY too far gone for Obama's

message to have any effect

Dobson NEEDS to be marginalized as the crackpot that he is. he is due less than zero deference.

it's really disgusting that the M$M is giving him any platform at all

you don't see them allowing Farrakhan to rant and rave all over the place, do you?

they're equally as rephrehensible....take that back. Dobson is MUCH worse, because he has a huge following of troglodytes (unreachable for dems, remember that)

[AnnieBW]

32. Pot. Kettle. Black.

If Dobson is attacking Obama for interpreting the Bible according to his political views, isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?

[cbc5g]

36. Dobson is baiting...Obama did the right then to blow him off

with just a one sentence rejection.

Most Christians understand Dobson is crazy.