Palin's Soft Spot: She's a Jesus Freak

[alcibiades_mystery]

Michael Steele's appearance on Bill Maher was very telling last night. The thing about Palin that he most objected to was Maher's characterization of her as a "Jesus Freak." Steele himself FREAKED out, stuttering and stammering that she was NOT a Jesus Freak. This is her softest point: the GOP probably has tons of focus group stuff indicating that people are just fucking fed up with the Religious Right's control of their party. They must, at all costs, pretend that Palin is NOT a Jesus Freak. She should be painted as one at every single opportunity.

[thestrugglecontinues]

1. Knock yourself out,

but making fun of this woman's religion will drive voters to her in droves. It is counter productive.

[Cassandra]

2. Like attacking Obama's religion?

Yeah, very counter-productive.

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. You're wrong

People are sick to death of the moralizing, hypocritical Jesus freaks in this country. The finger-wagging scolds who are corrupt as anything. We've had it. The freak-out of Michael Steele was very telling indeed: the GOP dilemma was to pick a Jesus freak in order to keep their insane religious right base coming back, but make her look like a non-Jesus freak.

Most Americans just want to live their lives in peace, and let others live their lives in peace. The Jesus Freaks don't want that. They want to enforce their narrow little world on everybody, and people just hate that shit.

[Overseas]

38. I agree. Her extreme fundamentalism will turn more people off.

People may like their leaders to say God Bless America, but not to speak in tongues, ban books from the library, and teach the Christian Creation story in science class.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

11. She's a fanatic...

Believes that God wants us in Iraq. Believes that (and I'm a little shakey on the theology here) God wants a new oil pipeline. Believes that women shouldn't be allowed abortions even if the mother's life is in jeopardy. Believes that people should not be allowed to practice birth control.

She's a lunatic. She's out of the mainstream with at least 80% of the voters on the abortion and birth control question.

Surrogates (let Obama worry about McCain) should be hammering her with this day and night.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. 'Lunatic' is a much better label

'Vicious lunatic' (eg her self-described 'pit bull' tendency) might even better.

[TexasObserver]

33. She is a Lunatic. I want to hear her talk in tongues.

Can you imagine how much a person could get for video of Sarah Palin talking in tongues?!

If you've never heard or seen it in person, it's shocking.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

23. BULLSHIT. She a fucking creationist. A flat earther, a dominionist.

anyone practicing that certifiable type of lunacy has no business in public life, much less one heart beat away, or more out of cancer from the presidency.

If you are happy with an insane theocracy, knock yourself out. This is not making fun, this is deadly serious. It is you who have missed the whole point. Shame on you.

[TexasObserver]

34. Agreed. In Canada friendly terms, she's a one dollar coin.

[TexasObserver]

31. CONcern noted!

[Minimus]

3. Good point.

Steele really annoyed me last night. I wanted to jump through my TV and slap some sense into him.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. The thing is, calling someone a 'Jesus freak' will offend a lot of Christians

because it makes it sound as if there's something wrong with following Jesus; and doesn't actually point out how bad her apparently religious views actually are. Don't call her a Jesus freak; call her an extremist, a Dominionist, someone who opposes contraception, wants creationism taught in schools, who said God wanted Iraq invaded.

Call her a violence freak.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. Whatever you wanna call it

Holy roller, bible-thumper, whatever. The point is the same.

[Honeycombe8]

12. I disagree. That's why Steele objected. Jesus Freak has a connotation that does NOT mean...

religious. It means extremist, over the top, nutsoid religious, cult-like religious.

But folks aren't just calling her that. She seriously IS that. Her positions are extremist, over the top.

Notice that Steele didn't object to the TERM being used. He just said she isn't one. He knows what the term means.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. That's exactly right

He said "Be careful with your definitions."

It stung, and you could tell. Maher, wisely, let him prattle on with his ridiculous argument, looking at him incredulously. He knew he'd hit paydirt, and he just let the tantrum demonstrate it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. But do floating voters take the same attitude to the term?

It's not Steele we're trying to convince - it's undecided voters. A lot of them will be Christian, and calling someone a name won't help - it also associates her with Jesus. Saying 'God is on their side' is not a good tactic, IMO - and even worse when their side is actually the one advocating war, in a decidedly un-Jesus-like way.

[alcibiades_mystery]

21. Steele objected because he knows it's effective

Kansas voted out the Jesus freak school board. Kansas!

People are fucking sick of it.

[The Night Owl]

32. I agree. Let's call Palin a snake handler. At least one branch of the cult she belongs to...

...does that sort of thing.

[knitter4democracy]

41. She doesn't though.

My first college roomie grew up in a snake-handling church. She was a good person, loving and caring, and she tended to keep it quiet. Don't compare Palin to her--she had more class in her little finger than Palin does in her entire body, including those glasses.

[TexasObserver]

35. I agree 100%. Say she's got peculiar beliefs at odds with mainstream Christianity.

That is the sweet spot of this argument against Palin.

Non religious types already hate her. We want to help distinguish her from all those mainstream Christians who know Obama doesn't speak in tongues, believe in faith healing, or do such things as "dance in the spirit."

She's a far out fundie, and we have to get that out to middle voters.

[BeyondGeography]

6. Yup; I ventured into freeperland last night and the religious nutjob angle

which the NY Times hinted at in this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/us/politics/06church.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin) was the one thing that punctured their giddy mood.

The Irag war is from God quote (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H-btXPfhGs&feature=related) better start being used systematically by our side this week or I will be pissed. Andrew Sullivan was right when he said the Republican Party has become nothing more than a party of religion, and we need to build on that line as well. You don't even have to go after Palin directly; just take her views and hang them around McCain's neck. When he protests, he'll remind the fundies he's not one of them.

Oh, and fuck Michael Steele.

[Honeycombe8]

8. I saw that. Weird because she was picked in part 'cause she IS a J.F.

The evangelicals are beside themselves with joy. She wants to teach creationism in school! Extreme pro-life position. Book banning.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. They had to pick a "Palatable Jesus Freak"

Why?

Because most Americans are sick and goddamn tired of weirdo fundamentalists moralizing in the public sq1uare. It pisses people off.

[Frumious B]

19. There are other ways to say "Jesus freak".

You can call her a religious extremist or a right wing extremist who is outside of the mainstream and then point to her denial of abortion rights, even in the case of rape and incest, her claim that the the Iraq war is a mission from God and her desire to remove books from the library when she was mayor.

[InNeedOfUserName]

10. after courting evangelicals, to attack on faith would be suicidal!!!!!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. Not even slightly...

The evangelicals are split right now. And not even all evangelicals are as far to the right at Palin (those that are, aren't voting for Obama anyway).

There's a difference between attacking religion and attacking extremist viewpoints. 1964 happened largely because Barry Goldwater was viewed as an extreme right-winger. A lot of Republicans pulled the lever for Johnson.

[BeyondGeography]

18. The only evangelicals Obama was ever going to get are the ones who are tired of abortion

and gay marriage defining who they are as Christians. Economic and social justice and care of the planet mean more to enough evangelicals to justify Obama's courting them. The best he has ever polled with evangelicals is 40%, and that number will go down with Palin on the ticket. He'll take a hit with some fundies who are pretending to be on the fence, but, on the other hand, the mainstream of the population (particularly women, of course) is appalled by the notion of abortion being totally banned and by invoking God's name to justify war.

[tomg]

45. But that is a considerable portion.

There are more and more evangelicals who are concerned with the very issues you point out - people like Jim Wallis who are concerned with economic and social justice - who support Obama. I have some relatives who are evangelical - straight down the line Obama because of those issues you raise. Palin is an extreme among evangelicals ( though not necessarily fundies). Her earlier affiliation (until 2002) is Assembly of God which, in some areas, really borders on the millenial. Well, here is hoping. A large block could go either way, and I think her nastiness and snark could really turn these people against her.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. It's not an attack on faith

It's an attack on the illegitimate deployment of faith in the public sphere. Most Americans hate it. Even Kansas voted out their insane school board who tried to run faith-based science in the public schools. Fucking Kansas!

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. Now that would be a good way of putting it - "she wants her religion in your life"

That sends a different message from 'Jesus freak'. She's trying to make her beliefs rule the country.

[WinkyDink]

13. This is SO not a winning tactic!

[skids]

15. Better hinted at than attacked outright IMO.

I do think a majority do not like the holy rollers, but it's a divisive thing to take into head on mode.

For that matter, Palin is more a target you want to hit as the second punch in a combo against McCain. They obviously hope to focus all attention on her so McCain gets no scrutiny. Since the traditional media (I will be refraining from calling them lamestream for the duration of the election since the McCain campaign has declared them the enemy) will be in a feeding frenzy over her, the most effective attack is to let them do their thing, and attack McCain on his judgement in selecting her, or calling her a mini-me after exposing McCain's reformer hype as a lie, or contrasting her actions with what McCain campaigns on like earmarks (since she seems to be turning out to be the queen bee of earmarks.)

[skids]

37. OK I'm wrong...

...these guys are so far out there that even the holy rollers won't be upset that someone says: "hey look what's going on there."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K_1Eit0pxM

[DeadEyeDyck]

24. My God!!! She is only the VP nominee...

She will bring in the state of Alaska, maybe. By next week she will be so "last week".

Who ran with Goldwater?
Who ran with Humphrey?


The race is between Obama and McCain.

The best thing for us to do is keep quiet.

Why give her so much ink?

[BeyondGeography]

25. She should be used to define McCain and the Republican Party as out of the mainstream

Shame on us if we fail to take advantage of an opportunity that is staring us right in the face.

[alcibiades_mystery]

26. I absolutely agree with you

She should be mentioned next to never.

If, however, she does come up with people you know, the first and only thing out of your mouth should be "I'm worried about having a religious extremist so close to the White House." Period. Done. Complete-o.

Cheers. You're right, of course.

[mrs_p]

28. i'm a catholic and use

the terms "jesus freak" and "superchristian" all the time - other christians seems to know exactly what i'm talking about and agree. we are fed up with the religious right highjacking the christian faith for their own hateful purposes. believe it or not, fundies are not a majority of christians.

[alcibiades_mystery]

30. I grew up Catholic...everybody used the term and everybody

knew what it meant.

:-)

[javadu]

29. I Am A Skeptic

and I stay in the closet for a reason. This is a nation of Jesus Freaks and you have outlined the perfect strategy for electing a republican this year.

[Bubbha Jo]

36. She's simply a Bible freak....

I haven't seen much of Jesus's teachings in her behavior and words.

[BlueIdaho]

39. Palin's soft spot is her record.

> Banning books

> Abuse of Power

> Earmarks

> Stonewalling Investigations

> Claims of Executive Privilege

The list goes on and on. Ms Gimmick is not a moderate, she it to the right of McCain, and perhaps to the right of Attila the Hun.

[backscatter712]

40. Absolutely attack her religion.

Call her bible-thumper, jesus-freak, fundie, Kool-Aid-drinker, snake-handler, holy-roller. Imply she speaks in tongues, handles snakes, and most of all, will do everything she can to shove her batshit kooky religion down your throat.

At least covertly, she's claiming it as a strength. Turn it into a weakness.

[kath]

42. Bottom line - she is a THEOCRAT - the relig. groups she is affiliated with want to infiltrate the

government and make the US a THEOCRACY.
And some are willing to use violence to accomplish this.

see this post for links:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6969738#6970134

[Unsane]

43. The term "Jesus freak" is offensive.

And will work to the GOP's advantage. The original poster is misguided.

[OneGrassRoot]

44. I would recommend using the word EXTREMIST to describe her...

religious views.

Jesus Freak is offensive to those who aren't right-wing fundamental/evangelical crazies. LOL.

Exposing her as a religious extremist who even thinks Catholics are heathens and non-Christians because they pray to saints, now THAT needs to be spread far and wide.

Not to mention how her religious background is one of racism, sexism and homophobia.

[tomg]

46. It is a soft spot, not because

she is a fundamentalist per se( I really don't care for the term Jesus Freak), but because of the ways in which her specific religious beliefs can have an impact - and have had an impact - on what policies she will support. To attack her using the term "Jesus Freak" might play on Bill Maher ( who I enjoy immensely but have mixed feelings about tactically - last night, for example, I wanted issues, not scandal), but it will legitimately, I think, turn off a substantial number of leaners. It is the choice of language we use to attack that I am criticizing. The world view as it impacts on public policy has to be held up to full inquiry.

[Cha]

47. palin is a freak side show and those are Maher's words("Jesus freak")..

palin worships at the altar of greed oil and pollution. She doesn't know that Jesus was a Liberal Prince of Peace who was a Community Organizer.