MyDD :: Filibuster Fight: Frist Uses Religion; McCain Weighs In

Filibuster Fight: Frist Uses Religion; McCain Weighs In

by Curt Matlock, Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 12:13:23 PM EST

This is really very good. Give it a look--Chris

Although John McCain came out against removing the filibuster, any doubt that the Republican leadership plans to turn the war over judges into a religious battle should now be put to rest. David D. Kirkpatrick, in a remarkable article in the NY Times, Frist Set to Use Religious Stage on Judicial Issue, reports that the filibuster is being described as "against people of faith" by a group of Frist-allied Christian Organizations.

Senator Bill Frist will participate in a telecast on April 24th that will feature "Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Chuck Colson, the born-again Watergate figure and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries; and Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary." Part of a coordinated effort to depict liberals as anti-Christian, the group will use language such as the following from event organizer Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council:

"As the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the left has been repudiated in almost every recent election, the courts have become the last great bastion for liberalism," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and organizer of the telecast, wrote in a message on the group's Web site. "For years activist courts, aided by liberal interest groups like the A.C.L.U., have been quietly working under the veil of the judiciary, like thieves in the night, to rob us of our Christian heritage and our religious freedoms."

Liberals are "thieves" who "rob" Christians according to the FRC. Kirkpatrick talked to Frist's spokesman about his association with the group:

The telecast, however, will put Dr. Frist in a very different context. Asked about Dr. Frist's participation in an event describing the filibuster "as against people of faith," his spokesman, Bob Stevenson, did not answer the question directly.

"Senator Frist is doing everything he can to ensure judicial nominees are treated fairly and that every senator has the opportunity to give the president their advice and consent through an up or down vote," Mr. Stevenson said, adding, "He has spoken to groups all across the nation to press that point, and as long as a minority of Democrats continue to block a vote, he will continue to do so."

The rhetoric from the Frist office is certainly much more moderate sounding than the groups who he will join in Louisville on April 24th. Those groups are demonizing liberals while also impugning the honor of our nations judges.

Fliers for the telecast, organized by the Family Research Council and scheduled to originate at a Kentucky megachurch the evening of April 24, call the day "Justice Sunday" and depict a young man holding a Bible in one hand and a gavel in the other. The flier does not name participants, but under the heading "the filibuster against people of faith," it reads: "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith."

The participation by a Senator in a telecast with groups holding such extremist views is certainly cause for great concern. The politics of the Family Research Council is crystal clear. They desire to take over every arm of government to rule the land using their version of Christian principles.

Thankfully, Republican Senator John McCain has come out against their plans to install majority rule free of checks and balances by demolishing long held traditions of American government.

On Thursday, one wavering Republican, Senator John McCain of Arizona, told a television interviewer, Chris Matthews, that he would vote against the change.

"By the way, when Bill Clinton was president, we, effectively, in the Judiciary Committee blocked a number of his nominees," Mr. McCain said.

History Mr. McCain? Many Republicans can't remember the promises they made to win the last election, much less remember what it was like to be in the minority. The fact that Republicans themselves sang a very different tune when they were utilizing the filibuster not so long ago seems lost on these tyrants. They demonize Democrats and liberals and once again turn to smears and character assassination to win political battles.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is quoted in the Times article harshly criticizing this latest attempt by Republicans to paint themselves as the keepers of the righteous faith:

Democrats accused Dr. Frist of exploiting religious faith for political ends by joining the telecast. "No party has a monopoly on faith, and for Senator Frist to participate in this kind of telecast just throws more oil on the partisan flames," said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York.
....
Democrats, for their part, are already stepping up their efforts to link Dr. Frist and the rule change with conservatives statements about unaccountable judges hostile to faith.

On Thursday, Mr. Schumer released an open letter calling on Dr. Frist to denounce such attacks. "The last thing we need is inflammatory rhetoric which on its face encourages violence against judges," he wrote.

The letter mentioned in the snip was signed by Senator Reid, Senator Schumer, Senator Durbin, and Senator Stabenow. From the letter:

The Democratic leaders continued, "Comparing the United States judicial system and those who serve on it to the Ku Klux Klan, condoning the murderous Joseph Stalin, calling for mass impeachment is unacceptable."

"Only in a banana republic would you expect judges to be in fear of retribution from public figures for ruling for or against powerful interests. These threats of mass impeachment and even violence are dangerous and should be denounced immediately," Schumer concluded.

The partisan warfare over the judiciary and the filibuster is heating up. The explicit alliance of the Republican Senate Leader to a handful of extremist religious organizations is upping the ante. The rhetoric which claims Democrats and Liberals are against religion and people of faith is an attempt to stoke hatred to win political battles. It's a dangerous game that we must meet head on.

Progressive Churches and Religious Organizations cannot remain silent in this battle. To do so only legitimizes the extremists as the leaders of Christianity in America. Likewise, all Democrats and Liberals must defend themselves and communicate effectively that freedom of religion is one of our highest ideals.

Republicans claim that the 10 judges that have been blocked by Democrats somehow represent a vast conspiratorial attack on the very foundations of Christianity. That's of course melodramatic and false. But they'll be pounding that message into every head that gets in range and the only way to fight that kind of attack is with megaphones of your own. Democrats across the board need to dust off their noisemakers and start creating a din that lets America know that there are more Americans who respect Senate tradition and the honor of our Judges than those who would spit on the Constitution and tear out the pages they don't like.

We can't let them win this fight.

Update [2005-4-15 10:20:46 by Curt Matlock]: Armando talks about the issue over at dKos and Josh Marshall weighs in at TalkingPointsMemo.

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The anti-Christian dogma is from the far right (none / 0)

It's time to pull out the Bible and start reading the actual words of Jesus Christ from the Gospels to repudiate the hijacking of Christianity by these authoritarians corporatists. Frist, DeLay, at the theo-con far-right are using the Cross as a hammer to beat down anyone that attempts to prevent them from looting of the wealth of the country.

It's time to bring Jim Wallis out front.

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm

by afs on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 12:28:29 PM EST

The anti-Christian dogma is from the far right (none / 0)

Good point. I like the title of your comment also: "The anti-Christian dogma is from the far right".

It's not like liberals haven't been calling attention to this but many aren't hearing us. We need Christian churches and Christian organizations to help defend Democrats and liberals against these attacks. They need to point out that the theocrats don't speak for them.

This hijacking of Christianity for the exclusive use of the Republicans has got to stop! If it goes any further I'm afraid serious violence may break out. You can't keep stoking peoples hatred the way the Republicans are doing without having unbalanced people start acting on the hatred.

by Curt Matlock on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 12:36:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Take a look around Jim Wallis' site (none / 0)

Jim Wallis has been trying to get our attention for quite a while. He has a lot of good things to say.

Jim Wallis and Jimmy Carter are very close.

by afs on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 12:48:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The anti-Christian dogma is from the far right (none / 0)

I find this trend far more frightening as a Christian than as an American, and this is as un-American as it gets.

by wayward on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 07:07:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

A rather horrifying turn (none / 0)

Things are taking a really horrifying turn here. Just as Eric Rudolph is pleading guilty to bombing "mud people", we have two Senators (Frist and Cornyn) appealing to the basest and most divisive kinds of emotions.

I think this is a fight that can be won. Each time these wingnuts go on a jihad (Clinton impeachment, Schaivo circus) they alienate more people than they solidify. The Dems need to not be afraid to bring this to a vote, stage a genuine filibuster and have the Senate have a full debate on each of these 10 out of step judges. Make the GOP defend appointing someone to the federal bench who has practiced illegally for 6 years, or who thinks FDR was a dangerous socialist. Let them make their fire and brimstone speeches. Make them bring Bolton to the floor and debate him in open session. Same with Social Security. The Dems shouldn't be afraid of a fight that is waged on principle and with decorum.

by Mimikatz on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 12:38:29 PM EST

Re: A rather horrifying turn (none / 0)

I think you have it exactly right. The Schiavo mess shows that Americans are casting an increasingly wary eye towards Republicans that paint judges as renegades and liberals as against Christianity. If Democrats call them out we have a good chance of winning the battle on the PR front and on the Senate floor.

Calling liberals "thieves" who "rob" Christians of their heritage is so over the top that I'd think many conservatives would have to recognize they've gone too far with their anti-judicial rhetoric. They've crossed into the danger zone because their followers are going to start acting out their hatred. It is frightening how much some of them hate us.

by Curt Matlock on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 01:03:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Dam. (none / 0)

I thought we were blocking these nominees because we were against Catholics. Isnt that what the nut squad said last year. Now I find out that it is worse then that. We are blocking them because we are against everyone of faith.

Andy Katz

by Andy Katz on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 12:41:59 PM EST

Arlen (none / 0)

Folks in Philly should be calling Arlen's office on this and letting him know that he shouldn't allow his legacy as Judiciary Chair be defined by the nuclear option. I think he'll listen if approached rationally.

by jdavidson on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 01:00:05 PM EST

Yglesias Posts on Frist Religious War (none / 0)

Matthew Yglesias over at Tapped has now weighed in on the attacks against liberals by Frist and his allies:

At any rate, liberals of faith have spent a lot of time telling liberals of little faith such as myself that we need to be more open to religion, which is fair enough. Now, though, I think it's time for the liberals of faith to stand up, because in many ways they're the real targets here. Apparently being a "person of faith" is now synonomous with "holding conservative views about constitutional interpretation and the role of precedent in the legal system."

by Curt Matlock on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 01:10:19 PM EST

Re: Yglesias Posts on Frist Religious War (none / 0)

(I posted this in an earlier diary, but it seems quite appropriate here)

The rise of conservative politics is only due to the linking of conservative politics with conservative religion, or more importantly, the linking of liberal politics with liberal religion by conservative politicians.

The perjurative "lib-ruls" is a handy tool because it is used to lump any group that is considered "liberal" together into one big enemy. And by it's very nature, faith is one area where people like to stay fairly conservative. ("Faith of our Fathers...")

Republicans have realized this, and the one time party of proper WASP restraint has become the party of that "old time religion". Touching on traditional and religious themes wins them votes. The Republican Party then becomes the defenders of faith and tradition. Hate Catholic-lite? Vote Republican. Believe that St. Paul means what he says about homosexuality? (I'm not getting into a theological debate about St. Paul's views, so don't bother.) Vote Republican. Still believe in the Bible is the inspired word of God? Vote Republican. Do you believe your religion is the actual truth of God? Vote Republican.

Intellectually, it is absurd, but emotionally it works quite well. What do you think was behind the drive to excommunicate John Kerry, push anti-gay marriage amendments, including a federal one that has NO CHANCE IN HELL of passing, the mailings sent out in WV and AR saying that "lib-ruls" were going to ban the Bible, and Bush's constantly invoking Jesus at every opportunity? Tie political conservatism to religious conservatism and they can win.

It is a shame that this is happening for many reasons, but especially because it is leading to the death of a very American political thought, specifically, that I may be devoutly religious, but that it is none of the Government's business who is and who isn't. It is Jefferson's (a heretic if there ever was one) idea that it didn't matter if his neighbor believed in no gods or many. This idea was shared by many of the Protestants at the time, especially Baptists. The extremely devout Calvinists and the lapsed Anglicans who wrote the Constitution all agreed that it was best for Government to stay out of religious matters.

This is in stark contrast to the European idea that there should be a state religion, that was followed publicly, even if people didn't actually believe it. (The remnants of this idea explain why it was perfectly socially acceptable for Prince Charles to have an affair with Camilla, but it was controversial for him to marry her because she was divorced!)

To make a long story short. Politicizing religion is un-American in the worst way.

by wayward on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 07:13:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Press Claims Kerry... (none / 0)

used Military families for political purposes.

Why do they not claim that Frist is using God for political purposes? Apparently that's ok with them. Well it's not OK with me. To use Religion as a divisive issue is Blasphemous.

To not call it out and to promote it is even worse.

DAGGER

by goplies on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 01:10:51 PM EST

Kos on current nuclear option votes (none / 0)

Kos has a post up which shows the current expected votes on the nuclear option. Right now the tally is:

44 Democrats united against
1 Independent against (Jeffords)
2 Republicans against (McCain, Chafee)

Kos says that according to a hill staffer there are 8 Republicans wavering of which 4 are needed to defeat the removal of the judicial filibuster.

Also over at dKos, Pastordan has a great post out which calls on left-leaning Christians to speak out. He gives pointers on how to do so. From Pastordan's post:

I dunno about you, but I've had enough. It's time Dr. Frist, James Dobson, the Family Research Council, et. al. heard from another side of the country.

So here's the idea. I will be creating a page for Democrats to state, simply and directly, that they are not hostile to faith. You don't have to be religious yourself; you just have to state that you are a Democrat, and you are not hostile to faith, in terms of judicial appointments or otherwise.

Pastordan continues by giving as an example his own proclamation about his stand on faith and on Frist. Well worth a read.

by Curt Matlock on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 02:19:29 PM EST

Count Specter (none / 0)

I haven't heard him say it publicly, but I can't see Specter voting to end the filibuster. Specter is very big on legal traditions.

I can't imagine any of the five GOP Senators who voted against the Clinton impeachment voting for this. I'd be surprised to see Snowe and Collins on board for this.

Plus, the GOP then looks like nothing but assholes, because what excuse is there for exercising the filibuster when you need it, and then steeling it from the Dems when you don't need it?

2006 is heading away from specific issues, and toward the over-bridging problem of GOP abuses of power.

by jcjcjc on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 05:12:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Kos on current nuclear option votes (none / 0)

More than likely, the "shaky eight" are Specter, Snowe, Collins, Lugar, Hagel, Graham, Stevens, and possibly Voinovich.

by wayward on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 07:28:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The Good Dr. Al (none / 0)

Just so ya'll know, Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a real dick. I live about 4 blocks from the Seminary. One of the good doc's first acts was to shut down the daycare center that was located at the school. This was one of the better daycare centers in the NE Wake county area and many people used it, not just the baptists and the like. It was closed because, he decided that a womans place was at home taking care of the little ones, not out in the workplace. Many people tried to keep it open, even offering to privately fund it, but NOOOOO.... And to make sure it didn't re-open, the building was BULLDOSED. There is nothing but an empty lot there now. He is also responsible for trying to pack the city council with SBTS types in order to change a number of city statutes including one that was keeping them (Seminary) from building a large "student" housing tract on a piece of property that is zoned for single family homes, right next my neighborhood. Luckily, it didn't happen.
That's the good Dr. Mohler.

by Jim S on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 03:22:11 PM EST

Every time you filibuster God kills a kitten (none / 0)

Think about the kittens!

by jcjcjc on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 03:54:03 PM EST

Re: Every time you filibuster God kills a kitten (none / 0)

LOL. Ok ... I'm dying to know where that came from. I was just reading your post about cosmic pinballs in the "Under God" thread and came over and found this. Are you out partying and posting in the sun somewhere?

Must be nice!

by Curt Matlock on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 04:16:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wow! Never saw that one before? (none / 0)

It's from an old image that made the rounds on the internet a couple years ago.

http://www.mlcsmith.com/humor/assets/god_kills_kittens.jpg

The original version goes: "Every time you masturbate, God kills a kitten. Please, think of the kittens."

by jcjcjc on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 05:07:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

If you won't do it for yourself ... (none / 0)

Ok... I'd seen that one before. Didn't catch the allusion. I thought it was funny the first time I saw it and I still crack up over that kitten flying through the air.

But this is no time for jokes! The future of our Democracy is at stake!

Exclamation points aside, it really is.

by Curt Matlock on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 05:20:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

After the apocalypse (none / 0)

People will need a sense of humor.

Trust me. It's OK. It's good. It's constructive.

If not for laughter, what makes us better than them?

by jcjcjc on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 11:50:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

What makes us better (none / 0)

Our superior ability to enjoy the comedic stylings of Jon Stewart?

by Curt Matlock on Sat Apr 16, 2005 at 11:15:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Good example. (none / 0)

Plus, we have Carlin. There's got to be something to be said for that!

by jcjcjc on Sat Apr 16, 2005 at 01:32:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Every time you filibuster God kills a kitten (none / 0)

Dr. Bill Frist unavailable for comment.

by wayward on Sat Apr 16, 2005 at 06:59:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Since the Reeps are (none / 0)

doing all the heavy lifting in terms of painting the Supreme Clown Posse as a bunch of irresponsible, biased activists, maybe we should just keep pointing out that:

David Hackett Souter was nominated by George HW Bush (R).
Clarence Thomas was nominated by George HW Bush (R).
William H. Rehnquist was nominated by Ronald Reagan (R).
Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated by Ronald Reagan (R).
Antonin Scalia was nominated by Ronald Reagan (R).
Anthony M. Kennedy was nominated by Ronald Reagan (R).
John Paul Stevens was nominated by Gerald Ford (R).

Since 7 of the 9 "liberal activists" who are destroying the moral fabric of America were handpicked by Reep Presidents, maybe the solution is to stop letting Reeps choose justices altogether . . .

Yeah, I'm cynical.

by catastrophile on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 05:21:08 PM EST

D'oh! (none / 0)

This isn't the open thread . . . Oh well, it's sort of filibuster-related . . .

Yeah, I'm cynical.

by catastrophile on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 05:29:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Since the Reeps are (none / 0)

Five Republican appointees were in the majority in deciding Roe v. Wade. They were Blackmun (Nixon), Powell (Nixon), Brennan (Eisenhower), Stewart (Eisenhower) and Berger (Nixon).

Five Republican appointees, were in the majority in upholding Roe v. Wade in 1992. They were Souter, O'Connor, Kennedy, Stevens, and Blackmun. It is worth noting that the only Democratic appointee on the court in 1992, Byron White (Kennedy), was in the minority both times.

Republican have had unbroken control of the Supreme Court since at least the Nixon Administration. Carter didn't make a single appointment and Clinton only made two.

by wayward on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 06:55:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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