If the Republicans want to go after Wright then they better be prepared for what we have on them.

[Bjorn Against]

While people are freaking out over a few quotes from the pastor of one of our candidates and are worrying about how the Republicans will use those quotes against us, I would like to remind everyone of something. If the Republicans think that a pastor of one of our candidates is fair game, well then I think it is only fair that their religious leaders get put under the microscope as well. If you think Wright is bad, well it is nothing compared to what the Republicans have. Wright was the pastor of one of our candidates, the men I am about to quote have been major figures in Republican politics for years. These men will not just taint one candidate they will taint the entire party, so I say if the Republicans want to go after Wright they can bring it on. Here is a just a small sampling of quotes I have found from their religious leaders in just a few short minutes with Google.

One of the more well known figures in Republican politics is Pat Robertson, here are just a few of the lovely things Robertson has had to say over the years:

"You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense. I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist. I can love the people who hold false opinions but I don't have to be nice to them."--Pat Robertson, The 700 Club, January 14, 1991

"Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history."--Pat Robertson, 1993 interview with Molly Ivins

(talking about apartheid South Africa) "I think 'one man, one vote,' just unrestricted democracy, would not be wise. There needs to be some kind of protection for the minority which the white people represent now, a minority, and they need and have a right to demand a protection of their rights."--Pat Robertson, "The 700 Club," 3/18/92

"The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians." -- Pat Robertson, fundraising letter, 1992

(talking about Planned Parenthood) "It is teaching kids to fornicate, teaching people to have adultery, every kind of bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism-everything that the Bible condemns."--Pat Robertson, "The 700 Club," 4/9/91

"Many of those people involved with Adolph Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals--the two things seem to go together."--Pat Robertson, "The 700 Club," 1/21/93

Now if that did not make you sick enough, we can look at another one of the religious right's most well known figures. Here is some advice from James Dobson on how to raise a child:

Pain is a marvelous purifier. . . It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely." -James Dobson

"The boy's father has to do his part. He needs to mirror and affirm his son's maleness. He can play rough-and-tumble games with his son, in ways that are decidedly different from the games he would play with a little girl. He can help his son learn to throw and catch a ball. He can teach him to pound a square wooden peg into a square hole in a pegboard. He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only bigger."

What do you think the American public will think about the Republicans having a man who encourages fathers to beat their children and then bring those children into the shower to show them their penis? Somehow I don't think Dobson would go down too well in middle America if people really knew the type of person he was.

And then there is John Hagee, the man who recently endorsed John McCain. There has been a lot said about Hagee in the last couple weeks so I will just point out one of his many repulsive quotes. This is what he had to say about New Orleans:

"All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that."

So according to the man John McCain was "honored" to have the endorsement from New Orleans deserved to be hit by Katrina because they were sinful. I am sure the millions of Americans who donated money and volunteered in the relief effort will be very interested to know that John McCain is campaigning with such a person.

Now of course this is just a small minuscule sampling of quotes from the religious right, I will allow people to post some more quotes below if they feel the desire to. The bottom line is if the Republicans want to go after the church of one of our candidates, then their churches become fair game and I sure hope that the Democrats are willing to stand up and fight back. If the Republicans want to play dirty, we have more quotes from their religious leaders than they could ever dig out of Pastor Wright's sermons. If the Republicans think they are going to take down Obama with Wright they have another thing coming.

[Nitrogenica]

1. Thank You,...... great post.

[lligrd]

2. No Kidding And Exactly Why They Won't Touch It

(aside from Insanity and Rush). The Obama can't win because of Wright is just another shell game being played by the Hillary clan.

[MojoMojoMojo]

3. "God Damn America" trumps all game is over

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. The GOP is terrified of running against Obama.

They know they can only win if they run against Hillary C.

[katandmoon]

5. How can you be so utterly unaware of the MSM double standard?

These right-wing religious assholes have been around for years. They've had the Repugs jumping to do their bidding for years. The press tiptoes uneasily around them, taking a very tentative poke at them on very rare occasions, but overall terrified to offend their so easily offended and extremely vocal PR machines, lest a advertising bucks-reducing boycott be called and piss off their corporate owners. If the press won't expose them for what they are -- and they won't -- they are useless as anti-Repub ammunition.

[Bjorn Against]

6. I am very aware of the corporate media...

And I refuse to call them the MSM because there is nothing "mainstream" about them. Yes, they have tried to ignore the religious right for years. We can't expect them to take on the religious right on their own, because they won't. If we scream loudly enough though they will be stuck without a choice. Their ratings and credibility have already been steadily eroding, the more people see that they are pushing the GOP attacks and ignoring the other side the more that credibility disintegrates and the more influence they lose. If they don't want to cover it we need to make them cover it.