The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Dobson's Relevance

11.13.07 @ 12:01AM

RADIO SHOW
Re: The Prowler's Huckabee's Salvation:

So the "Prowler" thinks Dr. Dobson is "irrelevant" to the 2008 presidential race?

I daresay Dr. Dobson is far more relevant by any important measure than The American Spectator; his influence is probably an order of magnitude greater than the Spectator's.
-- Brett Blatchley
Jacksonville, North Carolina

I think that the pundits overestimate the effect that religious leaders like James Dobson and Pat Robertson have on conservative religious voters. There seems to be this consensus that religious right voters will only vote for anti-abortion and anti gay marriage candidates.

Being one of those voters, a so-called religious right voter, I prefer politicians that are anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage, but that does not mean that these two social issues are the determinant factor in who I would actually vote for. I talk with friends that hold the same religious and political beliefs as I do. They too, are not voting lock step with the James Dobsons. The most important issues for the vast majority of so-called religious right voters are the war on terror, the security of our borders and up holding the immigration laws already on our books, government spending and taxing less, and less intrusive government. Candidates that can stand strong and deliver on these issues will get the major portion of the so-called religious right vote. The most important thing in the 2008 election is that republicans win in the congress and the presidency. If the Democrats take over the presidency and the Congress this country is doomed.
-- Lee Schafer
New Caney Texas

I am a faithful listener to the Focus On The Family radio broadcast. I found out about this misleading article when listening this morning. I was glad to have the story clarified. I noticed that you posted an update from the Focus people but this could have been avoided if you had contacted them before the story was printed. Please contact the people at Focus before writing such an article in the future.

Thank you,
-- Craig Donham
Rowlett, Texas

I have to admit that after reading this piece I am confused. According to the Prowler, James Dobson has "largely been made irrelevant to the 2008 Republican presidential race." But shortly after making this pronouncement, the author frets that Dobson could "create a domino effect" amongst "his many supporters" thereby presumably exerting significant pressure on other social conservatives to endorse his personal choice for the upcoming Republican primary. Several unnamed sources were cited to bolster this argument. So, which is it? If he is truly irrelevant, then why does anyone care what Dr. Dobson thinks? Conversely, if he wields enough power to coerce other social conservatives to favor the candidate of his choosing, how can his alleged endorsement be insignificant?

Also, until The Prowler produces a credible named source that can back up this claim, I will treat it as I would any other piece of tabloid journalism. While James Dobson is not shy about speaking out on social issues that affect the family and the culture, he rarely endorses political candidates. On the one occasion I know of that he did (George Bush in 2004), he did so by making it clear he was speaking as a private citizen, not as the official spokesman for Focus on the Family or any other conservative group. The fact that he responded so quickly to renounce this report as untrue makes me think that someone jumped the gun here. Why didn't someone from the TAS contact James Dobson directly about this instead of trusting anonymous sources? If he then refused to discuss the matter with your publication, you could honestly report that he had declined your invitation to clarify the situation and we could make up our own minds about the veracity of this story. This kind of news reporting is what one might expect from the New York Times, not your usually trustworthy magazine.
-- Rick Arand
Lee's Summit, Missouri

I heard about "The Prowler's" post on the "Focus on the Family" broadcast today. I am concerned that a publication such as yours would publish what appears to be unsubstantiated rumors such as this.

Dr. Dobson has NEVER endorsed a candidate during the primary season and has actually only rarely endorsed candidates. He is generally VERY careful not to mention voting for a particular candidate by NAME, because the rules about non-profit organizations do not allow that. In fact, the IRS recently completed an investigation of Focus on the Family and found that they had never broken the law regarding this. Having an announced candidate appear on the radio program would violate such rules. The Prowler should KNOW that. (As a concerned citizen, I know that.)

I suspect that "the Prowler's" source was not in a position to know all of the details and perhaps confused with endorsement by another prominent leader -- such as Dr. Wildmon -- with endorsement by Dr. Dobson.

Please be careful in the future about reporting items such as this. This is an important time in our country and it is important that we elect a conservative leader to the Presidency. Inaccurate reporting -- such as this -- makes the conservative cause appear foolish.

Thanks for taking the time to read my comments,
-- Brant Lippincott

Just wanted to write in and thank the Prowler for some welcome comic relief in the "Huckabee's Salvation" article. I didn't know the Prowler could be so funny! Dobson being "irrelevant" to the 2008 Presidential campaign, then his endorsement being worth millions!! LOL!! The thought of Dobson wrecking his non-profit status by using Focus on the Family for a campaign!! Wow! What a punch line!! Then the "It'll help us [Huckabee] get to the Thompson-McCain level if not higher"! THANK YOU for the comic relief!!!!!

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Trade, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Mainstream Media, Business, Satire, Religion, Islam, Abortion, Environment, Books, Movies, Law, Supreme Court, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Israel, Pakistan, NATO, Africa, Immigration, Energy, Oil, Unions