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The Spectacle Blog
With Texas Governor Rick Perry’s widely expected entrance into the GOP presidential race today, so-called progressives are freaking out over his faith. Specifically, the objections revolve around his prayer rally a week ago at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
Exhibit A: Carl Medearis writes in the Huffington Post:
But here’s my suggestion for the next politician that feels the need to call the nation to prayer, and wants to do so in a way that honors Jesus. Why not make the event open to people of all faiths and political persuasions? And rather than focusing on a narrow set of political concerns, why not make the focus of prayer something that Jesus actually talked about, like removing the planks from our eyes before we judge others… and loving our neighbor as ourselves?
This is completely disingenuous on the part of Medearis. The rally was open to all. Indeed, the title of the article is “Why I Didn’t Attend Rick Perry’s Prayer Rally.” This clearly suggests that Medearis could have attended the event if he so wanted. But since he didn’t attend how can he say the rally was focused “on a narrow set of political concerns” if he wasn’t present to hear the message?
Exhibit B: In a piece titled, “Rick Perry and the scandal of prayer,” Paula Kirby of the Washington Post begins her piece by writing, “Rick Perry embodies the tragedy and the scandal of the modern United States.” It gets better:
And as I see it, no person who dares to think of himself as educated or civilized - let alone as worthy to be the potential leader of the developed world - has any business surrendering himself to a fictional fairy godfather.
So by that reasoning I gather that Kirby also believes that Abraham Lincoln invoked “a fictional fairy godfather” a dozen times in his Second Inaugural Address?
But Kirby didn’t go over the top until she wrote this paragraph:
This is what Rick Perry is proposing as the solution to America’s problems: that we turn our backs on the very reasoning processes which, in reality, offer our only hope and which are the very source of human dignity; that we reject them, spurn them, cast them aside as though they were shameful and unclean. It is the equivalent of proposing that we put out an inferno by discarding our fire extinguishers; that we save the occupants of a stricken ship by sinking the lifeboats; and that before ejecting from a stalled aircraft, we should first carefully ensure that we cut the cords on our parachutes.
Now I don’t know if I’ll end up supporting Perry for the nomination. But these hysterical reactions to him and his faith certainly help his cause with me and I suspect that I am not alone in my thinking. When so-called progressives accuse Perry of not being inclusive, surrendering to a fictional fairy godfather, and abandoning reason itself it suggests they are afraid of him. Very, very afraid. They are filled with fear of the prospect that Perry could beat President Obama.
View all comments (26) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/08/13/progressives-pray-for-a-plague
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wodiej| 8.13.11 @ 1:22PM
Not many are afraid of Perry running or winning. Please...he's a Class A RINO. Is a spendthrift governor. Most of the so called jobs he created are low level. And he supports illegals.
A. Doer| 8.13.11 @ 3:20PM
He may be a rino but he's off to a brilliant start. Timing the announcement to walk all over the Iowa straw poll publicity is a good move.
Even better is announcing at the Red State gathering. Perry is the sort of mushy candidate Erickson would normally oppose, and you don't want Erick Erickson inciting all of his followers against you. But Erickson makes his money off of publicity so by announcing at Red State, Perry buys Erickson's support. Nice move.
Speaking as a liberal, I'd much rather see Obama running against Bachmann or Santorum or Palin or someone else who will alienate the moderates and independents. Perry has a long track record of being moderate on a lot of issues. The tea partiers will hope Perry is really one of them now, and the independents will hope he's just throwing red meat to the tea partiers to fool them into thinking he's one of them now. It could work.
LC Jack | 8.14.11 @ 1:10AM
Ya Know, I've about HAD IT, with people poo-pooing the job market in Texas. I know for a personal fact that good paying jobs are out there. So what if a lot of those jobs are low-level. From what y'all are saying a 'low-level' or low-paying job is equivalent to no job. Is that what you really really mean? (1) unemployed person = 1 employed person (but at some rate you consider 'low'). Businesses are moving to Texas at a huge rate, this over time will result in better jobs as employees gain skills with the new employers here. To sniff at low-level jobs sounds like something a progressive would say, right?
Timothy L. Pennell| 8.14.11 @ 7:06AM
Oh yeah? Obama created or saved, 50,000 new jobs at MacDonalds, after he gave them a WAIVER, for his great Health Care Plan, that will LOWER COSTS for Insurance.
And, these are GOOD JOBS. Not the Hamburger Flipping jobs, that the Republican Administrations are always coming up with.
Wayne | 8.13.11 @ 1:23PM
The liberals are at heart atheists. They look for any opportunity to attack Christianity, as they hope to replace it with blind belief in government.
John Galt| 8.14.11 @ 6:17PM
This is just a stupid comment. I'm an atheist and proud of it. I'm also a Libertarian a an advocate of small constitutional government.
You with a religious mind set can't get past authoritarianism. Either the authoritarianism of a god or of a government. Wake up, grow up.
Zbigniew Mazurak| 8.13.11 @ 1:39PM
Those screeds are examples of why I don't read the HuffPo nor the Washington Compost.
simon templar| 8.13.11 @ 2:24PM
Aaron, I suggest you stop giving a shit what progressives, liberals, and washington elites think about anything or anybody. Stop allowing them to write the narrative and start writing your own narratives. You want to write and article about Perry? Than do some research on the guy, find out exactly what he has been doing the last ten years, what has he accomplished, why he became a republican, and how has he handle the illegals in his state. Then, share that with the rest of us.
A. Doer| 8.13.11 @ 3:34PM
The way to make a case for a rino is not to look at what he's been doing for the last ten years. Duh. The way you get a rino elected is to convince the hard-core right that he must be a good candidate because the liberals and progressives are so afraid of him. You want them to support Perry in spite of his track record.
If the rino elite can't have Romney they'll go with Perry.
Occam's Tool| 8.13.11 @ 8:39PM
Atheism is antithetical to the maintenence of a "safety net" society because it is antithetical to the production of children.
Pity Liberals are too stupid to do math.
John Galt| 8.14.11 @ 6:19PM
Who would have thought that AS would be a gold mine of incredibly stupid comments. "Atheism is antithetical to procreation?" Where do you find this stuff?
CAROL| 8.13.11 @ 3:15PM
'The fear of God THAT is Wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding'. As far as Kirby, she would be the first to rally a movement to remove 'In God We Trust' from our currency. Just another lost soul herself who spews only opinion with no authority.
John Galt| 8.14.11 @ 6:20PM
And what authority does your god have?
martin j smith| 8.13.11 @ 3:43PM
Beggars cannot be choosers--that means WE NEED
AS Bob Grant said --sort of- a SERVICEABLE WINNER. NOT A SAINT. I am open minded PROVIDED HE DEFEATS OBAMA AND RUNS AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN ACTIVELY FIGHTING THE LEFT PROPAGANDA WITH MORE CLEVER PROPAGANDA. Then we will see.
Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 8.13.11 @ 6:33PM
The difference between the Right and Left is, the Right doesn't turn our Candidates into living Gods who walk among us, like the left loves to do (IE: FDR, JFK, Clinton, Obama). FDR might've been a bad example to us here, because he really didn't walk among us, but the Left still think of him as some sort of All Knowing God (he wasn't, he was more like a Devil than a God). Maybe instead I should've said, like a God who move among us?
The Right pick humans, flaws and all, but never expect them to be the answer to all our problems. This year is no different, although the results will be more important than ever, so whoever comes out on top in the end, that's who we'll get behind. As long as that Candidate beats Obama, that's all that really matters to the Right, but our Candidate will still just be a man, and not an all powerful, all knowing God, who'll make the Oceans stop rising, and the temperatures begin to drop. We're not little Children, who'll believe anything they're told, we're Adults!!
A. Doer| 8.13.11 @ 7:38PM
The difference between the Right and Left is, the Right doesn't turn our Candidates into living Gods who walk among us, like the left loves to do (IE: FDR, JFK, Clinton, Obama).
You've Reagan got Reagan a Reagan point Reagan there. The Reagan right Reagan never Reagan idolizes Reagan its Reagan candidates. I Reagan wonder Reagan why Reagan that Reagan is?
Occam's Tool| 8.13.11 @ 8:40PM
Ronnie didn't go to TCU. He went to Eureka. The girls are better looking at TCU. THAT's a criticism.
Margie| 8.13.11 @ 11:32PM
As a matter of fact, speaking of zombies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6YdNmK77k
Margie| 8.13.11 @ 9:48PM
So true what Lullabye, etc. said. Great comment there.
A. Doer~ you don't get it. The difference is that Reagan represented what WE believed already.
The Left looks to the government and the elected officials to DO for them.
The Right wants to hire a CEO that will do the will of the people~ whereas the Left wants to be led like zombies BY their "leader."
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.13.11 @ 6:44PM
Aaron,
I love you.
I don't always agree with you...but I love you anyway.
This morning, awaiting Perry's anouncement, I went to youtube and typed in "perry speeches".
Fascinating!
He has had a consistent message for TEN YEARS.
...actually more years, but ag commisioners don't get much youtube time.
A year ago, in Texas, a hugely important medical care/medical insurance bill was in process. I sat down with Governor Perry and explained that the medical providors and the CLEAN medical insurors ...were on the same side.
He had not heard that before.
In my presence, he called Blue Cross...asked them if I was telling the truth.....
They confirmed my statements. "Just give us a level playing field so we can pay the darned claims.
Don't let the scumbag companies off the hook for the same claims."
Governor Perry signed the bill.
I trust the man.
beebop| 8.13.11 @ 9:34PM
Democrats should never talk about faith. They demonstrate that they have confused the words "of" and "from" when it comes to religion. They certainly don't fail to "worship" -- unions, abortions, the poooor -- but they have absolutely no sense of a power higher than them because they think they are smarter than everyone/anyone else.
Solo| 8.14.11 @ 12:56AM
We should stop caring what leftists think about anything.
What have they ever gotten right, anyway?
wj| 8.14.11 @ 9:58AM
Perry signed the first state DREAM Act in 2001
Perry condemned Arizona SB 1070.
Perry tried to have every Texas teenaged girl be required to be injected with Gardisil so they could have safer sex.
This little buffoon is bad news for the party. He is no Reagan.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.14.11 @ 3:09PM
Wj
you are misinformed.
John Galt| 8.14.11 @ 6:13PM
People have a right to be afraid of someone in the position of President who prays for rain. This shows a mind set that is either a. Unhinged from reality or b. Extremely cynical in playing on people's ignorance and fears