How Significant is Hagee's McCain Endorsement?
Mark Stricherz says not very.
Bill Donohue and Stephen Colbert disagree.
More from Donohue here.
And Deal Hudson notes a rather weak McCain repudiation of anti-Catholicism in general, without a specific condemnation of Hagee's references to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore" and a "false cult system" and "the apostate church". Check out McCain's weasel words:
"... I repudiate any comments that are made, including Pastor Hagee's, if they are anti-Catholic or offensive to Catholics," McCain said.If?
There's much more there to hang John McCain on than there ever was back in 2000 with respect to George W. Bush and Bob Jones U. And all McCain can manage is "if"?
As I've written before, I've always thought the heat Bush took back in 2000 over Bob Jones U. was bogus. Similarly, I'm inclined to agree with Stricherz on the overall unimportance of the Hagee matter. I mean, who is this Hagee cat? I'm originally from Texas (where Hagee operates), and I was an evangelical up until 4 years ago, and I've never even heard of him before now. I'm not sure why he's considered to be such an important figure, or why the last 2 GOP candidates standing were falling all over themselves for his endorsement. I doubt more than a few thousand people in America actually give a rat's ass what Pastor John Hagee has to say.
Once again, however, this has become an issue primarily because the hypocrite McCain was the one who made it an issue against Bush back in 2000. So, I'm quite content to sit back and watch while McCain gets his comeuppance.
UPDATE (10 March 2008)
Hudson explains why he disagrees with Stricherz' take on the importance of the McCain-Hagee two-step.
Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Deal Hudson: "McCain Campaign Learns Its Lesson About Catholics"
Labels: "Religious Right", Anti-Catholicism, Elections, Humor, Hypocrites, McCain, The Catholic Vote
posted by Pro Ecclesia 10:02 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
It's "rum, romanism and rebellion" nonsense all over again. The GOP always finds a way to stumble over its WASP mindset time after time.
It'll be a cold vote in hell before any republican gets my vote for president. McCain's tepid distancing himself from Hagee's bigotry speaks volumes about the whole McCain crowd from him on down. This was a guy who stood up to the likes of Pat Robertson, Bob Jones and Jerry Falwell; but he sure had a blindspot when it came to one of the worst of the worst bigots who still calls Catholicism the "whore of Babylon."
Who's whoring whom this time, Senator Straight Talkin'?
Once again, however, this has become an issue primarily because the hypocrite McCain was the one who made it an issue against Bush back in 2000.
Yup. If this were anybody else it would be a minor thing, but because it's Senator Sanctimony it blows up in his face.
Good to see Colbert giving the Catholic League a forum on his show. This is the third appearence for Donohue on the Report, I think the two are friends.
TOm Delay ahs been associated with Hagee. Bush has been Associated with Hagee. I bet even Alan Keyes has spoken in front of his groups. I am curious why there is not outrage there.
As I keep saying it would be helpful for the Catholic League to perhaps publish some guidelines on who we can associate with in political matters. Both as to politicians and us lay folks. The rules do not seem clear to me.
James,
I can't speak for why some reacted the way they did regarding Huckabee (although his being an evangelical minister himself might have had something to do with it).
But where McCain is concerned, the reaction, I believe, stems 100% from his own hypocrisy on the matter. He, himself, set the bar high when he attacked Bush for his Bob Jones U. appearance. For McCain to now seem tonedeaf on the issue is galling to more than just a few.
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