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Should Democratic candidates appear on Christian Television?

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cali Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:18 AM
Original message
Poll question: Should Democratic candidates appear on Christian Television?
And as far as I know all Christian television is right wing Christian.

I know this will be taken as a slam at Obama, but it's not. It's about whether or not Democrats should be reaching out to these folks in the first place. If you think it's OK, please make an argument for why you think it's a good thing.
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Cameron27 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:19 AM
Response to Original message
1. No
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TechBear_Seattle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:20 AM
Response to Original message
2. Why should they not?
It would help me to figure out who is too gullable and incompetent to hold public office, after all.
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Deep13 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:20 AM
Response to Original message
3. Yes, there's something very wrong with mixing religion with politics, but...
...that does not change the fact that religion IS mixed with politics and we do want to win.

Religion poisons everything.:(
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saltpoint Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:21 AM
Response to Original message
4. A president has to be CEO for everybody. I recall Mario Cuomo choosing
Edited on Mon Nov-26-07 10:23 AM by Old Crusoe
a gathering of NYC policemen to speak on long-held opposition to capital punishment. This was during a campaign and it came fresh on the heels of a cop-killing in the city.

There's something to be said about politicians who behave like that as opposed to the carefully-screened, pre-invitation dittoheads the BushCo insists on.

We can be appalled by the 700 Club in general terms but I think we need to praise politicians who can speak sure-footedly before hostile or suspicious listeners.
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cali Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:23 AM
Response to Reply #4
7. There's really no need to support the christian right
by appearing on their TV broadcasts- and that's exactly what it does; it supports and further legitimizes their place in politics.
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saltpoint Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:26 AM
Response to Reply #7
8. I disagree. That isn't Obama's intent and that would not be the effect.
IMO it places an extraordinarily erudite mind in front of a pack of howling nutbags and offers the nation a superior model of those nutbags' faith.

In essence, it says, "If you fundie nutbags know more about your faith than I do, I'll listen to your remarks on same. If not, you need to listen to me instead and subsequent to that, you need to make some serious reconsiderations in how you are mangling the New Testament."

Obama's got this one right.
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katandmoon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:28 AM
Response to Reply #4
10. But they don't...they pander.
Obama saying on the 700 club he "trusts" women to make "prayerful" decisions about abortion was code for, "And a woman who makes a prayerful decision will of course decide not to get a safe, legal abortion but give birth and raise her holy child up to be a good Christian just like you folks. We all know it's only sinful unchristian women who don't pray that commit baby murder, and they will commit it no matter what the law says."
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saltpoint Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:30 AM
Response to Reply #10
12. Hi, katandmoon. I disagree. I don't get the pander part. I get the
superior intellect amid the nutbags part.

He's a formidable mind. Few if any of them is a formidable mind, and his version of their faith suddenly supplants their howling lunacy.
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ellacott Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 11:01 AM
Response to Reply #10
21. No it doesn't. Where did you get that from
wow.
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Renew Deal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:23 AM
Response to Original message
5. Of course they should
It's natural. They're all Christians AFAIK.
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Kucinich4America Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:23 AM
Response to Original message
6. Yes, but only if it's a LIVE show.
That way you can throw the religious reich rhetoric right back in their faces, in front of their own audience, and maybe get through to the ones who aren't completely brainwashed.
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IndianaJones Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:27 AM
Response to Original message
9. all candidates should BE Christian. nt.
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TechBear_Seattle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:33 AM
Response to Reply #9
14. God forbid (literally) that we have an atheist, Jewish, Wiccan or Buddhist President?
What part of the Constitution did you miss?

(N)o religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. -- United States Constitution, Article VI, para. 3.
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IndianaJones Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:36 AM
Response to Reply #14
16. white male is also a plus. nt.
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TechBear_Seattle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:54 AM
Response to Reply #16
18. If you had used the sarcasm tag, I would have gotten it sooner
Sorry, there are so many "Christians only" around DU, I had mistaken you for one of them. My mistake. :hi:
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brazos121200 Donating Member (626 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:29 AM
Response to Original message
11. We need to appear everywhere we can. Even if we only
get 10% more of the evangelical vote as a result of these appearances it could be the deciding factor in a close election.
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cali Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:31 AM
Response to Reply #11
13. We will never get those evangelicals who follow Robertson
and ideological kin. There are other evangelicals who we could make alliances with. That's a different story.
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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 12:25 PM
Response to Reply #13
26. They're gettable, Cali.
not all of them, but enough.

Joel Osteen has steered thousands away from the hate-filled brand of Christianity.

Obama's not tilting at windmills, here. He may be pandering a bit, but the approach he's taking - though offensive to you and me and others - is the only way to open these people's ears long enough to sneak something of substance into their little brains. If the audience is left with a positive impression of Obama, then he's made some progress.
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northernsoul Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:44 AM
Response to Reply #11
17. At what price?
Trust me, I'd be thrilled if we could get 10% of these folks support sane public policy. But I don't see any reason to believe that is going to happen and experience seems to show that pandering to them frequently requires compromises that I find untenable.
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Armstead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:36 AM
Response to Original message
15. They should -- But they should not pander when there
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napi21 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 10:59 AM
Response to Original message
19. Yes. Refusing to appear on a Christian network, or FOX news, is
no different than Shrub refusing to meet with the Black Caucus, or the Pub candidates refusing to appear on Tavis Smiley's show. I agree, they should not try to be something they're not, but to appear and be honest is the right thing to do. Just MAYBE some of the finatics will see that all Dems are NOT the devil coming to get them!
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mtnsnake Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 11:01 AM
Response to Original message
20. No, because that's the signature of a Republican, not Democrats
Anyone politician who has to ram religion down everyone's throats is either insincere or has a closet loaded with skeletons. Keep religion private and out of politics completely.
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Colobo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 11:02 AM
Response to Original message
22. Of course. They should try to promote progressive ideas in every forum possible.
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ecstatic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 11:06 AM
Response to Original message
23. It diffuses the notion that only repugs are religious
I don't see a problem. Only an intolerant person would IMO.
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Shrek Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 11:36 AM
Response to Original message
24. I think it's a terrific idea
Sets an inclusive tone and allows a candidate to "walk the walk" and back up all the campaign rhetoric about healing the divisions in this country.
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H2O Man Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 11:52 AM
Response to Original message
25. Sure.
I see no need to "make an argument."
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killbotfactory Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Nov-26-07 01:07 PM
Response to Original message
27. No. Of course not.
Imagine if we confront their audience and get some of them to think about our issues. Terrible. It can only end in disaster.
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