Tucker Carlson: Obama's faith is "suddenly conspicuous"
On the February 19 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, host Tucker Carlson claimed that Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) faith has become "suddenly conspicuous" -- suggesting that Obama has only recently begun addressing his religious background as part of "a very calculated plan on the part of the Democratic Party to win" religious voters in the 2008 presidential race. Later in the program, Jim Wallis, president and executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, stated that he has known Obama for 10 years, saying that Obama is "not new to" speaking publicly about his faith and has "been doing it for a long time." Carlson did not challenge Wallis' statement.
As Media Matters for America noted, on the February 7 edition of Tucker, Carlson criticized Obama for belonging to a church Carlson claimed "sounds separatist to me" and "contradicts the basic tenets of Christianity," a subject Carlson said he was "actually qualified to discuss."
Obama has been speaking and writing about his faith for years. On Page 294 of his memoir Dreams From My Father (Crown, July 1995), Obama wrote:
And in that single note -- hope! -- I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories -- of survival, and freedom, and hope -- became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shamed about, memories more accessible than those of ancient Egypt, memories that all people might study and cherish -- and with which we could start to rebuild. And if part of me continued to feel that this Sunday communion sometimes simplified our condition, that it could sometimes disguise or suppress the very real conflicts among us and would fulfill its promise only through action, I also felt for the first time how that spirit carried within it, nascent, incomplete, the possibility of moving beyond our narrow dreams.
The Associated Press reported on December 19, 2004, after Obama had won election to the U.S. Senate: "On the campaign trail, it wasn't unusual for Obama to mention his own faith or his work with churches as a community organizer. But he maintained the race was not about religion, saying: 'I'm not running to be minister of Illinois. I'm running to be its U.S. senator.' " Later, in his June 28, 2006, keynote address at Call to Renewal's Building a Covenant for a New America conference, Obama said that his "minister of Illinois" comment "did not adequately address the role my faith has in guiding my own values and my own beliefs."
From the February 19 edition of MSNBC's Tucker:
CARLSON: Welcome to the show, and Happy Presidents Day. Speaking of presidents, over the next hour, we'll bring you the latest on the candidates, including [Sen.] John McCain's [R-AZ] new fervor on abortion, Barack Obama's suddenly conspicuous faith, the possibility of a [former House Speaker Newt] Gingrich [R-GA] presidency, and [Sen.] Hillary Clinton's [D-NY] latest position on the war.
[...]
CARLSON: Here's a word association game: Which party comes to mind, Republican or Democrat, when you think about the intersection of religion and politics? Well, the Democrats are keenly aware of your likely answer. Hillary Clinton has hired an adviser whose sole job is outreach to religious voters. Barack Obama, meanwhile, speaks often and at length about the importance of his faith. Can Democrats reclaim religion as a winning political issue?
Joining us now for answers, a charter member of the religious left, the founder of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, the author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. We are honored to have Jim Wallis. Thanks a lot, Jim.
WALLIS: Hi, Tucker.
CARLSON: I want to put up a quote on the screen -- this is from Barack Obama -- that really struck me. This is from last June, during a political speech he gave, and he said, quote, "Kneeling beneath the cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to his will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth." Now, coming in the context of a political speech, the implication is that God is on Barack Obama's side. That's the implication you often hear -- sometimes hear among religious conservatives, and they are attacked for it. Does this make you uncomfortable?
WALLIS: Well, it was a speech at our conference, so I introduced him for that speech.
CARLSON: Yeah.
WALLIS: It was to church leaders and faith-based activists, and it was, I think, Tucker, it was the most intelligent speech on faith and politics since the Houston speech -- since Kennedy, a long time ago, gave a speech on the same topic. I think it was how faith can be engaged with respecting pluralism, democracy, and diversity. It was a great speech.
CARLSON: But it's also part of a -- as you're well aware, you wrote a book on it -- part of a political strategy devised by very smart people who looked at the numbers and noticed that religious voters tended to vote Republican and if you want a national party, you've got to win some of them over -- and this is a very calculated plan on the part of the Democratic Party to win those voters.
WALLIS: Well, I've known Barack for 10 years.
CARLSON: Yes.
WALLIS: So, back when he was a lowly state senator, he and I talked about faith and politics.
CARLSON: Right.
WALLIS: He was progressive in his faith and politics, like I was, and we thought that to have faith at issues forth and talk about economic justice and poverty was more logical than the religious right. So, he's not new to this. He's been doing it for a long time. He's very active in his South Side black church. So this is, for him, very common. He's talked more comfortably about faith and policy than any Democrat has in a long time.
And suddenly Tucker is still an idiot.
I wish he would actually have the integrity he claims to have. He claims that he is independent, a libertarian, and not a republican, yet all he does is attack the democratic party while defending, for the most part, and supporting republicans.
"very calculated plan"
Once again, the Democrats are calculating. The Republicans - in terms of issue of so-called 'faith' - well... they're naturals! Front row, center in God's eye. No calculation/manipulation on their part, right? Again, disgusting.
"my daddy always said..."
If you have to tell someone you are a christian, you probably aren't. Rest assured though some righty with his knickers in a twist will be here soon enough saying "well, Obama be sayin da same ting!" without realizing that Obama is RESPONDING to a claim while rethuglicans just go around saying "Hi, I'm joe so and so, and I'm a christian..."
That's because they think saying you're a Christian, which requires no actual work or commitment, confers automatic moral authority. Hypocrites, the lot of them.
Allow me to quote one of my favorite fictitious characters, our own, Col. Roy Campbell, taken from his sermon on why the six million victims of the Holocaust are burning in hell as we speak.
"uhhh duh, not because they were bad people but because you need Jesus to go to heaven. If you ask anyone who believes that you HAVE to accept Jesus to go to heaven they will tell you that anyone who doesn't believe this is going to hell. The problem with you liberals is that you base it all on good deeds and if the people were victims or not when us Christians believe that God doesn't see it that way and doesn't care about anything other than accepting Jesus Christ and repenting of your sins. "
Pretty much sums it all up for me.
In my parents' chosen faith lifestyle it's even simpler. I got certified for heaven when I was baptized. Pretty awesome. I think I'll go about telling non-Presbyterians that they're going to burn in hell.
I love that. Nothing like peering into the maw of religious 'logic'. Also, never hurts to throw in a 'what you liberals don't get..." for good measure. Um, did anyone ever figure out what he's colonel of?? Perhaps, his own brigade of zealots? Prob has a uniform all made up. Good stuff.
He's the most badass kind of colonel there is, the imaginary kind.
Here is some info:
[link to en.wikipedia.org]
Rusty...
Your feelings have been forwarded to the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.
Ohhhhhh....kay.....
Not the WORLD council of churches!!
I hope they don't poke me with the soft cushions or make me sit in the comfy chair.
Cardinal Fang! Fetch...THE COMFY CHAIR!
Not... the comfy chair!
OK, this thread's geek quotient has gone up by 50%, but it feels so right.
There’s no excuse for MediaMatters.com to display a picture of our nation’s Capitol, while that boorish, media-whore’s vacuous visage obscures it.
You're right...
Whenever Media Matters shows Carlson, the backdrop should be a sewage processing facility. With Carlson out for his daily swim.
"suddenly", Tucker?
It's sudden to YOU, because YOU didn't know, hadn't been paying attention, had your head up your ... uh, in the sand?
And based on YOUR OWN ignorance, your knee suddenly jerks and you conclude that this is a "very calculated plan" by the Democrats?
Unbelievable. How do these ignorami find themselves on camera, "pundits" without a clue?
What religion is Mother Tucker? Whatever it is, it is not represented well by this person.Also, awfully judgemental for being a Libertarian.(Aren't Libertarians just Republicans who like porn?)
. . .Like porn and smoke pot.
"Barack Obama's suddenly conspicuous faith,"
A few months ago how many people knew who the hell Barak Obama was... let alone how religious he is? Perhaps it is Barak Obama who is "suddenly conspicuous"... not just his faith.
Allow me to also note that this would not be the first time Tucker Carlson would be found without clue.
Seriously, I have to admit that in the past few weeks it has become "suddenly conspicuous" to me that Obama is married to a black woman... and that he's taller than I previously thought. Hmmm...What else has this guy been hiding during all that time most America hadn't even heard of him? Makes me suspicious... ;>)
Yeah...and apparently, he's clean....but I wouldn't know because I don't see people in terms of cleanliness...I just see color...(ok...I ripped off Colbert a little- so sue me!)...
Tucker (the little bowtied bast*rd) has come a long way since his show started. He's gotten rid of the bowtie, and is getting a bit more up to date. He now wears a 1964 Beatles suit and haircut.
Unfortuneately, he couldn't find intelligence with a magnet if it was in a coffee can. (I'm not sure what that means, my Grandpa used to say it a lot).
Your Grandpa was right.
It is good to see this man from Sojourners at least given a chance to speak on a corporate cable TV program.
Religious perspectives on the cable shows are usually limited to right-wing gasbags like Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson, Bill Bennett, etc.
It's rare that someone from the religious left is even given a chance to speak, much less finish a sentence without being shouted down.
It's just too bad he has to speak to an abject moron like Carlson.
For the umpteenth time, MediaMatters should please stop posting articles about Tucker Carlson's idiotic ramblings because nobody watches his show...he gets more publicity from MediaMatters than from MSNBC fer Pete's sakes!!!
I understand that, as a non-religious person, nobody whose beliefs are on the same page as mine is going to be elected to higher office in this country. I don't have any problem voting for people who believe in God, just as long as they can demonstrate an ability to put their job first.
Why can't conservatives get it that, as far as religion , they're in a 85-95% majority (depending on which survey you believe) and somebody whose faith is just as strong as theirs can SHUT THE F UP about it for a minute?
In order for someone to make something "suddenly conspicuous," one must by definition keep that thing on a low profile before making it conspicuous. Carlson must prove that Obama has been hiding his religious beliefs, and prove that talking about them hurts his campaign, PLUS prove that Obama also believes that talking about his religious beliefs hurts his campaign. All of it unsupported. Carlson just assumes all of it is true.
It goes along with the smear of the "calculating" politician which only Democrats are ever tagged with and Republicans never are.
If anyone on any show or in the Media would say that "it is suddenly conspicuous that Sen. McCain hid out in the Hanoi Hilton to stay out the rest of the war in Viet Nam" or "Sen.McCain's capture was a very calculated plan on his part to win votes in a future run for office" , do you think it would upset anyone, sound stupid or just promote ignorance?
Carls' Son, the pay-for-play radio systems are looking for someone to fill-in the 4:00am slot on Tuesday morning...Please get a job there. DIAL Station # 2774653 ...figure it out for yourselves.
OBAMA said: "Kneeling beneath the cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to his will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth."
Tucker said: "Now, coming in the context of a political speech, the implication is that God is on Barack Obama's side. That's the implication you often hear -- sometimes hear among religious conservatives, and they are attacked for it."
For one thing, I've never heard Obama say, or imply, that God told him to run for any political office, an unfortunately common phrase that one hears entirely too often, more likely from local candidates, though, than national ones. I believe a similar utterance was once attributed to George W. Bush... although there is still debate about the either the veracity of the attribution or the meaning and intent of what he said.
My aversion for mixing politics and religion is well-documented in my comments here so all I'll say, in conclusion, is that although I, like many others, do not share the (presumably) sincere faith that Obama expresses for the Almighty, I respect his religious views, at least so far, because I have not detected that any part of his political agenda includes a desire to impose his faith on the customs, laws and institutions of the good old USA.
"and this is a very calculated plan on the part of the Democratic Party to win those voters"
Wow, a political party calculating to win votes!! When did this start? I'm not familiar with this Carlson person, but is it common for him to say really really stupid utterances like this?
Obama's religious beliefs are not suddenly out there. According to Obama's Senate biography at [link to obama.senate.gov] :"Obama is especially proud of being a husband and father of two daughters, Malia, 8 and Sasha, 5. Obama and his wife, Michelle, married in 1992 and live on Chicago ’s South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ."
Here is the link to the church: http://www.tucc.org/about.htm">[link to www.tucc.org]
A questioning of the veracity of his publicly professed religious beliefs, is this particular political candidate's burden to bear, if he wishes to make that faith any part of his campaign for political office.
And don't even go there, and say he isn't making his religious faith public... why insult the intelligence, which sees the obvious.
This is what makes any public use of religious faith (sincere of course) so worthless in political campaigns...
...public professions of religious faith, whether by a political candidate or anyone else, have two undeniably true things we may say about them:
1. They are easy to fake.
2. They are impossible to prove.
Is this particular candidate sincere in his public pronouncements of religious faith? Of course he is... or of course I will assume he is, having no other way to know.
But will others make as generous an assumption as I do? Of course they will not... of course others will question his sincerity.
If this particular candidate, in this particular political campaign, should continue on what appears a course of making his faith a part of his candidacy, then the ratio of questions and doubt that will be leveled at him, for each of his public pronouncements of religious faith, will be ten to one...
...no, make that a hundred to one, or a thousand to one.
We're talking about a presidential campaign aren't we?
There are those of us quick to make a point, of the first thing I noted above: That public professions of religious faith are easy to fake, whether it's politicians or not we are considering...
And I now this man is sincere in his faith.
But that doesn't matter not in the least, as he will find out... because the second thing also I noted is just as true as the first: That the sincerity of one's public professions of religious faith are impossible to prove.
...which is why this particular candidate would do better to not make faith any part of his political campaign.
...which is why public professions of religious faith are the most worthless things in these campaigns: Because of both the things I noted.
To me, this is just another reason why politics and religion should stay the hell away from each other.
And people need to stop thinking that The Right is on "God's side". Jesus Christ would have any conservative for lunch. If he ever comes back, they're the ones who need to be worried. I don't even think any of the people on The Right are truly religious. I think they just use religion to get people to vote for them.