US Presidential Election ... [All recent threads merged here]

[Bob George]

Popular Vote
Obama 53% - 69.5 million
McCain 46% - 60 million

Electoral College

[Bob George]

Presidential candidates and their crazy church folk

Barack Obama has been a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ since 1988. The long-time pastor of this church, Jeremiah Wright, retired last month. Wright was the inspiration behind the title of Obama's book "Audacity of Hope". Wright has said some very controversial things recently about Obama's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton. He said she doesn't deserve to be president because she's never been called a "n*****". He has also been an advocate of the Black Value System. Something that has been viewed by some as being black supremacist and separatist. The Trinity United Church of Christ awarded Louis Farrakahn a lifetime achievement award. Farrakahn infamous for his racist, homophobic and antisemitic comments. In 2007, Farrakahn endorsed Obama. Obama has denounced Farrkahn's endorsement and admitted that he doesn't see eye-to-eye with Wright of some issues.

Recently, news has come out about John McCain's spiritual advisor John Hagee. Hagee has also made some controversial statements that have been homophobic and anti-Islam. More to come on Hagee and if McCain will denounce his endorsement.

What do you make of these connections to religious nuts? And will Obama's connection to Wright and Farrakahn or McCain's connection with Hagee affect their public support at all?

[MJJC Moderator]

McCain's Pastor, Rod Parsley is a vicious homosexual hating, Muslim hating person. McCain calls him his spiritual adviser. This pastors church also lost a child abuse case a few years ago. Should Fox News and other media hold McCain to the same scrutiny that they are holding Obama to?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tViqufbk7I8

Pastor Rod Parsley is John McCain's spiritual advisor

Church found liable for Child Abuse:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3368


States all muslims are evil and a holy war should be waged against them:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3548250.ece

" The leader of a 12,000-member megachurch, Mr Parsley has written several books detailing his fundamentalist views, including the 2005 Silent No More. In this contentious work, Mr Parsley castigates homosexuals, abortionists, the entertainment industry and civil libertarians before turning his attention to the perceived threat to the United States from Muslims.

In a chapter titled "Islam: The Deception of Allah," Mr Parsley speaks of Allah as a “demon spirit” and urges "war between Islam and Christian civilisation". There is no difference between violent Islamist extremists and moderate Muslims, he argues.

“I cannot tell you how important it is that we understand the true nature of Islam, that we see it for what it really is,” he writes. “In fact, I will tell you this: I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam.

“I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.”

"The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore." Similarly, he says "It was to defeat Islam, among other dreams, that Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492…Columbus dreamed of defeating the armies of Islam with the armies of Europe made mighty by the wealth of the New World. It was this dream that, in part, began America." And, Mother Jones bureau chief David Corn says of Parsley "in 2007, the grassroots organization he founded, the Center for Moral Clarity, called for prosecuting people who commit adultery. In January, he compared Planned Parenthood to Nazis. In the past Parsley's church has been accused of engaging in pro-Republican partisan activities in violation of its tax-exempt status."

Anti-Gay

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/indivi...ley/index.html

Patriot Pastors Report - Parsley against gays, muslims, immigrants, etc..

http://media.pfaw.org/PDF/RW/PatriotPastorsReport.pdf

[Bob George]

Should Fox News and other media hold McCain to the same scrutiny that they are holding Obama to?

Yes, but it wont do much. McCain is already the republican nominee. They are bringing up Obama's church more because he's not the presumptive democratic nominee yet and if it turns out he's suss, there's still a chance he could lose the nomination.

[MJJC Moderator]

But is that fair? Afterall, McCain is not the republican nominee until the convention when his delegates are counted. What this pastor said is much worse than Obama's former pastor. Should we have a president that's current pastor holds offending and inflammatory views about people of color, people of a different religion, and homosexuals?

[Bob George]

I think it's fair. Because as you said, do you guys want a president that holds offending and inflammatory views about white people and jews?

McCain is the presumptive nominee. The media can't really do anything to change that. They may however have an affect on the outcome of the remaining primaries for the democratic party. If Obama does share some of the same views as his pastor, but he's not telling the public that, I think it's in the best interest of the American people to know that before he ends up with the nomination. Then you've got two crazy church folk running for president. They can't do much to change the outcome of the republican nomination, but they can have an influence on the outcome of the democratic nomination, so they'll be digging up as much dirt as they can on Obama and Clinton. It just so happens they've got more dirt on Obama than Clinton. But expect them to go just as hard at Clinton if they dig up any dirt on her.

[J5master]

Did HE (obama) or did he NOT speak the truth in his speech today????!!

OMG talk about CHANGE. Obama is creating CHANGE with that speech on its own. Bringing racial issues OUT in the open and not walking around them and "denouncing" a PERSON because it's politically correct and SAFE. Now everyone is gonna be talking about things that they wouldn't have been talking about otherwise, out in the open. BINGO!

[arXter]

you got that right, J5. i honestly didn't expect him to go that deep and this is simply the best speech i've ever heard from him. historic, even.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU

this is reality.

[J5master]

got that right. HISTORICAL. i'm still in awe of how good that speech was. And it wasnt GOOD simply because of the way he SPOKE about it...it wasnt good because he's simply a good SPEAKER. It was good because of WHAT he spoke ABOUT...because what he spoke about was TRUE and HONEST. And it really was the best speech on race since MLK's I Have A Dream. And of course people are gonna dissect it and draw attention away from the REAL issues here, like the media loves to do...and thats because people dont wanna hear that truth. And if this is what does Obama in...if Obama being risky and unsafe and HONEST is what does Obama in...then America really isnt ready for real change then. That's how I feel about it.

[KOPV]

Great speech. I can't wait for his next..

I love speeches on race and human struggle.. They are inspiring and moving.. Bringing THE TRUTH of what's going on in our OWN land

[arXter]

what he spoke about was TRUE and HONEST. And it really was the best speech on race since MLK's I Have A Dream. And of course people are gonna dissect it and draw attention away from the REAL issues here, like the media loves to do...and thats because people dont wanna hear that truth. And if this is what does Obama in...if Obama being risky and unsafe and HONEST is what does Obama in...then America really isnt ready for real change then. That's how I feel about it.

this speech was in part directed at the best political team in the media, informing them of their choice to face up to such a dark and secret swamp of an issue. and to me, the message clearly resonates throughout the world as we look at the divides and injustices happening everywhere.

with this message, Barack has shown that you can't run from your problems but have to face them and address them. this doesn't just go for his campaign and the Rev. Wright media exaggeration but also for the real issues that no one dares to talk about. he's shown this before in his writings which i've quoted in the old thread with regards to injustices throughout the world and this is why i'm rooting for him.

[J5master]

BUMP guys! This was important speech! A REALLY important speech for not just Obama.

Hmmph. I guess the silence is good. Means he nailed it lol

[RubbaRubba]

what happened to the rest of our thread?

[J5master]

it got erased like the rest of this section of the board.

[eternitys_child]

got that right. HISTORICAL. i'm still in awe of how good that speech was. And it wasnt GOOD simply because of the way he SPOKE about it...it wasnt good because he's simply a good SPEAKER. It was good because of WHAT he spoke ABOUT...because what he spoke about was TRUE and HONEST. And it really was the best speech on race since MLK's I Have A Dream. And of course people are gonna dissect it and draw attention away from the REAL issues here, like the media loves to do...and thats because people dont wanna hear that truth. And if this is what does Obama in...if Obama being risky and unsafe and HONEST is what does Obama in...then America really isnt ready for real change then. That's how I feel about it.

His speech moved me incredibly and what you said about it being good because it was true and honest is right on. Just a couple of hours ago I showed it to a classmate and used almost those exact words you used to describe it. Sometimes when someone is a good speaker they can make you 'think' they are sincere but when you finally hear someone who IS sincere and is speaking honestly you KNOW it and you understand what was missing before.