Framing, Positioning... and Billy Graham

by DemFromCT

As a follow-up to Kagro's post about Republicans hiding their wingnuts, note how these well-known Dems are positioning themselves. I chose a lesser known source (a self-identified Christian-friendly outlet), but heard the same story on CBS radio:

According to the Associated Press, when Bill Clinton joined him on stage, Graham "quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow 'his wife to run the country.'"

Rev. Schenck has considered Billy Graham his role model for over 25 years. That's why the Capitol Hill minister traveled from Washington, DC, to New York City this weekend to witness what may be the ailing evangelist's last crusade. But after he saw the Clintons exploit the aging Graham, he couldn't bear to stay and hear him preach.

"I was stunned and appalled," said Schenck, who left the Flushing Meadows Park as Graham was still complimenting the Clintons.

"This was a deliberate, cunning, purely political move by the Clintons to divide the Evangelical vote and assure Hillary of a victory in '08," said Schenck, a minister with the Evangelical Church Alliance and a missionary to elected officials.

It was also a gathering of 80,000 in Flushing Meadow, NY to hear the Rev. Graham in his last crusade. Graham brought up the Clintons because they were guests who spoke yesterday, and when the mostly cheering conservative crowd was joined by some sprinkled booing, Graham stepped up to the defense of the Clintons with a warm series of words about them.

The Rev. Schenck needs to understand that when you're in NY, you're in hostile territory. NYers like the Clintons, and after the reprehensible Rove comments, were only too happy to welcome them... and this was a gathering of mostly conservatives, as identified on CBS.

What's my point? Only the irony of Rs hiding their evangelicals while the Dems feature theirs. will it make any difference whatsoever? It will to the wings of both parties... but they're not likely to be decisive in 2008, even though neither side will admit it. There's still a moderate/swing/centrist middle, and they're still a force to reckon with. The politician that gets both the center and the flank is the politician that wins.

It's what makes McCain the front-runner. Too bad he has to run in a primary. The CA Governator shows why that's important. And it's still unclear that McCain, Ahnuld or Rudy can actually win an R primary. For the purposes of R politics, everywhere is SC, except NH. And that's true even if Dobsen can be convinced to keep his head down... not a sure thing.

As for Bush, he's still tanking. There's no other reason for the Tuesday speech. Maybe he should go back to hiding Karl. Then again...

Comments

[DemFromCT]

my last link is from the Guardian, but you gotta love it:

Battered Bush watches as support ebbs away
With memories of his poll victory still fresh, the President already seems a lame duck. Backing for the Iraq war has collapsed and his domestic agenda is in disarray. Even his party is rebelling

[RonK, Seattle]

"secular to the core but unable to see it"

[Michael]

I'm wondering if the Iraq press conference isn't going to be an attempt to spin away the revelation (in today's Sunday Times--side note: why is it that the British newspapers seem consistently to scoop those on this side of the pond, even with domestic news?) that the Bushies have been negotiating with terrorists in Iraq. I'm also wondering if that bizarrely timed screed of Rove's wasn't an attempt to simultaneously fire up the base and distract them from news that Rove knew would enrage them--but against the Bushies, not the evil libruls. So, a bit of classic sleight of hand.

Moreover, the latest ARG poll has got to be keeping Rove and Mehlman, at the very least, up nights. A 17% approval rating among independent voters? (Even lower than among Democrats, though not significantly.) That's nightmare territory.

[Mike S]

"This was a deliberate, cunning, purely political move by the Clintons to divide the Evangelical vote and assure Hillary of a victory in '08," said Schenck, a minister with the Evangelical Church Alliance and a missionary to elected officials.

As opposed to a cunning, purely political move to divide the country by the current leadership of the GOP.

I'm not a fan of Grahm but I do appreciate the way he is more of a unifier than all of the pretenders who have attempted to take his place combined.

[RevDeb]

Aha, could it be that there is a large contingent of fundamentalists (preachers and lay folk) who are far more interested in politics than in faith? With the politics comes a certain kind of power that really isn't a part of the message that Jesus was teaching. Sounds like Schenck wasn't there for religious reasons.

[DemFromCT]

The devil made him do it. Shades of Flip Wilson.

[Michael]

Shades of Flip Wilson.

Which of course proves that Rev. Graham is soft on the queers, too. Because what kind of a name is "Flip"? Not to mention the fact that he regularly appeared on the teevee wearing a dress.

[Bill from Dover]

"This was a deliberate, cunning, purely political move by the Clintons to divide the Evangelical vote and assure Hillary of a victory in '08," said Schenck, a minister with the Evangelical Church Alliance and a missionary to elected officials.

I certainly hope the fuck so.

[debcoop]

What do you mean 'TOO BAD HE HAS TO RUN A PRIMARY" RE John McCain

When are you infatuated, addled brained Democrats going to realize that John McCain is a very consrvative, right wing Republican who in Ken Poole's Seante rankings iis one of the most conservative Senators.

And I would think his sucking up to Bush, the Bush administration and the Republican party base since last July 2004, when he decided to run for the predsidency again has been a near shameless display of one apologia after another on 95% of most issues would make you reakize that your view of hinm is a wish fulfillment fantasy.

I say thank God he has to run a primary. He'll be history, oh unless he loses even more of his "integrity" as he he tries to pander to the right wing (do you forget his flip flopping on the the Confederate flag issue in the southern primaries of 2000)

What kind of Democrats are you to be sucked into John McCain adulation.

He's a right winger and his vaunted integrity is pretty shallow and self serving.

[Steve]

Uh, I am fairly confident that "too bad" was meant in the sense of "too bad for him."

[jonnybutter]

Er..debcoop, I think the 'too bad he has to run in a primary' was rhetorical, not a direct expression of sentiment (IOW, 'too bad for HIM he has to run a primary'). I can't speak for DemFromCT, but I would bet he has no illusions about McCain.

I actually think McCain is someone to be worried about in '08. It's true that getting nominated won't be easy, but that depends a lot on who else is running, doesn't it? I think he'd beat Rudy (the bloom is off him, and he has too many problems anyway), and he'd also beat that idiot Allen, or Frist - the GOP is not suicidal. (I don't think Jebby is in any hurry to run; he's got plenty of time, unfortunately). I mean, who knows? But it would make a lot of sense for them to run McCain. The hardest core fundies will be mad, but, when push comes to shove, they always get chumped anyway. It's perfectly in character for Rove and the boyz to have revved them up in '04 and to then 'stealth-marginalize' them in '08. McCain wants to 'save' his party, and I bet the GOP bigshots would let him.

I totally agree with debcoop, overall. McCain is not our friend, and anybody (like Kerry) who thinks otherwise is nuts.

[DemFromCT]

Thanks. Too bad for him, indeed.

I loved the idea of kerry offering McCain the VP job. It was great buzz. I'd have hated it - -despised it, loathed it - if McCain accepted. No chance, so it didn't worry me.

But it was all illusion, and it helped Kerry at the time.

[jonnybutter]

(BTW, I didn't mean to pile on debcoop - I didn't see steve's comment before I posted mine. That's what happens when you start a comment and then get distracted and finish it later...)

[Kagro X]

Which shows why it's almost always wise and considered in good taste to begin with accusations like, "addled brained."

It's like a nice, cold glass of orange juice in the morning. It picks everyone up, and starts their day right.

[Redshift]

Rudy has the same problem as W -- lots of people thought he was an asshole before 9/11 made him a "hero", and it's been long enough that he's sinking back to that level.

[DemFromCT]

Heh. Rudy is despised in the same NYC that voted 3:1 for Kerry. he has his supporters, mind you, but he's also known and remembered pre-9/11.

[jonnybutter]

..I believe the phrase is: ''That little prick Rudy'.

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