(New Book) The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (May '08)

http://jeffsharlet.blogspot.com/2008/02/...

"Just when we thought the Christian right was crumbling, Jeff Sharlet delivers a rude shock: One of its most powerful and cult-like core groups, the "Family," has been thriving and even drawing in Democrats like Hillary Clinton. Sharlet's book is one of the most compelling and brilliantly researched exposes you'll ever read-- just don't read it alone at night!"

--Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, Bait and Switch, and Dancing in the Streets

Hillary's Nasty Pastorate
Barbara Ehrenreich

There's a reason Hillary Clinton has remained relatively silent during the flap over intemperate remarks by Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. When it comes to unsavory religious affiliations, she's a lot more vulnerable than Obama.

You can find all about it in a widely under-read article in the September 2007 issue of Mother Jones, in which Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet reported that "through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as "The "Fellowship," also known as The Family. But it won't be a secret much longer. Jeff Sharlet's shocking exposé The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power will be published in May. ...full article: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/eh...

Betting is running 99/1 that Howard's first.

wwoooott!!

Where the Money Leads

Media Transparency follows the money fueling the right-wing movement, to show how conservative philanthropies, through their tax-exempt funding strategies, shape public discourse.

The big givers include Milwaukee's Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Scaife, Koch, Coors, and Walton family foundations. They alone have poured $28 million into the American Enterprise Institute. That kind of money buys a lot of "experts."

With coordinated giving on a grand scale, they've led the way in funding a movement to radically alter the social, legal, educational, media, political and religious landscapes of the United States, building a supply-side machinery for implementing a hard-right agenda.

Media Transparency follows their money and what it buys with a unique database -- 50,000 grants to 9,000 recipients for $3.5 billion -- and 60 to 70 original articles per year that connect the dots between the money and the movement's radical public policy goals. .... http://www.mediatransparency.org/whereth...

• Take Back America

Plenary Speaker Norman Lear, introduced by Iara Peng of "Young People For"

"Born-again American" ~Norman Lear

....to counter threat of religious right

...two great shared national and shared religious myth

...civil religion...exists beside the religious

...subordinate to it's national ethics found in founding documents 

_________

Wow, Norman's worth your time, so take yourself away from BFA (for a moment or until it's cleaned-up)

Lear says Bush's contribution to America is the normalization of religious demagoguery. 

Lear says we Liberals/Progressives  pigeon-holed ( X ) as a matter of  - Church, State, Separation...

<

Off to Yoga. TTfn. 

The Democratic Majority: Enabling a Rogue Presidency and Stonewalling the American People

Lawless. Imperial. Rogue.

These labels have been attached to the Bush administration for the last three Take Back America (TBA) conferences. The annual conference hosted by the Campaign for America’s Future, does a bang up job each year highlighting the dark deeds of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. And, what better man for the job than House Judiciary Chair John Conyers. Turns out, the better man for the job may be the pre-House Judiciary Chair John Conyers.

In June 2006, Congressman Conyers was on fire at the TBA session "Challenging a Lawless President." Still in the House minority, the great congressman from Michigan was hot on the trail of a lawless President Bush and his unbridled sidekick, Vice President Cheney

Inspired and hopeful, progressives hit the streets to help the Democrats take back the House and restore order in the government.

---------------------------------

-The rest, as they say is history. A history of deceit, lame excuses, cowardice, and outright lies.

Carville calls Richardson *Judas*.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3...

I like Richardson for his moxy!

Having Clinton in the race at this juncture, leaking superdelegates, supporting decertified primary vote results, going broke and lagging behind in the delegate and popular vote counts, all by generous dint of her family name, has had a debilitating effect on the prospects of Democrats this election year generally.  But I find the influence of her hanging around much more insidious.

It is a ghastly wound, self-inflected by sectors of the Democratic base, to be touting the attacks and complaints of bozo Fox News personalities against a Democratic candidate, lashing out at black ministers who are critical of American foreign policy hubris of the type epitomized by the Bush administration, and dismissing outright the value of an articulate and thought provoking spokesperson and advocate for some serious soul searching among Democrats, who sheepishly like to keep their sometimes paradoxical views of race and social opportunity safely stashed in the closet.  I'm feeling dirty even discussing some of the backwards views of these rubes.

I'm getting myself riled.  If you add these shameful examples of regrettable conduct to the comments of Pres. Clinton, who implied that McCain and Clinton make a great, patriotic duo to run for the presidency, the whole Clinton campaign begins to take on this character that is antigonistic to the party base, while getting its support from the some of the most stalwart of its members.

Good comments, Tom. Bill must think people are just plain stupid. *Oh, that's not what I meant*. Yeh, right, Bill.

Anyway, hope everybody has a great day. We've got company and another lacrosse game. Bye!

3.  Ah, yes, the eleemosynary institutions.  See, that's what "family values" actually refers to--the ability to keep one's business secret and out of the public view.  Sunlight is the biggest challenge to power.  All of these family foundations and think tanks and "closely held" corporations remind me of the cockroaches that scurry back into the crevices of the parlor stove when the light gets turned on.

Florida palmetto beetles don't scurry away.  They're actually happier living outside in the crevices of tree trunks where leaves accumulate and, if they get inside, it's usually because they flew towards the light when someone opened the door at night.  Yes, Florida cockroaches fly.

Anyway, the only consolation about all of these wealthy plotters in secret is that they seem particularly impecunious and seem determined to spend themselves into the poor house.  (Clinton campaign is now reported to be in deficit).  On top of that, these people are into power and power is, ultimately, self-defeating because it can only be manifest as destruction.  Otherwise, if they use their wealth to create, their dedication to power goes un-noticed. 

The Fellowship/Family isn't news, it's been around since the 40s to fight socialism and communism.

The really odd thing is, Jesus and his disciples lived communally and this practice lasted long into the history of the early church (until people figured out there was money to be made).

If we really wanted to be like Jesus we would be much more communal and sharing.

-- volney

Please recommend this post.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/24391...

10:40 AM EDT

Carville calls Richardson *Judas*.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3...

...

+++

How Holy Thursday-like of ole James to use that term against Bill (B Richardson that is, not B Clinton).

10:49 AM EDT

Susan Rowe
Sat, 03/22/08

Reply to this

Please recommend this post.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/24391...

+++

Recommended.

Go Tom go.

I have to go for now, have to make sure garbage is secure, the bears are waking up.

bbl

Good theory Jane Gordon. I, too, would not put anything past the Clintons when they don't get their way.

Many of us have been around a lot longer than the newer generations and the Clintons are not pulling the wool over all our eyes. However, some of the oldies just don't see the light and probably never will. They just cannot seem to move on. So it is so important to have the younger generation aboard the liberal train for change for the good, whether they are Democrats or Independents.

Dem candidates' "withdrawal plans"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-hayden/pressuring-the-democrats-_b_92155.html

For both Clinton and Obama, the number of Americans left in the war zone would be staggering, even after the withdrawal of most or all combat troops. Including the backup forces and private contractors necessary to support the residual role, the numbers could be 50-100.000. That would make Iraq look like Afghanistan, or Central America in the late 1970s.

Only the pressure of the peace movement, bloggers and the mainstream media might make Clinton or Obama break with their advisers and issue an actual plan for ending the war rather than merely shifting from combat to counterinsurgency. Since the next six months are the only time the candidates can be forced to respond to voters' questions, the mission of the peace movement is becoming clear. While rejecting McCain as the neoconservative candidate of war, peace advocates can loudly refuse to support the Iraq platform of either Democratic candidate until they display more candor and commitment towards the voters. With enough voices pressuring them, inside and outside the Democratic Party, it will be difficult to silently support counterinsurgency in the name of peace.

rae,

How you secure your garbage for the bears?

Our bears mainly come at night here, but when they are in the immediate area there doesn't seem to be any workable way to keep them out of the garbage cans and making a mess. They always find a way. If the cans are secured too much, the trash picker-uppers cannot open them and pass them by.

Huron, Congresscritters often forget the 2-year term deal when being pressured by big money and BIG stupid. Vet your new challengers well. Get to know them. Assure them of the certainty of an asskicking from the folks back home if they bend over for the blood-drinking,chauffeured SUV-riding neocon elite. Now is the perfect time tou se that Howard-given power.

9.

mary vb
Sat, 03/22/08

SOme quotes on bearing false witness and demonizing

“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity” ---Andre Gide (French writer, humanist and moralist, 1947 nobel prize for literature, 1869-1951)

---

“Let us never demonize or give up on those who disagree with us. We don't want to become like the right-wing talk-show hosts, hammering our adversaries into cartoon characters and denying their humanity.” ---Bill Clinton (American 42nd US President 1993-2001

---

"Rule number one in the 'Bush-Rove Guide to Running on a Record of Failure' is to demonize groups of people and use them to divide the electorate by rallying the extremists in your base." ---Howard Dean

(New Book) The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (May '08)

Susan, thanks for your post.

I have mentioned "The  Family" several times here in comments.

This book is a real exposure of Hillary Clinton's association with the radical right conservatives and fundamentalists during the late 1990's. It's an important book that would have major consequences for Clinton. I just wish it would be released earlier to have an effect now rather than in May.

One commenter on Sharlet's website asks the author if he believes Clinton's attacks on Obama about things his pastor said were made to protect herself from the revelations forthcoming in this book. But it's not a new story but certainly an under-reported one.

You can find all about it in a widely under-read article in the September 2007 issue of Mother Jones, in which Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet reported that "through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the "Fellowship," aka the Family. But it won't be a secret much longer. Jeff Sharlet's shocking exposé, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power will be published in May.

http://www.alternet.org/election08/80248/

March 30, 2008

There are some people who were not happy with General McPeak back when he endorsed John Kerry.

I like the following quote because uniforms seem to be really important to these guys.  You'll remember the other day I mentioned that the Air Force now has online capability for people who want to make recommendations about their uniforms.

As I stated in writing when I separated from the Air Force in 1992, General McPeak's disasterous tenure as CSAF was one of the reasons I took the filthy lucre and bailed (and I had only seen about a year of it at that point). We should all be thankful that Gulf War I was fought and won before he assumed the role of CSAF and made it his primary mission to convince us (the non-fighter pilot majority of Air Force officers and NCOs) that we were all worthless and couldn't find our arse with both hands. His stripping of unit patches off of the utility uniforms of everyone but aircrews hurt morale and was totally counterproductive. Apparently, McPeak would have been in way over his head as a squadron exec officer; CSAF? God must have worked overtime to spare our nation the disaster we deserved with leadership like His Royal Airheadedness, Lord Fauntleroy McPeak. It was gratifying to all of us to see so many of his hairbrained policies immediately reversed by his successor. Seeing the loopy twit speak out in favor of almost equally loopy John Kerry was no surprise to anyone who did time under his "leadership." I am not worried about it. It will only help President Bush in the minds of anyone who even knows who the heck McPeak is anymore.

Posted by: Major B. Guthrie on September 1, 2004 12:09 AM

wonderful video on Obama's early voter registration efforts - the more I see, the more I know that he's a truly great man.  GObama!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/mvpv

Opera today at 12:30 ET is Tristan & Isolde. It's the 'wrong' King Marke today but I read he's good anyway. Tune in for about 5 hours no joke of the most romantic music on earth.

So, this argument is being brought forward, supposedly in support of McCain's position.  I'm not inclined to dispute that McPeak anticipated a long stay in Iraq, or that McCain is still aiming for it.  Where we're at now is that they f***ked up and there's no way it's going to work, if only because the U.S. totally dissipated the good will that used to make us welcome on foreign soil.  Perhaps McCain has drunk the kool aid and doesn't know there are a million dead by our missiles and bombs? It didn't work right.

Yesterday I noted the accusation of McCarthyism against Bill Clinton by Barack Obama military adviser Gen. Tony McPeak. The former Air Force Chief of Staff has a history of interesting statements, including a couple at the beginning of the war both McPeak and Obama oppose. In an interview with the Oregonian, posted here but confirmed by me through its purchase from the archives, McPeak essentially makes the exact same argument that John McCain makes about staying in Iraq — and which Obama ridicules:

Is Iraq the last country we confront in the Middle East?

Who wants to volunteer to get cross-ways with us? We’ll be there a century, hopefully. If it works right.

 888888888

BTW, one of the best things about Obama is that he does actually evolve. 

What really happened to Ron Brown?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

my question to the Clintons

did he know too much?

There's no call for spewing crazy rightwing nonsense.

Jane - thanks for the excellent thread.  I knew this fight would become grassroots vs dlc when I saw that the nation was truly ready for Obama.  my feeling is that many of the superdels are having a hard time as I'm sure the Clintons and the dlc are quite active threatening their careers as we speak.  my feeling is also that there are MANY superdels who have been resentful of the Clintons and what their DLCentrist politics has brought them - a greedy, winner take all, corporate sposored attack on the daily life of average Americans.  not a Democratic platform, but a corporate platform.  they need to be real careful just how far they push us this time, I think.  America is watching this time.

Carville calls Richardson *Judas*.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3...

I like Richardson for his moxy!

Carville just reinforces the well deserved perception that for the Clintons, it's all about them. 

I'm getting myself riled.  If you add these shameful examples of regrettable conduct to the comments of Pres. Clinton, who implied that McCain and Clinton make a great, patriotic duo to run for the presidency, the whole Clinton campaign begins to take on this character that is antigonistic to the party base, while getting its support from the some of the most stalwart of its members. 

Well, it's about time you got riled. The Clintons and their cohorts have been betraying the Democratic Party and its principles for over a decade. 

Joan,

We keep our garbage in the garage until the morning of pick up.  I always rinse out cans, I never buy meat that has bones (but we do not eat much meat or chicken).  We make sure lid is on tight.  I heard the garbage truck coming that is the reason I had to leave. Also no bird feeders for me, only in winter.

We live in Eagle River, AK, on a hillside near a nature center.  For some reason bears are waking up early this year.

I'm a little paranoid about it, a couple of years ago, in our neighbors driveway, a young moose was killed by a brown bear.  This was in the morning.  It was freaky to say the least.  I'm always fearful of the kids waiting for the school bus. 

Another incident, I believe it was early last year, a bear chased down a motorcycle (happened in town, bear came from behind) and knocked the person off (I believe it was a woman), broke their leg, this happened by a WalMart, people were able to scare bear off before any other damage was done. 

What with all this said, I do love bears, but I do respect them and keep my distance.  Used to go hiking by myself but I don't anymore.

Greenwald does some good stuff - McCain vs McCain:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI&feature=related

and

http://therealmccain.com/

NEW THREAD

Love the bear discussion. When I was in Alaska with the AIDS ride, we wore bells and made lots of noise if we had to get up in the middle of the night to use the facilities. We were a group of over 2000 which lessened the threat, but still we always were watchful.

Up in Michigan at the cottage we always keep our garbage cans in the garage, too, until we put them out in the morning right before the truck is due to come.

hmm, well, again it leads me to wonder if Obama's supporters or foolish or stupid, they can decide which they are. The bottom line is Obama won't win and if he wins the nomination and loses the election, he and his supporters will be held responsible for the damage to the country, elected superdelegates that support Obama will be targeted in primaries and lose their offices, the companes that employ Obama's family will be boycotted. A concerted effort will be made to ensure that government contracts not be awarded in the state of Illinois, if he runs, he better win ( which he won't)

Gee Charles on what do you base your opinions -- are you an Illinoian?

A follow up to my Air Force posts--

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/22/12131/3663/898/482171 

I'm hoping we can start a discussion about the morality of making assassination by remote control an integral component of the Iraq occupation. 

Charles Harker--It's quite correct that in the past African Americans were kept in their place by penalizing anyone who might be inclined to support, promote or sustain them in any way.  The only "acceptable" behavior was abuse.  Often enough it was sufficient to simply offer a gentle reminder to what they had at stake to get these nigger-lovers to rethink their behavior.  Let's hope the country is ready to change that. 

I get the sense that Barack Obama knows how this works--that the whole system is based on a strategy of intimidation and that, while whites have to learn  not to be intimidated by their kith and kin, blacks have to learn that what they perceive as white weakness was/is actually a logical response.  Because, of course, if a white person is stripped of his assets and access because he follows his social inclination to be equitable and fair, he's not going to have anything to share, is he? Much as black men might not want to believe it, the white man is between a rock and a hard place.  If he bucks the system, he's not worth knowing; if he goes along he can't share.

Fortunately, the Sesame Street Generation seems unaware of how that works.  And then, of course, the elite have reduced benefits to such an extent that our young people of all colors have very little to lose.  That's the drawback when there are no benefits for the next generation. 

Charles - your comments are insulting and so very typical of the Clinton camp and your argument is simply laughable.  Obama has huge coattails for the downtickets - just go to any state dem organization and ask who is working to grow the party.  and it's her scortched earth policy that's threatening to rip apart the dem party. 

actually, in re-reading Charles' comments, they sound like direct threats.