Meet the Press
After repeatedly asking Obama about Farrakhan during debate, Russert ignored guest's reference to Hagee's endorsement of McCain on Meet the Press
http://mediamatters.org/items/200803030006?f=h_top
Last week, Saint John McCain "was very honored" to accept the endorsement of Pastor John Hagge. Who is John Hagee? If you don't know, you need to. He is a leading figure on the far right fringe of the Christian theocratic movement, and a man whose endorsement carries such weight within the GOP that both Saint McCain and Governor Huckabee have been vying for his endorsement. He is, in fact, living embodiment of the wink and nod that the GOP gives to the rightwing theocrats in this country.
Briefly, John Hagee is a megachurch pastor from San Antonio who founded Chrisitans United for Israel (CUFI) in 2006. Posing as a "pro-Israel" non-profit group, who's real goal appears to be incite war in the middle east, the Armagedon, the "end days", after which Jesus will return to earth to set up his kingdom, and the non-believing Jews and Muslims will be exterminated.
John Hagee is also a noted anti-catholic bigot, who considers the Catholic church a "whore" religion, a "false cult system", an "apostate church", and decidedly "anti-Christ". The good Pastor has also written that the Nazi's literally were doing God's work, by doing the jews the favor of indirectly trying to drive them out of Europe and back to their ancestral lands in Israel. In "Jerusalem Countdown" Pastor Hagee writes: " No one could see the horror of the Holocaust coming, but the force and fear of Hitler's Nazis drive the Jewish people back to the only home God ever intended for the Jews to have-Israel.... I am stricken with awe and wonder at his boundless love for Israel and the Jewish people..."( "Jerusalem Countdown", paperback edition, pages 132 and 133).
Indeed. The Nazis were doing God's work and Pastro Hagee is stricken with awe at God's love for the wayward Israelites.
Isn't it interesting that Tim Russert and the armchair pundits of the mainstream media were all atwitter at the kind words, but yet non-endorsement from the reportedly anti-semitic Minister Farakhan for Barack Obama. An "endorsement" that Obama never sought, and rejected out of hand. The mainstream media saw fit to make Obama jump through hoops and run a guantlet of questions from the "very serious people" in the mainstream media to demonstrate that he had seven degrees of separation from Minister Farakhan. Quite a contrast to McCain and Huckabee who actively sought, and proudly accepted the endorsement of an apalling anti-catholic bigot and crazy end times war monger.
Why the double standard in the media? Are Farakhan's inflammatory statement orders of magnitude worse than the bigoted and crazy Pastor John?
Doubtful. There's a racial angle. It is quite evident to any thinking person. Farahkan is black, and Muslim. Two minority groups for which there is a certain level of fear and misinformation in America . They are interpreted as the "other" within mainstream american society. There's something vaguely alien and unamerican about the black Muslims. And the radical black Muslims? Forget about it. They are practically in league with al qaeda (sarcasm alert).
Pastor Hagee is white and Christian. WHITE and CHRISTIAN. Although his anti-catholic slurs and crazy end times war mongering are inflammatory at face value, the pastor has views that are validated and agreed with by millions of Americans. Yes.... perhaps, tens of millions of (white) Americans. Let's face it: radical black Muslim views aren't validated in America, the way far rightwing Christian rhetoric is. Radical, theocratic christianity may not be totally mainstream in America, but it holds a place at the table as a fairly broadly accepted narrative in American culture. Perhaps the mainstream media either doesn't hear, or simply accepts Pastor Hagee insanity, anti-catholic slander, and warmongering without question. Perhaps our esteemed Mr. Russert, should look into the background and statements of the good Pastor Hagee, and hold McCain to the same standard that he held Obama with regard to Minister Farakhan?
I won't hold my breath.
After repeatedly asking Obama about Farrakhan during debate, Russert ignored guest's reference to Hagee's endorsement of McCain on Meet the Press
http://mediamatters.org/items/200803030006?f=h_top
Last week, Saint John McCain "was very honored" to accept the endorsement of Pastor John Hagge. Who is John Hagee? If you don't know, you need to. He is a leading figure on the far right fringe of the Christian theocratic movement, and a man whose endorsement carries such weight within the GOP that both Saint McCain and Governor Huckabee have been vying for his endorsement. He is, in fact, living embodiment of the wink and nod that the GOP gives to the rightwing theocrats in this country.
Briefly, John Hagee is a megachurch pastor from San Antonio who founded Chrisitans United for Israel (CUFI) in 2006. Posing as a "pro-Israel" non-profit group, who's real goal appears to be incite war in the middle east, the Armagedon, the "end days", after which Jesus will return to earth to set up his kingdom, and the non-believing Jews and Muslims will be exterminated.
John Hagee is also a noted anti-catholic bigot, who considers the Catholic church a "whore" religion, a "false cult system", an "apostate church", and decidedly "anti-Christ". The good Pastor has also written that the Nazi's literally were doing God's work, by doing the jews the favor of indirectly trying to drive them out of Europe and back to their ancestral lands in Israel. In "Jerusalem Countdown" Pastor Hagee writes: " No one could see the horror of the Holocaust coming, but the force and fear of Hitler's Nazis drive the Jewish people back to the only home God ever intended for the Jews to have-Israel.... I am stricken with awe and wonder at his boundless love for Israel and the Jewish people..."( "Jerusalem Countdown", paperback edition, pages 132 and 133).
Indeed. The Nazis were doing God's work and Pastro Hagee is stricken with awe at God's love for the wayward Israelites.
Isn't it interesting that Tim Russert and the armchair pundits of the mainstream media were all atwitter at the kind words, but yet non-endorsement from the reportedly anti-semitic Minister Farakhan for Barack Obama. An "endorsement" that Obama never sought, and rejected out of hand. The mainstream media saw fit to make Obama jump through hoops and run a guantlet of questions from the "very serious people" in the mainstream media to demonstrate that he had seven degrees of separation from Minister Farakhan. Quite a contrast to McCain and Huckabee who actively sought, and proudly accepted the endorsement of an apalling anti-catholic bigot and crazy end times war monger.
Why the double standard in the media? Are Farakhan's inflammatory statement orders of magnitude worse than the bigoted and crazy Pastor John?
Doubtful. There's a racial angle. It is quite evident to any thinking person. Farahkan is black, and Muslim. Two minority groups for which there is a certain level of fear and misinformation in America . They are interpreted as the "other" within mainstream american society. There's something vaguely alien and unamerican about the black Muslims. And the radical black Muslims? Forget about it. They are practically in league with al qaeda (sarcasm alert).
Pastor Hagee is white and Christian. WHITE and CHRISTIAN. Although his anti-catholic slurs and crazy end times war mongering are inflammatory at face value, the pastor has views that are validated and agreed with by millions of Americans. Yes.... perhaps, tens of millions of (white) Americans. Let's face it: radical black Muslim views aren't validated in America, the way far rightwing Christian rhetoric is. Radical, theocratic christianity may not be totally mainstream in America, but it holds a place at the table as a fairly broadly accepted narrative in American culture. Perhaps the mainstream media either doesn't hear, or simply accepts Pastor Hagee insanity, anti-catholic slander, and warmongering without question. Perhaps our esteemed Mr. Russert, should look into the background and statements of the good Pastor Hagee, and hold McCain to the same standard that he held Obama with regard to Minister Farakhan?
I won't hold my breath.
