Rove to WH Staffer: "Just get me a f—ing faith-based thing. Got it?”

[BurtWorm]

Early 2001. From Think Progress:


David Kuo, the former second-in-command of President Bush’s Office on Faith-Based Initiatives, has a new book detailing how the office was “used almost exclusively to win political points with both evangelical Christians and traditionally Democratic minorities.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/12/rove-faith-based /

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann had an exclusive report on the book last night, and part two of his report airs tonight at 8 PM ET.

ThinkProgress has obtained an excerpt from the book, set shortly after Bush’s 2001 inauguration:

Every other White House office was up and running. The faith-based initiative still operated out of the nearly vacant transition offices.

Three days later, a Tuesday, Karl Rove summoned <Don> Willett <a former Bush aide from Texas who initially shepharded the program> to his office to announce that the entire faith-based initiative would be rolled out the following Monday. Willett asked just how — without a director, staff, office, or plan — the president could do that. Rove looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, “I don’t know. Just get me a f—ing faith-based thing. Got it?” Willett was shown the door.

Kuo also writes that Rove referred to evangelical leaders as “the nuts,” and claims Rove deputy Ken Mehlman “knowingly participated in a scheme to use the office, and taxpayer funds, to mount ostensibly ‘nonpartisan’ events that were, in reality, designed with the intent of mobilizing religious voters in 20 targeted races.”

[BOSSHOG]

1. From the pulpit - get me some fucking Catholics against Kerry signs

Wow, christians being consumed by their ignorance, the fuel that got the this far.

[bryant69]

2. That's not very surprising

Many of the Republicanoids have a somewhat nuanced view of religion - i.e. bring it up to get votes, and to stir up resentment against liberals - but beyond that, it's not important.

Bryant
Check it out -> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[maxsolomon]

3. shocked. shocked i tell you.

down the memory hole with you, Anecdote that Reveals a Larger Truth!

[Imagevision]

4. evangelicals have only recently figured out they don't share the same valu

with repugs, especiaolly the gifted one, Ralph Reed.

[tblue]

23. Man, are they slow on the uptake.

[Justice Is Comin]

5. The pig fornicator tried to put the strong arm on Foley to run too

because they were scared of "losing the House and two years of investigations." Oh, I'll bet.

Whole story at RAW.

[seemslikeadream]

6. “Tempting Faith’s”

Rove to WH Staffer: "Just get me a f—ing faith-based thing. Got it?”


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15228489 /

‘Tempting Faith’ author David Kuo worked for Bush from 2001 to 2003
FREE VIDEO


• Exclusive: Playing Christians for fools
Oct. 11: "Countdown" has obtained a copy of new book that suggests the White House repeatedly uses evangelical Christians for their votes, while consistently given them nothing in return.
Countdown


Updated: 7:57 p.m. CT Oct 11, 2006
More than five years after President Bush created the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, the former second-in-command of that office is going public with an insider’s tell-all account that portrays an office used almost exclusively to win political points with both evangelical Christians and traditionally Democratic minorities.

The office’s primary mission, providing financial support to charities that serve the poor, never got the presidential support it needed to succeed, according to the book.

Entitled “Tempting Faith,” the book is not scheduled for release until Oct. 16, but MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” has obtained a copy.

“Tempting Faith’s” author is David Kuo, who served as special assistant to the president from 2001 to 2003. A self-described conservative Christian, Kuo’s previous experience includes work for prominent conservatives including former Education Secretary and federal drug czar Bill Bennett and former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

[seemslikeadream]

8. Extreme elements

There are extreme elements using religion to achieve objectives

[Amonester]

35. Yup. And History Knows How Many Times Using Religion To

Achieve Objectives Worked (For A While):

[pacalo]

14. Thanks for the article -- I just mailed it to my fundie cousin.

Talking politics with each other is a very touchy subject. I've kept my end of the bargain, although she gets in her point of view through those fundie mailings.

I added a short note, saying "I don't like sending out political articles, but I don't like being played a fool & I know you don't, either" & added the link.

I just hope she reads the article.

[Brazenly Liberal]

30. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

"I don't like sending out political articles, but I don't like being played a fool & I know you don't, either"

What a perfect way to present it! I had been wondering how to get this info out to some people I know without making them so defensive they wouldn't grok it. But that's exactly how. THANKS!!!!

[pacalo]

37. YW, brazenly!

I didn't get a reply from her, so I don't know what her thoughts were when she opened it. Later on I wondered if maybe I should have said simply, "God told me to send this to you...(link)." :devilgrin:

[Brazenly Liberal]

38. hehehe

You're a smartass. I think I like you.

[pacalo]

39. It's easy to be a smartass when dealing with the fundies. :)

[Oilwellian]

7. Just as they were used by Abramoff

Vote against indian casinos all the while taking their money and pretending he was lobbying to keep the casinos open.

[sandnsea]

16. With the help of Ralph Reed

and I think even Jerry Falwell at one point.

I don't understand why the national party doesn't make more out of that, and the forced abortions in the Marianas.

[seemslikeadream]

9. THE JESUS CARD

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!

[chill_wind]

10. Religion- opiate of the masses. The Ends justify The Means.

Basic Machiavellen/Straussian tenets. And who wouldn't know better than Rove and his close buddy Ledeen?



Melman/RNC continously in the thick of the shit-stirring of "the nuts" as Rove's reportedly termed them above. Fanatic foot-soldiers with fat fund-raising wallets.

prime example:
Israel, the US, and the Christian Right: The Menage a Trois From Hell

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[theanarch]

24. how about: Religion:

the End Times justifies their Meanness?

[RufusEarl]

11. I heard allot of repugs were going to hold their nose,

and vote repug after the Foley flap. I wonder if they'll hold their nose and vote repug after they read this book?

[seemslikeadream]

12. I wonder how

bush's higher power daddy feels about this?

[young_at_heart]

13. What would Jesus think?

I don't think he'd like the Bush Administration!

[Virginia Dare]

15. So the fundies were being used all along...

who knew?

[StClone]

18. Rove didn't even use a Condom

Now they are aborting the product of that union. Sniff.

[malaise]

17. Guess they confused rapture

with Rovian 'rapeture'

[sofa king]

19. Michael Scanlon called them the "wackos"

"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees. Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."

Hence, gay marriage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Scanlon

There is another, highly unfortunate facet to this crime of manipulation, one which has been well known since the study of end-of-the-world cults in the 1950s. So long as the Republicans tell them practically anything, "the nuts" will accept it. This is because the wackos are willing to accept just about any lie--however improbable--that doesn't make them out to be the ignorant losers that they actually are. Nobody wants to be a sucker, but the real suckers really don't want to believe it.

Karl Rove knows this better than just about anyone. So I fully expect to see our dunce President read off a Rove-authored statement to our nation's nuts in the next couple of days, saying something very similar to, "The reason why the world is such a bright and happy place right now is because Jesus heard your prayers and empowered me to make them come true."

The nuts will believe it, and that, unfortunately, is all they'll have to say.

[Jackpine Radical]

25. "the study of end-of-the-world cults in the 1950s"---

Leon Festinger, "When Prophecy Fails." The whole business of cognitive dissonance arises from that work too.

[sofa king]

33. That's the one.

Thanks, Jackpine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Festinger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
http://www.isitso.org/guide/fails.html

[eppur_se_muova]

36. Thanks for those references. Looks like interesting reading. nt

[aquart]

20. I want CONTRITION.

Any REAL Christian would have seen thru this crap. Many did.

The ones who didn't need to re-examine their faith. AND APOLOGIZE.

[calimary]

27. I do, too. Hey, we Catholics even have a formal prayer for it.

They need to apologize to EVERYBODY ON THE PLANET, at this point. Not that they will, but that's where they should start.

[fooj]

21. Nobody appreciates being duped...not even a fundie.

Karma has long arms...

[PDittie]

22. This Don Willett fellow?

Why, he's now on the Texas Supreme Court.

But he has a Democratic opponent in this election cycle: the Honorable Judge William Moody, who was the only Democratic candidate endorsed by the Dallas Morning News:

Unlike most of Mr. Perry's other Supreme Court appointments, Republican Don Willett had no judicial background before joining the high court just over a year ago. The 40-year-old served three years as a corporate lawyer, then worked on faith-based initiatives and domestic policies for George W. Bush as governor and president. The Duke Law graduate later had stints in the Justice Department and the Texas attorney general's office.

Sum it up, and he has but single-digit years of real legal experience – none of it judicial.

We recommended the Austin resident in the GOP primary because he was a better alternative to his opponent, but we can't reach that conclusion for the general election.

We instead recommend El Paso Judge William Moody. The 56-year-old has served 19 years on a district court. During that time, Judge Moody has tried more than 400 cases and served as a presiding judge.

Before going on the bench, the Texas Tech Law grad spent 11 years as an El Paso prosecutor. In the district attorney's office, he worked on more than 100 felony trials.

Both Democrats and Republicans in El Paso praise Democrat Moody for being hard-working, honest and well reasoned.

Even corporate lawyers there recommend him as giving all sides a chance to make their case and for "being a brain working all the time," as one told us about Judge Moody, an amateur historian who writes about the presidency.

Justice Willett may be a good man, but Judge Moody has experience – an appropriate background for the state's highest court.

Judge Moody, like all the rest of the Democratic candidates in Texas, runs his campaign on a shoestring. Help us turn Texas a little bit blue.

[NMMNG]

26. Well, at least Rove got one thing right

Kuo also writes that Rove referred to evangelical leaders as “the nuts,”

[fujiyama]

28. Rove never struck me as a stupid religious nutcase

but a cold, calculating ass hole, evil in many other ways...but not stupid.

The fundies on the other hand, are a bunch of fucking idiots. It's funny to watch them used.

Too bad we all suffer for their mistakes.

[NMMNG]

29. I believe many of the fundies are idiots

But some of them are cunning, manipulative control-freaks who used Bush and the Rethugs as much as they used the fundies. That's why we're hearing things like "we did XYZ to support them and they didn't give us what we asked for". They gave money to the party, fostered support for it, handed votes to it, etc. In return they wanted certain things like the FMA, reversal of Roe vs. Wade, faith-based initiatives and so on. Now that they haven't received all of them they're cheesed.

[Patiod]

31. Santorum's spreading the "Faith-Based" $ in North Phila

basically letting people know that if he's not elected, they don't get their church-based health centers and jobs programs

-snip -

“In a gesture as much political as beneficial to the community,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Feb. 23 that Republican Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum announced a $4-million federal grant award for the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity to operate a job-training program. During the press briefing to announce the award, Specter lavished praise on Santorum, who is up for re-election next year, and urged the gathering of African-American religious leaders to support both their political ambitions.

Specter told the gathering that the two “went to the wall” to secure the federal grant, and that “we’re prepared to go to the wall again and again and again. But if we’re going to the wall, you’ve got to see that we’re in office.” Referring to Santorum as “President Bush’s No. 1 lieutenant,” Specter, who won a reelection victory in 2004, told the religious leaders that they needed “to have somebody like Rick Santorum” in Washington.

The senators’ announcement drew a critical editorial from the Philadelphia Daily News, arguing that their actions seemingly backed up the accusations of partisan intent in the faith-based initiative. “With relatively little money,” the newspaper said, “the administration has tempted churches with the possibility of federal funding for their programs, winning for them, if not votes, then at least neutrality.”

-- snip

for the whole article: http://www.au.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7302&a...

[bdamomma]

32. What do you except from Rove, he is such a weasel and a sleaze

[quiet.american]

34. And the irony -- his middle name is "Christian" and he was born on Dec. 25

Twisted.