First Shot of 2008 Election - Schlafly vs Obama

The first shots of the 2008 election appear to have been fired by a leading right wing social conservative, against a candidate who hasn’t even declared that he will run in 2008.

Phyllis Schlafly, right wing conservative, led the fight against the ERA (equal rights amendment), which would have given women more rights than they do now.  Schlafly believes that improvements in women's lives during the last decades of the twentieth century are not related to women's rights movements, but are instead the result of labor-saving devices such as the indoor clothes dryer and paper diapers.

Schlafly now appears to be having a hissyfit over the fact that Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren has invited Barack Obama to address his Evangelical MegaChurch in Southern California as part of "Global Summit on Aids and the Church".

Schlafly is obviously concerned that Obama may ideologically poach from the Evangelical Flock, a flock that she apparently considers to be put here on earth to support only her Conservative Republican vision.

So what is Schlafly doing? She’s asking Evangelical Leaders to pressure Rick Warren to un-invite Obama from speaking. I can’t help but wonder if Schlafly might have been one of the people behind the curtain that also just decided that new Christian Coalition President Joel Hunter couldn’t make fighting poverty part of the Christian Coalition’s priorities. (Hunter turned down the job as a result)

It is clear that the Republican Party has plans for Evangelicals in the 2008 elections, and Hope and a moderate ideological stance isn't part of that plan.  Will Evangelicals ever wake up and reject being manipulated? 

Update:

Pastor Rick Warren has fired back at Conservatives and is defending his decision to invite Obama:

"Our goal has been to put people together who normally won't even speak to each other," the Saddleback statement said. "We do not expect all participants in the summit discussion to agree with all of our evangelical beliefs. However, the HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be fought by evangelicals alone. It will take the cooperation of all — government, business, NGOs and the church."

Meanwhile uber-conservative Evangelical Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, e-mailed reporters Tuesday to protest the visit because of Obama's support of abortion rights.

"Senator Obama's policies represent the antithesis of biblical ethics and morality, not to mention supreme American values," Schenck wrote.

I find it rather sickening that a person like Rob Schenck can become President of the national Clergy Council.  Is there really anyone out there that beleives Schenck's contention that US Senator Barack Obama "represents the antithesis...of supreme American values"?  But I have to thank Rob Schenck for helping to identify the national Clergy Council as a religious wingnut haven. 

This organization beleives that biblical law should replace civil law.  It would be interesting to see which local Washington ministries are members of the national Clergy Council.

Comments

[Ole Blue]

" Will Evangelicals ever wake up and reject being manipulated? "

They are already gullible to begin with so they will probably follow hook line and sinker for any thing the neo-cons tell them.