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Bill Clinton Affirms To NBC That "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" From '90's Attacking Obama

By Bruce Wilson	Sun Sep 27, 2009 at 02:47:53 PM EST	print story

In an interview on NBC today, reports Politico.com, "Meet The Press" interviewer David Gregory asked Former US President Bill Clinton, "Your wife famously talked about the vast right wing conspiracy targeting you. As you look at this opposition on the right to President Obama, is it still there?"

Clinton answered in the affirmative; "Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America has changed demographically. But it's as virulent as it was. I mean, they're saying things about him. You know, it's like when they accused me of murder, and all that stuff they did... Their agenda seems to be wanting him to fail."

Bill Clinton's mention of the political import of demographic changes likely referred to an analysis, popular in liberal think-tank circles, which projects that because much the GOP's base has been rooted among white European-Americans, Democratic Party fortunes will rise in coming decades as non-European minority groups, which historically have tended to vote for Democratic Party candidates, come to constitute an ever-larger share of the voting electorate.

Organized around an anti-gay marriage and anti-reproductive rights agenda and a Christian nationalist vision for America, the Rainbow Right reflects ground-level developments on the Christian right as a decade long push to make the movement more racially and ethnically inclusive is coming to fruition so that many churches on the Christian right, such as Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee's San Antonio Cornerstone Church, now boast an impressive level of ethnic and racial diversity.

Behind the Rainbow Right is a rapidly growing charismatic movement within conservative Christianity that has gained enough influence that 2012 presidential election hopefuls such as Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee pay its leaders public obeisance. A number of national GOP politicians, such as US Senator John Ensign, are associated with the tendency, which also claims former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin [also see here] and reflects large-scale changes within global Christianity.

But Evangelical leaders in this new charismatic tendency aren't merely content wielding influence within the Republican Party. Rising young lions in the new charismatic tendency such as the Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, who as President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council purports to represent over 15 million Hispanic Christians, also are helping shape initiatives within Democrat-centrist think tank efforts such as the Third Way.

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Bill Clinton Affirms To NBC That "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" From '90's Attacking Obama | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

The instigators will deny everything (5.00 / 1)

It is really happening, and the instigators will deny everything, and will refuse to take responsibility for the hatred they exploit.

by khughes1963 on Sun Sep 27, 2009 at 03:42:43 PM EST

My observation (5.00 / 2)

is that among the traditionally-liberal-leaning, if they get involved with dominionist groups or churches, their politics changes over time to something much more conservative and harsh. The more they buy into the dominionist message and thinking, the more conservative and intolerant they become. It's part of the programming.

I just wonder if they'd left, what would happen with their viewpoint- would it return to something more progressive and accepting and tolerant?

I know that's the general rule with walkaways.

by ArchaeoBob on Sun Sep 27, 2009 at 04:21:09 PM EST

Like I asked over at DKos (none / 0)

I'd like to see the numbers on the median age of these rainbow right groups.
On further thought as to what happens on the ground, how does this "message" spread? Do they have speakers that go on a circuit? Is it visiting pastors to other churches? Also, what happens when this message is adopted? How do the congregations change, if at all? Who stays, who leaves?
Keep up the good work, Bruce.

by Da Rat Bastid on Sun Sep 27, 2009 at 10:47:21 PM EST

: Or rather, trout. nt (none / 0)

by Da Rat Bastid on Sun Sep 27, 2009 at 10:48:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Clinton is right... (none / 0)

about the opposition to Obama. A lot of people (especially liberals) were surprised by the Tea Parties, the Town Hall craziness and the 9/12 theatrics, but the people at them aren't saying anything different from what the Right said about the Clintons back in the 1990s (incidentally, I think a lot of the charges of opposition to Obama being rooted in racism are dumb). In fact, I think things would have been even worse if HRC had won the Democratic nomination and then the presidency. Back when I was in college in the early 2000s, when HRC ran for the Senate the first time in NY, a lot of undergrads had HRC's head photoshopped onto a picture of Adolph Hitler's body with the words "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer" plastered on their dorm room doors. I can't imagine what the reaction from the Right would have been if HRC had become president.

-------------
"I believe in a President whose views on religion are his own private affair" - JFK, Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
by hardindr on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 04:38:30 PM EST

I wouldn't be so sure... (none / 0)

I suggest you read what Tim Wise ( http://www.timwise.org/ ) has to say about the racist connections in the opposition to President Obama- check out the blog. He's right about what is going on, but he doesn't take it as far as he should. The racist connections between the "religious right"/dominionists/whatever are pretty strong, and much of the modern Religious Right started out of racism (per Frank Shaeffer, and if ANYONE should know, he would). Part of it is pure racism (which is largely misunderstood by most people- racism is still endemic to this country), part of it is political, and part of it is religious.

The same unholy mixture that we fight against.

by ArchaeoBob on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 06:29:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I disagree... (none / 0)

I think for all its problems, America has come a long way with regard to racism. It's true that the Christian Right's first mobilization was against integrating private religious academies in the South, but even they have had to seriously rethink their past behavior and associations, if anything because of shifting demographics. I think that most of the same kooky arguments against Obama would be made against HRC if she were elected president.

-------------
"I believe in a President whose views on religion are his own private affair" - JFK, Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
by hardindr on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 06:54:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: Not according to people who study race! (none / 0)

America has improved SOMEWHAT, but it's like saying the river has crested and gone down a few inches and thus things have improved greatly - when it's still 10 feet over flood stage.
I've studied race and racism in America (nine formal graduate-level hours, plus indirectly related independent research, and at least one other graduate-level course spent significant time on race and racism), and done my own individual research (which I've been asked by professors to publish). I've got a few hundred megabytes- or more- of peer reviewed race/racism related journal articles which I've read and analyzed. Racism is more covert, but it's still just as much of a problem (maybe more) than it was in the '70's and early 80's. I suggested you read Tim Wise's blog and articles, well, there are several books out that also are a worthwhile read. I can relate three of them off the top of my head:
Two Nations by Hacker.
RacistAmerica by Feagin
and the third covers race tangentially, but shows the problem too: Failing Grades by Kaplan (whom I was privileged to study and research race with).
I don't have the time to go and make a list of peer-reviewed journal articles, or to dig out the names of other books on the subject (some of which I own in my personal collection). These three are excellent and highly accurate.
In my own research, I was able to show that the major networks (and not just Faux and the Washington Times) were using racist biasing, and my findings mirrored other research done on other news reporting. In another project, I was able to show that racism is a dominant factor in the discussion of "immigration" through critical discourse/content analysis. I can say FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE as well as from my studies and research that racism is a major factor in this country- and based upon other research and my findings, I could say that at least in this area, most people are racist (but they'd likely deny it to their death).
Even the Dominionists are racist- if you don't assimilate, you're considered the lowest of the low- enemies of God even. It's covert even as most of American racism is now covert. Believe me, they're far more vicious against minorities that they cannot parade around as trophies. I've been there, done that, have the t-shirt (so to speak).

by ArchaeoBob on Thu Oct 01, 2009 at 12:24:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Clinton was wrong, it is even larger now (none / 0)

But then Clinton is a right winger himself and it looks good for him doing his buds bidding while they paint him as something he was not. The same goes for Obama as he keeps the fascist elements in our gov't alive and kicking. Curious but it works. Confusing but then that is the point to it. Clinton gave us "don't ask, don't tell" and the other abominations like NAFTA, GATT & WTO. He was Democrat in name only, just like Obama. Both he and his wife were never liberals. Obama certainly isn't one if he ever was one. But then with two heads of the same monster we have as political parties the truly liberal ones get left out in the cold as we saw how Kucinich was treated. No third parties have an equal chance either. Such is our system to keep our votes useless.

by Nightgaunt on Sun Oct 04, 2009 at 03:09:27 PM EST

Bill Clinton Affirms To NBC That "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" From '90's Attacking Obama | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

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