News

Dobson Works Against Republicans

May 19, 1998

Time Magazine reports that GOP leaders have been trying to formulate a "Dobsonesque" message to "placate" the far right. But the danger of James Dobson of the anti-gay Focus on the Family, who held an angry meeting with GOP leaders two weeks ago, "became clear" when GOP Rep. Jon Christensen was defeated in the NE gov. primary on May 12. Christensen "could have been bred in Dobson's lab. ...Christensen touted Dobson's endorsement in his ads, but the GOPstar tanked at 28% (and wept like a baby), upset by the moderate [Lincoln Mayor Mike] Johnanns, who pointedly criticized Christensen for his homophobia. Could people be seeing that the Christian right is not very Christian? The golden rule doesn't include gay bashing and divisiveness." Time concludes Dobson "is now boosting" ex-Rep. Bob Dornan, "the loudest, loosest cannon in all the right wing, who is running again for the [CA] seat he has yet to concede he lost in 1996. If in conservative [NE] the new family values seems to be tolerance, let's see if Newt goes to [CA] to help" (5/25 issue).

In a U.S. News and World Report story entitled "Republicans Scared Silly," it is revealed that during his private meeting with the GOP leadership last week, Pat Robertson asked House Speaker Newt Gingrich whatever happened to the plan to provide private school vouchers for low-income children in DC. Gingrich: "We already passed that." Robertson "fumed": "Why weren't we kept informed?"