I think we ought to run Martin Sheen for President, since "looking like a President" seems a more important  qualification than, you know, being able to do the job.  Oh, and whether you'd have a beer with the guy.  By the latter standard I can't vote for *ANYONE*, since I don't care for beer.

.

Shades of "Being There."

Thompson should distance himself as far as he can from Dobson if he knows what's best.

Dobson has too much baggage now to be as successful as he claims he was in 2000 and 2004.

Thompson has an acting career to think of.

Walking away from that would be a real sacrifice.

Dobson only appeals to the extremes because he's one of them.

www.slate.com/id/2109621/

www.elroy.net/ehr/dobson.html

Y'all are really trying to suck me back in here, huh?  ;-)

Doc. James Dobson has explicitly called for the creation of a theocracy in the United States, and considers it a "tragedy" that the Supreme Court spoke kindly of freedom of conscience:

"In effect, the scriptural principles which our founding fathers
incorporated must again be brought to bear on every aspect of life,
including education, government and law...."

"Tragically, the words written by Supreme Court Justices O'Connor,
Kennedy and Souter in the Casey decision stand in stark contrast to
that historic acknowledgment of God. They said, 'At the heart of
liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of
meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.'"

(James Dobson, letter to supporters, July 1996.)

What an organization with an axe to grind says about him doesn't count, GrpThk.  I found nothing concrete at the link you provided.  I want to know what this "baggage" is that you are referring to, and what he's said and done that has been so extreme.

It sure is good to have you back, Hardliner, but you'll have to provide me with something that would fall under the category of "extreme."  That statement just represents the typical conventional conservative Christian perspective. 

In 1996, James Dobson voted for Howard Phillips for President.  Howard Phillips and his then-called "U.S. Taxpayers Party" call for the complete implementation of Old Testament law -- along with its death penalties for things like homosexuality, rebellious kids, or promoting "false religions."

The U.S. Taxpayers Party is now -- incredibly misleadingly -- named the "Constitution Party."

Doc, you don't consider the repeal of liberty of conscience, and the implementation of religious law, "extreme?"

Please don't go out of your way to be contrary, simply because I (or someone you perceive as being like me) am saying it.  :-)

Dusty, Dobson, knowing that only God can judge the heart, made it abundantly clear he was offering an "impression." 

Doc, you don't consider the repeal of liberty of conscience, and the implementataion of religious law, "extreme?"

Please don't go out of your way to be contrary, simply because I (or someone you perceive as being like me) am saying it.  :-)

I'll have to look further into his voting record, Hardliner, but I do know that your lines such as "the repeal of conscience, and the implementation of religious law," are a matter of interpretation, not an actual accurate reflection of what Dobson represents. 

And, BTW, I can't think of any better reason for going "out of my way to be contrary" than the fact that it is you (or someone I perceive to be you) that is saying it  ((:>))

S'ok, Doc.  I, too, went through a period of denial when I was a Christian.  I remember defending him when I first joined a Colorado Springs-based civil liberties group.

I just didn't want to believe that's what he was really about.  He was one of the last Christian personalities that I maintained faith in.

He hates the federal courts because they enforce the Constitution and protect individual freedoms.  He uses "liberal" to disparage anyone who believes in personal freedom apart from his religious dictates.  And "liberal," of course, is being used as a very dirty word.

An Avril Lavigne song about the futility of making it any more obvious comes to mind.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe his background is in psychology.   Extreme right-wing "Christians" consider psychology as an evil alternative to the Bible. 

I don't really like his personality, and he is more conservative than I am.  But I have yet to come across anything that would suggest that he is extreme.  I don't see him blaming 9/11 on the United States, like our friend Jerry Falwell did, or, more recently Rosie O'Donnel (although, to be fair, Falwell at least apologized).  I don't hear about him calling for presidents of rivaling nations to be assassinated like our friend Pat Robertson has.  I'll grant all of you that he's extremely conservative.  He's a right-winger, plain and simple.  And personally, to me he comes across as self-righteous.  There's no doubt about that.  But I think the label of "extremist" is a little extreme. 

Doc, if you want to quarrel over proper use of terminology, vis a vis "extremist," I'll call you on describing Dobson as "conservative."

Conservative, at least during the Goldwater era (and to a fading but still prevailing extent, the Reagan era), meant less government, limited government, and personal responsibility.

What Dobson is advocating is government with few to no limitations on itself, wants the government to make your most intimate personal choices for you rather than trusting them to your personal responsibility -- and if he could make as many things a crime as he would like to (with prison terms, of course), the strain on the state and federal budget, what with the huge payrolls for correctional officers and construction of new prisons, would make the Iraq War look like a bargain.

That is not conservative, not as I knew it.

So, either we can respect one another's perception of what "extremism" is, or I'll start calling you out over the misuse of "conservative."

Yes, conservatives and liberals disagree on the role of government.  That doesn't make either group an extremist group.  The government ends up paying for errors in human judgement whether those errors are deemed the result of individuals being "bad" or "mad."  Personally, I don't think every human problem should be conceptualized as a matter of wrongdoing and punishment. 

Drug abuse, for example, is, more often than not, a matter of folks with mental health issues self-medicating. That doesn't justify drug abuse, but it is best treated with consideration for underlying psychological problems. 

Isn't Dobson a psychologist?  If so, I'm sure he understands that problems should be conceptualized, not just in terms of "badness" but also "madness."   Of course "madness" is not the ideal term to use to describe those afflicted with psychological distress, but I'm using the terms for purposes of rhyme, not reason. 

Doc..while a lot of folks DO have mental issues and self medicate, the numbers tell us that isn't always the case.  Some of the mental issues are caused by the drug abuse.  I'd be hard pressed to believe that all these kids running around using Meth have mental issues.  The consensus is that whenver possible treat the co occuring disorders at the same time.  The odd thing is people would rather admit to a substance abuse problem than to admit they are taking phych meds.

By the way..I just went to a training that reported a very slight decrease in the numbers of meth users.  Not a lot..but a little.

As for Fred Thompson..I hope he has broad shoulders and a thick skin if he decides to run.  He'll need it as the character assasination has already begun..even here on this blog.  Speaking of that..where's Tkozy these days?

"Tragically, the words written by Supreme Court Justices O'Connor,
Kennedy and Souter in the Casey decision stand in stark contrast to
that historic acknowledgment of God. They said, 'At the heart of
liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of
meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.'"

"...you'll have to provide me with something that would fall under the category of "extreme."  That statement just represents the typical conventional conservative Christian perspective." 

Therefore, the typical conventional conservative Christian perspective is extreme.

Hannibal Lecter was a pyscholgist too Doc.

This is what Focus on the Family co-founder Gil Alexander-Moegerle says about Dobson in his book..."One of Jim's worst traits is that of demonizing those who differ with him by exaggerating or omitting part of their reasoning in order to make their views seem preposterous."

The guy's an egomaniac just like the rest of those who think they speak for God and compares stem cell research to Nazi atrocities, and thinks Sponge Bob is a gay infiltrator secretly turning our youth into sodomites.

Okay, maybe he might be right about spongebob....

Thompson's in the Presidential race.  No, not that one.

http://www.latimes.com/news...