James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, a conservative, nonprofit organization that wields widespread influence among Christian Republicans, has come, oh, so close to endorsing the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain. For the past year Dobson, who endorsed George W. Bush in 2004, has been mainly saying which Republican he would not endorse, Rudy Giuliani because he was pro-choice, Fred Thompson because he opposed the marriage amendment and, at one point, McCain because of restrictions that the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms put on nonprofit communications with members about political issues. At one time Dobson even suggested he might not vote for the first time in his adult life if the candidates didn’t meet his standards of being antiabortion and for family values. That could have caused millions of religious conservatives to stay home on Nov. 4…
But last night Dobson appeared to ease that worry. Stressing that he was speaking as an individual, Dobson did not actually endorse McCain — yet. But he did tell Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel that though he has "problems" with all three remaining presidential candidates, especially the two Democrats, he fully intended to vote on Nov. 4. That was a signal to his followers that they might have to settle for the least-worst candidate, namely McCain. "Let me just say," Dobson said, "that I will certainly vote. I think we have a God-given responsibility to vote, and there are all of the candidates and the issues down the ballot that we have an obligation to weigh in on and let our voices be heard."
Of course it had to happen. The monomaniacal James Dobson couldn’t just sit on the sidelines giving pseudoscientific advice to parents about how to raise children [like fathers and sons showering together to prevent homosexuailty]. He was in a bind. McCain isn’t a strong anti-abortion, anti-homosexual, bible thumper. McCain was a philanderer after returning from Viet Nam, finally divorcing his first wife [crippled in his absence by a car wreck] to marry a wealthy beer distributor’s [beautiful] daughter. So Dobson couldn’t really support him outright. But Dobson sure can’t keep his mouth shut.
Driving north out of Colorado Springs one comes upon a strange world. On the left side of the road there’s the huge campus of the Air Force Academy. And on the right side, there’s an endless sprawl of generic suburbs with generic shopping malls [and Ted Haggard’s mega-church]. It is the single most "plastic" place I’ve ever seen – 1950’s post-war denial redux. In the center of it all is the campus of Focus on the Family, Dobson’s feifdom. In the South, we use the term "white flight" for such places. It’s hard for me to imagine life there, evaporating into a Disney-esque vinyl-sided world of mega-churches and some version of a Xenophobic good life. Dobson’s message of wholesome family values and disregard for anyone outside this bubble apparently fits whatever all of this is about.
At the core, Dodson is one of those Republicans who wants to ignore any portion of society that wouldn’t fit this peculiar world north of Colorado Springs. So, he’s going to have to find a way to support McCain. These are the kinds of people who wouldn’t be looking for a black man or a woman to be President. They see "Liberals" as something like "the red menace" from the post WWII era – trying to corrupt their children and take their stuff. Gay people, African-Americans, intellectuals, women lib types, don’t exactly flock to this part of the country. I expect Dobson will "reluctantly" conclude that Obama is the champion of diversity, a non-Christian because of Reverend Wright, an abortionist, an anti-family-values kind of guy. So he’ll be driven to support McCain, ignoring McCain’s history. When it comes down to brass tacks, the Religious Right doesn’t have much to do with Christianity. It’s about the fear of pop culture and a longing for the previous, non-existent time as seen on the
Donna Reed Show,
Leave it to Beaver, or
Father Knows Best [particularly,
Father Knows Best]. As soon as Dobson finds a way to make McCain into the Moral Choice, he’ll be trying to rally the faithful…
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.