Well, this did not take long. Since achieving blowout victories in a plethora of state legislative races during November's midterm elections, it seems as if the TEA Partiers, hardline partisan ideologues, and all-around kooks deep down in the heart of Texas have decided to shoot themselves in not only one, but both feet. Just what, exactly, have they done?
The incumbent Republican House Speaker, San Antonio area Representative Joe Straus, apparently managed to earn their ire by being something very dangerous in the current American political climate: a moderate. Not on fiscal issues, though, which, in my view, is a good thing, but instead on social ones. Elected roughly two years ago to preside over a chamber closely divided between Democrats and the GOP, he has toed a centrist line on matters such as same sex adoptions and women's reproductive rights. While, for a while, it appeared his opponents were targeting him only for his political beliefs, far more grim motivations were revealed early last week when a string of emails were uncovered by an Austin newspaper, the contents of which proved beyond a doubt that the impetus for many opposing Straus is his Judaism.
"WE elected a house with Christian, conservative values. We now want a true Christian, conservative running it," Texas Republican Executive Committee member John Cook wrote. "Straus' record is not conservative. Period!!" Cook's views gel perfectly with those of Kaufman County TEA Party Chairman Ray Myers, who recently opined on the importance of finding a "Christian Conservative" leader who has "decided not to be pushed around by the Joe Straus thugs." When confronted by Fox News on his statements, the former was quick to say that he harbors "no racial bigotry" and, by golly, even has "friends who are Jewish."
What a swell guy. Not only does Cook go out of his way to state that he is not a racist, despite racial prejudice not being an issue here, but also that he actually knows a few Jews, meaning that he cannot possibly be anti-Semitic. Wow! Talk about Christian values put into action.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - zingzing
you get what you vote for. when you (not you, but youuuuoouuuu) vote for a right wing nut job, you're going to get a man or woman with religious conviction on all things, including religion. god, country and guns. and no taxes. and white people. such is life in the theocracy.
2 - Dave Nalle
Very disappointed to see a writer on BC picking up a bogus take on this story which was basically manufactured by the Dallas Morning News and has very little substance to support it.
I realize your Jewish ancestry makes you more sensitive the anti-semitism, and that's what the political left and the media are playing on to grossly misrepresent this situation with the help of a few idiots in the Republican Party.
It's telling that out of thousands of GOP officials they have only been able to find a couple who made remarks which they can misconstrue as racist about the speaker's race.
The truth which you aren't choosing to present here is that Speaker Straus has worked against the best interests of his party and the people of Texas by making backroom deals with Democrats and even supporting Democrats against Republicans in key races around the state. The problem is not that Straus is a moderate and it's certainly not that he's a Jew, it's that he isn't supporting his own party.
He won the speaker's seat with the support of very few Republicans and has been attempting to hold that position by keeping principled Republicans out of office and buying off the rest.
Not surprisingly this has made a lot of Republicans angry, from the grassroots to the highest levels.
It's not about how conservative or Jewish Straus is, though I'm sure religious conservatives who have lost so much ground in the party would like to see him out, it's about Straus' disloyalty to his own party. That's it.
Dave
3 - Larry Linn
My grandparents were Christians in Northern Ireland. She was Protestant, and he was Catholic. They had to flee after death threats. When I became of age, I volunteered and joined the Army, and I served as an 11B Infantryman. Most of my time in the field was in squad or platoon size operations. We would have discussions about what we were fighting for. It always came back to the “Bill of Rights”. To me the most important was “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
What did our Founding Fathers have to say about religion:
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god." - Thomas Jefferson (letter to Peter Carr, 10 August 1787):
"All natural institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason;
"Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.", John Madison;
“Lighthouses are more helpful than Churches”, Benjamin Franklin
4 - Baronius
So, they're looking for a Christian conservative, and the guy with a Jewish last name isn't a conservative?
That sounds terible. I don't know if it was motivated by anti-Semitism, but there's no excuse for sounding like that.
5 - Ruvy
Mr. Cotto, I think I read somewhere that you identify yourself as a Rockefeller Republican. Yes, I did - in your intro up top.
Well, this is how a real Rockefeller Republican talks - when he thinks you aren't listening. By the way, when these remarks were made, the Rockefeller Republican in question was Jewish. He has since remedied that "defect".
Blessings from Liberated Samaria, ISRAEL
Ruvy
6 - Jeannie Danna
Good article until the leftist insult.
This is what's wrong with the GOP/Tea. Too preocupied with party to really move toward any balance in this country.
Why do you HAVE to take down the left?
:D We have the right to B.
7 - Jeannie Danna
The GOP/TEA want a theocracy without any form of government.
What a pipe dream that would be. What happens after this is achieved? Do you all start shooting each other over land and for food? Or, just over which GOD is the sheeniest?
8 - Glenn Contrarian
Dave -
It's telling that out of thousands of GOP officials they have only been able to find a couple who made remarks which they can misconstrue as racist about the speaker's race.
1 - are the quotations accurate? If so, then how the hell can you say "they" misconstrued those statements?
2 - As with the racist signs at the Tea Party rallies that you claimed were brought there by leftists, explain why is it that the Left is up in arms about such racist comments, but not the Right? It's the same thing with those racist signs - if the Tea Partiers are so NON-racist, then why the hell didn't the Tea Partiers on the scene speak up in anger and outrage at those supposed 'leftists' holding up those signs?
Hm?
Dave, I was raised Down South. I know racism when I see it and hear it...and I know desperate denial when I see and hear it, too.
9 - Dave Nalle
Glenn, you can't take a few crazy racists and say that they represent an entire party. Are you represented by Harry Belafonte, Louis Farakhan and David Dukes?
As for the racists at Tea Party events, you can go to YouTube and find multiple videos of them being ejected from events or asked to leave by the organizers or just random attendees outraged by their behavior.
I recommend these two videos:
Interviews with black tea partiers
Tea Partiers confront racist.
10 - El Bicho
He may not be much of a conservative, but if it has nothing to do with the guy being Jewish, which isn't a race last time I checked, there's no reason for the Christian aspect to be brought up repeatedly by his detractors.
11 - zingzing
i love how they assume a guy from the kkk is a dem shill in the description of the second of dave's videos. classic. deny thyself.
12 - Dave Nalle
EB, there is no Christian aspect to this except in the minds of the media and people like Joseph who've picked it up from them.
Dave
13 - Dave Nalle
Zing, that's just a sign of how unaccustomed they are to dealing with racists. Since racism is entirely alien to them they assume any racists must come from the party of racial exploitation.
Dave
14 - zingzing
oh, dave... that's just dumb. if racism is entirely alien to them, they're idiots... racism exists, and exists across party lines, and i think everyone knows that. and i think we can all point to some points in the past that would suggest the republican party is not immune. don't be a fool.
15 - El Bicho
"there is no Christian aspect to this except in the minds of the media and people like Joseph who've picked it up from them."
and of course the minds of Christian conservatives who have stated on the record they want Christian conservatives.
16 - Cannonshop
#15, Probably because it's hard to find an actual Conservative whom is also an actual Christian. If you read the New Testament, it's pretty clear-Jesus was a Socialist, Statist, and Monarchist.
Socialism, Statism, and Monarchism are not consistent with American Style Conservatism.
17 - zingzing
cannonshop makes a point. jesus was an evil, evil man according to today's conservative standard. may the christian message be spread like butter 'pon a roll.
18 - Glenn Contrarian
C-shop -
#15, Probably because it's hard to find an actual Conservative whom is also an actual Christian. If you read the New Testament, it's pretty clear-Jesus was a Socialist, Statist, and Monarchist.
True on all counts. He was also against the death penalty and very much for helping the poor and disabled. Jesus also believed in obeying not only heavenly law but also secular law - including paying taxes.
I am very much a Christian.
19 - Glenn Contrarian
zing -
...racism exists, and exists across party lines, and i think everyone knows that.
Very true - BUT as I've pointed out to Dave on many occasions, it's a matter of degree. To paraphrase Jesus, the Republicans want to point out the mote in the Democrats' eye while ignoring the log in the Republicans' eye.
20 - Jeannie Danna
#16
Must not have any faith in Jesus, because #16 fights any talk of social programs in his You're on your own country.
:D Is this a flip flop?
21 - Baronius
Jesus had little to say about political systems. He talked about belief and behavior. A person can follow His teachings while living in a monarchy, republic, anarchy, or pretty much any system. Christianity has historically been a thorn in the side of the government, rather than its servant or master (although exceptions abound). It’s not surprising that Christians should be active in reform movements such as the civil rights and pro-life movements. It is surprising how the left in this country has pushed its religious element to the back burner after the 1960’s. The right may be facing that same test today.
22 - Jeannie Danna
Jesus had a lot to say about politics in his day and his liberal views are the reason they crucified him.
:D I'm in good company!
23 - Dr Dreadful
Jesus had a lot to say about politics in his day and his liberal views are the reason they crucified him.
Not really, Jeannie. He's on record as advocating the separation of church and state ("render unto Caesar...") and pointedly distanced himself from any sort of earthly political activism, even though many of his followers were champing at the bit and the Sanhedrin and the Romans tried pushing a number of revolutionary buttons to see if he'd go for it.
And the Romans crucified him basically to shut the Jewish authorities up. It was just easier that way.
24 - Baronius
Dread, I'd say that the lesson from "render undo Caesar..." is more that governmental and religious authority each have their place. The phrase "separation of church and state" carries too much specific meaning to the modern mind to correctly project it back 2000 years ago.
I do agree with you that Jesus didn't seem to have a specific political agenda.
25 - Cindy
21
Jesus was not a Christian. And I agree with Gandhi in saying Christians are nothing like Jesus. You can be a Christian no matter whose rules you live under. You can even be a Christian and support gov'ts. But you can't be doing what Jesus taught and support gov'ts of any kind.
There is a reason Jesus was apolitical. Gov'ts do not belong in a sane world where people are doing the right thing.