McCain should reject Hagee endorsement
During the 2000 Republican presidential primary campaign, Senator John McCain, a candidate at that time just as he is today, criticized leaders of the religious right as being "agents of intolerance" for their bigoted views and their inappropriate pulpit support of his then opponent George W. Bush.
McCain labeled that group as being divisive and he singled out Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell for their use of religion to influence a political outcome. Because of his outspokenness, he lost any support from that element of the Republican Party, which contributed to his loss of the nomination to George W. Bush.
Since that time, McCain seems to have flip-flopped in his thinking regarding the religious right. Over the last eight years, he tried to make up with the late Jerry Falwell in particular, by literally taking him in his arms and embracing him shortly before his death, in what can only be viewed as an act of hypocrisy to gather votes by using someone that he once disdained.
McCain hasn't been able to nab support from some of the religious right hierarchy like Dr. James Dobson, but he recently managed to get the endorsement of Texas evangelical John Hagee, who is an influential activist in the Christian Zionist Movement.
Hagee is probably best known to Americans through his televised program on which he trumpets the fact that he eagerly awaits Armageddon and the ensuing "rapture." He has a history of problems with various minority groups within American society, and because of his outspoken bigotry has well earned the very negative reputation he has today.
Hagee has a clear problem with African-Americans. The Cornerstone Church where he pastors was condemned for announcing a "slave sale" a few years back to raise funds for high school seniors. As was reported in the San Antonio Express News, the church bulletin announced "Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone. Make plans to come and go home with a slave." This racist attitude is indicative of Hagee and should be condemned by all Americans, even Senator John McCain.
Hagee has a real problem with women, accusing those who live in the reality of the 21st century as being in opposition to God's plan for the family. His criticism is clearly out of touch with the actual lives of women trying to make a living and working hard to raise families in times of economic hardship.
Some of his quotes are truly offensive to women and should not be tolerated by any candidate running for President of the United States of America. Sara Posner in "God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and Republican Crusade for Values Voters" quotes Hagee as saying, "Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist." If this type of rhetoric is appealing to John McCain, I think he can count the women's vote off his wish list.
The president of the Catholic League, Bill Donahue openly criticized Senator McCain for accepting Hagee's endorsement. According to the Washington Post, Donahue called Hagee a bigot who has "waged an unrelenting war on the Catholic Church." Donahue complained that Hagee has written extensively in negative ways about the Catholic Church, "calling it ‘The Great Whore,' an ‘apostate church,' the anti-Christ,' and a ‘false cult system.'" McCain's embrace of this guy may swing some Evangelical voters his way, but the Catholic vote, which once was behind McCain, will now be virtually impossible for him to recapture.
McCain and Hagee probably can be said to agree on one thing without question and that is a military confrontation with Iran. McCain uses the threat to "bomb Iran" for supposedly national security reasons, while Hagee pushes it as part of his biblical prophecy scenario for "end times." But either way the catastrophic results for the American people will be the same.
The fact that Senator McCain has so unashamedly accepted the endorsement of John Hagee leaves many people shaking their heads in disbelief, because at one time McCain was at least by most people considered to be an honorable person for his stance against religious divisiveness and bigotry.
Senator John McCain should quickly and publicly "reject and denounce" Hagee's endorsement. In the end McCain will wind up losing more voters than he will gain by aligning himself with the likes of this preacher man.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Carol Jensen is a long-time Barstow resident, graduating from Kennedy High School and Barstow College, where she was an English instructor for many years. Much of her time now is spent writing political and social commentary. She may be contacted at cajensen49@msn.com.
