Rick Perry's prayer rally a failed hot mess of hypocrisy

Luckily I was away at a family reunion - celebrating actual love - so I missed Perry's hot mess of a rally. But according Right Wing Watch made videos of certain scenes. And they just kill me. How in the world can some of these people dare to pray to God for deliverance for the nation while ignoring their own sins?

People like Tony Perkins of the hate group the Family Research Council, pseudo historian David Barton who had made a career out of not only verbally bashing the gay community but also manipulating history to suit his beliefs, and Don Wildmon, head of another anti-gay hate group the American Family Association.

If you ever want to get an idea as to why Christianity is getting a bad reputation in this country, these folks are the culprits:



But there is some good news coming out of this. Box Turtle Bulletin says that rally was a failure in three regards:

Houston’s Reliant Stadium hold 71,000 people, but according to officials with Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s “The Response” prayer rally, about 30,000 people showed up. That should mean that the stadium would be half full. Doesn’t look like it to me. Failure #1.


Perry also sent invitations to every governor in the nation to attend his rally. The only one to show up was Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. Gov. Rick Scott of Florida made a video that was played in the stadium. Only two others out of at least forty-nine — that’s failure #2.

The American Family Association’s Tim Wildmon addressed criticisms of the wholesale obliteration of the lines between church and state as represented by a religious revival organized by a political executive by saying “no political candidates will be speaking.” Candidate, perhaps not — although please, does anyone not believe Perry is running for president — but the criticism stems from two current, elected governors speaking from the stage with another one phoning it in. These aren’t just candidates. They are current office-holders sworn to uphold the Constitution. Failure #3.

Who's going to protect America from Rick Perry's 'prayer warriors'

The main thing about Rick Perry's prayer rally today, it definitely proves the adage that sometimes "up is down" and "black is white." This is a partial list which I got from Right-Wing Watch highlighting the participants of the rally. To put it mildly, these folks are a grotesque hodgepodge of demagogues and ultra religious maniacs so fanatical that they would probably turn the legendary anti-Semite and Islamophobe Tomas de Torquemada into an aetheist. And it definitely makes one want to ask the question -  why are these folks concerned with our souls when they definitely don't care for their own:

The American Family Association

The American Family Association is the driving force behind The Response. Founded by the Rev. Don Wildmon in 1977, the organization is based is best known for its various boycott campaigns, promotion of art censorship, and political advocacy against women’s rights and LGBT equality. The organization also controls the vast American Family Radio and an online news service, in addition to sponsoring various conferences frequented by Republican leaders, including the Values Voter Summit and Rediscovering God in America. The AFA today is led by Tim Wildmon, Don’s son, and its chief spokesperson is Bryan Fischer, the Director of Issues Analysis for Government and Public Policy and host of its flagship radio show Focal Point. Fischer routinely expresses support for some of the most bigoted and shocking ideas found in the Religious Right today. He has:

• held gays responsible for the Holocaust and likened them to domestic terrorists and Nazis who are intent on committing “virtual genocide” against the military, and asserts that “homosexuals should be disqualified from public office”;
• said “we have feminized the Medal of Honor” by awarding it to a soldier who saved his fellow combatants rather than killing enemies;
• demanded all immigrants “convert to Christianity” and renounce their religions;
• asserted that Muslims have “no fundamental First Amendment claims” and should be banned from building mosques and deported from the US, adding that Muslims are inherently stupid as a result of inbreeding;

International House of Prayer

The Response’s leadership team includes five senior staff members of the International House of Prayer (IHOP), a large, highly political Pentecostal organization built on preparing participants for the return of Jesus Christ. In a recent video, IHOP encouraged supporters to pray for Jews to convert to Christianity in order to bring about the Second Coming. IHOP is closely associated with Lou Engle, a Religious Right leader whose anti-gay, anti-choice extremism hasn’t stopped him from hobnobbing with Republican leaders including Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Mike Huckabee.
Engle has a long history of pushing extreme right-wing views and advocating for a conservative theocracy in America. Engle:

• is a proponent of “Seven Mountains” dominionism, a movement that seeks to have Christians take control of all aspects of American life, including government, business, entertainment and the media;supports the criminalization of homosexuality;
• claimed that universities with LGBT anti-discrimination measures are teaching students to “accept the mark of the beast”;

FRC's Tony Perkins reduced to an unconvincing grin on Hardball

Last night, Family Research Council head Tony Perkins debated Barry Lynn of the Americans for Separation of Church & State last night on Hardball and got hammered. The two were debating Texas Governor Rick Perry's prayer event (happening today) and its strange cast of characters.

The last time  Perkins was on Hardball, he was debating the Southern Poverty Law Center's Mark Potok on being named as an anti-gay hate group. Some of us got angry because we felt Chris Matthews, the host of Hardball, was too concillatory to Perkins.

I personally didn't believe that. I felt Matthews was overcompensating because he had covertly showed a degree of contempt to Perkins during the interview.

It wasn't the case this time as Matthews actually checked Perkins for trying to take the role of moderator away from him. Lynn, meanwhile, caught Perkins in a host of inconsistencies. Perkins tried the same modus operandi on Lynn that he attempted on Potok (i.e. accusing Lynn of "not doing his homework" and playing the victim.) Lynn, however, wasn't having any of it. By the time the debate was over, all Perkins could do was grin in that too familiar phony manner which many of us have come to expect from him.

All in all, it was an excellent segment.

Related post - Perry's prayer event will put Christianity's worst on display

Hat tip to Back 2 Stonewall.