Thursday, May 30, 2019

The religious right wants you to pray for Trump while forgetting how they smeared Obama

Franklin Graham doesn't want you to remember how he exploited birther lies about Obama.

Piggybacking from Wednesday's post, Franklin Graham and several so-called Christian (religious right) leaders want Sunday to be designated as a day of prayer for Donald Trump under the guise that he is facing attacks like no president has before. The irony is that a  number of these "concerned folks" spent the last eight years smearing and demonizing President Barack Obama in some of the nastiest tones and untrue claims. From questioning his citizenship to claiming that he is paving the way for the Anti-Christ, their attacks had the same slanderous theme - that Obama was a Manchurian candidate who hated Christianity, hated America, and was doing everything in his power to destroy the country.

Franklin Graham once claimed that Russian president Putin's persecution of his country's gay citizens was more noble than Obama supporting LGBTQ equality?  Graham also helped to spread the nonsense that Obama wasn't an American citizen?

Alan Keyes, who Obama defeated for the Senate seat from Illinois in 2004, once called Obama a "radical communist." He also stoked the birther controversy regarding Obama to the point of pushing an unsuccessful lawsuit about it. In addition, Keyes said that Obama was destroying everything American.

John Hagee charged that Obama anti-Semitic. He also once claimed that Ebola was God's judgment for Obama supposedly dividing Jerusalem.

Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver said that Obama was bringing in Syrian refugees because he doesn't love America. He also said Congress should launch an investigation regarding Obama's birth certificate.

American Values president Gary L. Bauer once said Obama is more interested in defending the reputation of Islam than saving the lives of Christians. He once claimed that Obama and terrorists share the same agenda.

James Dobson once accused Obama of trying to use dictatorial powers to change how men, women and children relate each other and themselves and urged people to protect their children from him.

Former Governor Mike Huckabee once falsely said a domestic terrorism plan pushed by Obama would require Americans to memorize the Koran. Another time, he said Obama pretends to be a Christian.

Alveda King said Obama supports killing babies. 

Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann once compared Obama to Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 who allegedly deliberately crashed the plane in the French Alps, killing himself and 149 other people. She also accused Obama of supporting the "agenda of Islamic Jihad."

Vision America's Rick Scarborough accused Obama of trying to "de-Christianize" America and also said the country would not survive if he were re-elected.

Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, once accused Obama of "paving the way for the Anti-Christ."

Harry Jackson said voting for Obama invites "divine vengeance" on America.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins once said Obama is hostile towards Christianity. He accused Obama of being harsher to Christians in America than to the terrorist group ISIS and also blamed him for worldwide anti-Christian persecution. In addition, Perkins also exploited birther rumors about Obama by claiming that questions about his birth certificate were "legitimate."

The American Family Association's Tim Wildmon called Obama a "secret Muslim" and "was in love with Islam."

WallBuilders head David Barton repeatedly told the lie that Obama didn't mention God in Thanksgiving proclamations.

I don't know what's worse - that Franklin Graham and company can be so hypocritical AND probably justify it or that the media - particularly cable news media -  would probably allow them to get away with it by not reminding folks about what they did to Obama. 

But let's do remind folks. As often as we can.

Related post - A day of prayer for Donald Trump is a vulgar mockery to everything decent in the world  

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