President’s Minister Endorses Obama
[Guest post by DRJ]
President George W. Bush’s spiritual advisor, Houston minister Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, will endorse and campaign for Barack Obama:
“The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, longtime spiritual adviser to President George W. Bush and senior pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, plans to campaign on behalf of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
Caldwell said Saturday that he’s endorsing Obama’s presidential campaign because of the senator’s “character, confidence and courage.” He emphasized that his support is personal and not tied to his job as pastor of the large United Methodist church. The pastor, however, said he has informed his congregation of his presidential choice and that Obama may even pay a visit to his church.
“I have been in contact with the Obama campaign team,” he said. “I will be making visits on his behalf.” Caldwell touted Obama as someone who is electable and “would do a wonderful job to bring people together to pursue a common vision we all have.”
Caldwell reports that Bush is “OK” with his endorsement.
— DRJ
“would do a wonderful job to bring people together to pursue a common vision we all have.”
Except those people who were aborted. Or maybe that’s the common vision.
I have another question: Did the Shrub pick his minister for political correctness and photo ops?
nk (a07608) — 1/19/2008 @ 7:40 pmI had no idea he had a spiritual advisor. Bush has always struck me as more honest than most Presidents we have had – might be part of the reason he sticks his foot in his mouth so often.
I think that there is a very narrow tightrope Hillary will have to walk in regards to the black voters. Go too far and she risks many of the most reliable dems staying home on election eve in Nov.
voiceofreason (f4b829) — 1/19/2008 @ 7:56 pmvor’s got a good point there, one I’ve been considering of late. If Hillary alienates the black vote, that would pretty much hand the election over to the Republican nominee. The blacks don’t even have to vote Republican, they could just stay home.
Blacks make up about 15% of the voters, but 90% of them vote Dem. For the Dems, that’s 13 of the roughly 50% they get at the polls. Hard to win with that kind of handicap.
Hillary’s got a large lead in delegates, so maybe she should tone her attacks down a bit.
Steverino (af57bc) — 1/19/2008 @ 8:04 pmIs there something wrong with a spiritual adviser VOR?
“Caldwell reports that Bush is “OK” with his endorsement.”
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/19/2008 @ 8:41 pmDid people expect him to say you’re fucking nuts rev?
Is there something wrong with a spiritual adviser VOR?
Apparently you think there is something wrong with this particular spiritual advisor.
But then I never read the scripture that tells us the GOP is the only path….
voiceofreason (f4b829) — 1/19/2008 @ 9:08 pmApparently you think there is something wrong with this particular spiritual advisor.
You’re projecting again VOR. Why would the Reverend make it a point to say his personal political choice was okay with Bush in his announcement if it wasn’t expected to raise questions among others? Why would anyone except Bush haters expect him to criticize anyone else’s choices?
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/19/2008 @ 9:24 pmYour words DR not mine. the only thing projected was your words back to you.
voiceofreason (f4b829) — 1/19/2008 @ 9:27 pmIs the guy black? I wrote this before I linked to the article. I suggest his endorsement has far more to do with skin color than ideology.
davod (5bdbd3) — 1/19/2008 @ 9:36 pmI dont care for OBANA at all he is too liberal and is too demacrat and too much tax and spend and big goverment
krazy kagu (d34444) — 1/19/2008 @ 9:49 pmkrazy kagu are you drinking and blogging again?
voiceofreason (f4b829) — 1/19/2008 @ 9:56 pmVOR – Read the words again. What do they mean?
What problems do you believe I have with the minister since you raised the subject?
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/19/2008 @ 10:28 pmDaleyrocks,
voiceofreason (f4b829) — 1/19/2008 @ 10:33 pmYou are doing a fine job of arguing with yourself. Keep up the good work.
Your imaginary question for Bush implies that the rev is nuts for supporting Obama. Freudian slip on your part?
It’s good to see someone’s keeping David E’s spot warm in his absence VOR.
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/19/2008 @ 10:50 pmPoor DR – do you need a hug?
voiceofreason (f4b829) — 1/19/2008 @ 10:54 pmMethodist ministers are for the most part very liberal especially on the east coast and west coast. It doesn’t surprise me a bit that he would endorse a liberal democrat. In fact he’d probably be in serious trouble with his fellow Methodist ministers in his district if he endorsed a conservative. Personally I’d rather have him endorse Obama than Hillary or Edwards if he had to endorse any Democrat front runner.
airedale (925226) — 1/19/2008 @ 10:56 pmI happened to catch the flick “primary colors” tonight. Though all the names were changed to protect the guilty, it’s about the Clinton’s.
I’d recommend it for mandatory viewing by the entire nation, but reality is, most of the audience are not actually capable of connecting the dots.
Even though very popular still, the God Biz is almost done in this country as well. The denomination does not matter much, unless it’s Scientology or Mormons. Either seems to really bring out the (something) in folks.
I’ve said this before. But by the time any person gets to the level of being able to launch a campaign for POTUS, what god they may believe in is for sure in a second or even third position. They have debts to pay long before tithing!
TC (1cf350) — 1/20/2008 @ 2:12 amSomething odd about a black minister giving his support to a black senator who voted for Margaret Sanger’s “Negro Project”. No doubt Planned Parenthood is having a hard time deciding between a female who supports their “Negro Project” and a black man who supports their “Negro Project”
What is the Church’s position these days on the right for women to be able to suck out babies brains?
Seriously, I do not get this divide within the Church, blacks and African-Americans are voting for a guy who believes it’s ok that the black and Arican-American community support the ‘Negro Project’ which aims to eliminate from their community what Ms. Sanger considered dirty and unwanted?
The Democratic Plantation is one nasty place to reside; 70% of black and African-American children are born to unwed mothers, the role of black and African-American men has been replaced by Big Daddy government and approximately 1/3 of all abortions are aimed at black and African-American women yet decade after decade blacks and African-Americans still show up to support their slave masters.
I do not understand this.
syn (79aece) — 1/20/2008 @ 5:20 am“Blacks make up about 15% of the voters, but 90% of them vote Democrat.”
Blacks constitute 13% of the POPULATION, not the voters. Voter turnout is lower than among other ethnic groups. So Hillary’s problem may not be as great as one might think.
Banjo (b5278d) — 1/20/2008 @ 6:10 amThink again. In 2005, Blacks represented 11.5% of the voting population. 90% of that is about 10.5%. That’s more than 20% of the Democratic vote.
Alienating a significant chunk of those voters would make a very large hole to climb out of.
Steverino (af57bc) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:12 amI agree with the McCain daughter that Obama is “cute,” but what is this “common vision” of which the Bush spiritual advisor speaks? Socialism lite is not my vision, no way.
Sissy Willis (548cba) — 1/20/2008 @ 10:06 amI guess the Rev. Caldwell is looking past substance and focussing on style. He ought to go into journalism.
Sissy Willis (548cba) — 1/20/2008 @ 10:08 amUh, the United Methodist Church is full of crap. They are pro-choice, anti-death penalty, and urge divestment from Israel.
tired (48ae93) — 1/20/2008 @ 11:19 amif god turns out to be a liberal democrat, some of you people are going to hell.
assistant devil's advocate (330112) — 1/20/2008 @ 12:10 pmI think Obama seems like a really nice guy and perhaps Rev. Caldwell has seen him up close and personal in particular situations that evidence his trifecta of presidential material:
““character, confidence and courage.”
Revealed character how? He does seem to be a devoted husband and father but in the dog-eat-dog world of politics, how has it been evidenced?
Confidence in what? Because I hear his rhetoric born of rose-colored-pie-in-the-sky-warm-fuzzies…but what is the substance?
Courage? It doesn’t take courage to play into people’s expectation of entitlement and belief the Big Gov’t. will take care of us (and is supposed to). It takes something far, far less than courage to go that route.
Dana (d74fbc) — 1/20/2008 @ 1:22 pmIs there something wrong with a spiritual adviser VOR?
“Caldwell reports that Bush is “OK” with his endorsement.”
Did people expect him to say you’re fucking nuts rev?
I agree with daleyrocks and take back my Comment #1. The most we parishioners can ask from our clergy is to bother God for us so we don’t have to. Nothing whatsoever to do with secular/political questions. I don’t know my priest’s politics and I couldn’t possibly care less.
nk (a07608) — 1/20/2008 @ 1:45 pmIf God turns out to be a liberal democrat…
Wow…
Thou shalt not kill…..abortion…
I’ll stop there, since there is no need to go farther….
reff (99666d) — 1/20/2008 @ 2:03 pmAs someone has already observed, the clerical establishments of mainstream denominations — the Methodists, Presbyterians, Evangelical Lutherans, Episcopalians, etc. — have veered sharply left in recent decades. That said, the opinions of their reverends have as much weight and influence as their counterparts in politics.
Banjo (b5278d) — 1/20/2008 @ 3:20 pmA bit OT but interesting: I was reading a news article about a German who goes to visit Auschwitz and in the museum sees a picture answering the age old question: What did you do in the war, Daddy? when he sees a photo of his father on the ramp,next to Mengele, playing God with the Jews.
The article talks about how prior to the war the father was a deacon with the Knights of Malta, initially served at one of the euthanasia centers, and after his stint at the KZ, became a pastor.
I guess, I just find it difficult to wrap my head around that a man can profess to love God and Jesus Christ and be a murdering nazi bastard.
tired (48ae93) — 1/20/2008 @ 4:50 pm