A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the rancid “values” of those leading today’s so-called pro-family movement:
Today, defining our opponents is not so easy, and sometimes vexing, because their values are so vacant and vacuous. Back in the day, a true conservative was defined by how one lived – not necessarily how one voted. But today’s soulless, corporate conservatism has nothing to do with the way one lives and everything to do with lazy political labels and one-size-fits-all prefab positions.
True to form, the ultimate con man, Ralph Reed, is making a strong comeback after living in exile following a disgraceful exit from politics five years ago. Back then, Reed was riding high as the former head of Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition, the chairman of Georgia’s Republican Party, and a candidate for Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor.
It was his role, however, in a political consulting firm he founded that had ties to sleazy lobbyist Jack Abramoff that brought Reed down. For those who do not remember, Reed exploited Christians who he organized — based on moral opposition to gambling — to oppose new Indian gambling casinos. He once called gambling a “cancer” that “is stealing food from the mouths of children.”
What Reed did not tell these poor conservative supporters (suckers), was that he was being paid by other casino-owning Native American tribes who did not want the competition from their tribal rivals. In other words, Reed had no problem profiting handsomely from a business he called a “cancer.” According to e-mails between convicted lobbyist Abramoff and Reed, the good Christian was simply trying to “hump in corporate accounts” to the tune of $4 million in casino money for Reed’s consulting business.
There is a word for such people: Hypocrite
Five years have passed and the moral reprobate is hoping Christians forget his past — and he seems to be succeeding. Reed says he is now organizing doe-eyed Christians and Tea Party enthusiasts (He calls this crowd of dupes his “sweet spot”) for the latest scheme he has cooked up — an organization called the “Faith and Freedom Coalition.” (What’s up with Reed and sexual terms like “humping in accounts” “sweet spot”. What’s next, “money shot”)
Reed considers his new group a 21st Century Christian Coalition — with basically the same agenda except they will tweet.
“Our goal is to build a file of 29 million conservative voters,” according to the New York Times. “We’ll e-mail them, we’ll call them, we’ll knock on their doors and, if necessary, we’ll drive them to the polls.”
And if Reed wins, what will his followers get? A morally compromised kingmaker who has repeatedly turned evangelical Christianity into a national joke. If the fundies fall for this charlatan again, they will deserve to be used and discarded by Reed after he has profited from their gullibility.
Can the fundies really be this obtuse? It certainly seems like it.
