I've written several posts recently debunking the claim that the James Dobson and, by extension, the Religious Right are about to throw in the towel. While the Republicans are out of power at the moment and the Religious Right is growing fearful that it is being marginalized as the GOP seeks to regain its footing, that didn't mean they had any intention of giving up the fight. As Dobson put it recently, "we're not going anywhere."
And they aren't, but it looks like the Right's irrelevance at the moment is starting to absolutely terrify its leadership. That's because, as Dan Gilgoff reports, Dobson is admitting that they have no power at the moment and cannot prevent the "utter evil," by which he meant things like hate crimes legislation, coming from Congress from getting passed and he literally cannot understand what is happening to this nation:
I've been on the air for 32 years and I've never seen a time quite like this. It just illustrates what happens when we don't have what the Founding Fathers referred to as checks and balances, where the excesses of one party or one branch of government limit the reach of power hungry and self-serving people and keeps them form doing things that are harmful to the country. That's the way the system was designed. We have 2 major political parties in this country, not one. And bipartisanship is a media creation that's designed to promote one point of view instead of the debate that should occur. And that's why media doesn't talk about bipartisanship when conservatives are in power...[today] the radical left controls the executive branch through the president, and the Congress... and the Judiciary through the courts... now they control it all, including every department of government. As a result, the legislation that should shock the nation, if people were paying attention, is being rushed into law.
...
I want to tell you up front that we're not going to ask you to do anything, to make a phone call or to write a letter or anything.
There is nothing you can do at this time about what is taking place because there is simply no limit to what the left can do at this time. Anything they want, they get and so we can't stop them.
We tried with [Health and Human Services Secretary] Kathleen Sebelius and sent thousands of phone calls and emails to the Senate and they didn't pay any attention to it because they don't have to. And so what you can do is pray, pray for this great nation... As I see it, there is no other answer. There's no other answer, short term.
Of course, this isn't to say that Focus on the Family isn't trying to prevent passage of hate crimes legislation, because they are.
In fact, Dobson dedicated most of his program to this legislation as he was joined by Tom Minnery, Gary Bauer, Rep. Louie Gohmert, and Rep. Steve King, who then proceeded to spread just about every right-wing lie about this legislation. Listening to the program, the sense of panic among the group was palpable:
Dobson: I love my country. And I love the institution of the family. And I love the church. And I love the clergy. And almost every good thing is under attack today.
Gohmert: And I'm told sometimes, when I get passionate and upset about this, that I don't sound as sane as I would like to.
Dobson: Are you kidding? What you're doing is desperately needed and there are very few people who are willing to say it like it is.
Bauer: We need about 250 members of Congress as insane as you.
Gohmert: But, you know, this is the way we lose nations. It's like Colson said several years ago: "you cannot have the morality of Woodstock and not expect a Columbine." Or not expect a Madoff. You can't have those morals and not get where we are today and so we've got a tough fight ahead of us, but I know in my heart, in my soul, that we can have another 200 years, but there is only one way - and that's if we have another awakening. If we don't, I'm not sure what's left.
Dobson says he's "never seen a time quite like this" and I have to agree because I have never seen the Religious Right as utterly terrified as it is at the moment.
Update: Media Matters has posted this clip of Dobson once again claiming the legislation would protect necrophilia, pedophilia, and incest:
