Brody File Producer, Robin Mazyck, here with this guest blog. David is on vacation, but trust me, he'll find time to post something. So stay tuned for his blog.
Now here's a news flash - James Dobson is not a Barack Obama supporter. He is not a Democrat. He is a stalwart to religious conservatives -- the backbone and center. When Dobson talks, people listen. During his broadcast today, Dobson was pretty critical of Obama and his views on government and religion.
You can listen his comments by clicking here.
Dobson spent most of the show talking about Obama and a speech that he gave on June 28, 2006 at the "Call to Renewal." Click here to read the speech.
Here's a portion where Obama specifically talks about Dobson:
"And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is okay and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their bibles."
During one part of the show Dobson said of Obama, "I think he is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."
Obama has spent a considerable amount of time reaching out to Christians. He has held conversations with everyone from T.D. Jakes to Max Lucado. His message has been warmly received by some and shunned by others who agree with Dobson.
Obama recently told The Brody File that his goal was "to have a dialogue, to listen, to learn, to share my faith journey. And I think people came out of it, not necessarily agreeing with me on every issue, but I think that they recognized that I respected them, I respected their faith, I respected what they're trying to achieve."
Joshua DuBois, national director for religious affairs for the Obama campaign sent The Brody File the following response:
"Barack Obama is committed to reaching out to people of faith and standing up for American families, and a full reading of his 2006 Call to Renewal speech shows just that. Obama is proud to have the support of millions of Americans of faith and looks forward to working across religious lines to bring our country together."
During the show, Dobson was also critical of Sen. John McCain and his stance on the state marriage ammendment. It's no secret that Dobson isn't particularly pleased with McCain either.
Neither Obama nor Sen. John McCain have met with Dobson. Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family, told The Brody File that they are open to have Obama or McCain visit.
Issues that are near and dear to religious conservatives are going to remain at the forefront of this election. And both candidates are going to have to answer over and over again.
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