"Will Rick Perry’s Prayerpalooza Backfire?"

[Logical]

Tomorrow is the Texas governor's long-planned and controversial Houston prayer festival, the Response. Perry has come under a great deal of fire already for the planned lineup of speakers at so-called "Prayerpalooza," which draws from the extreme end of evangelicalism: One speaker compared Oprah to the "Harlot of Babylon"; another called the Statue of Liberty "demonic." Still another thinks that bird deaths in Arkansas and elsewhere were God's response to the repeal of DADT. The event's co-sponsor, the American Family Association, is known for its anti-gay policies.

Perry seems to have conceived of the event at least partly as a way of drawing attention to his presidential campaign (and of positioning himself as the candidate of choice for the Christian Right), but there has been more of a negative response than he'd probably bargained for. And less of a positive one, too: The event will take place in a 75,000 person stadium, but just 8,000 tickets have been sold so far. Perry invited each of the 49 other states' governors to attend. Sam Brownback of Kansas is the only one who accepted — and now his office refuses to confirm whether he'll actually attend or not. Even Houston's own religious community leaders have spoken out against the event, which they say isn't exactly inviting to non-Evangelicals. A formal letter of protest was signed by Muslim, Jewish, Episcopal, and Baptist clerics in concert with the Anti-Defamation League, expressing concern over Perry's blurring of lines between church and state.

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http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/08/rick_perry_is_about_to_have_hi.html

[RagAss]

1. I'm sure the media will suck his ass and applaud this return to "Values".

You think?????

[Skip_In_Boulder]

2. Naw, it will just enthrall the radical right that

Rick is truly a Godly man. Which is why he is doing it.

[BR_Parkway]

17. Better build up a lot with those folks before the gay Rick Perry rumors

get drug back up.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. I take issue with the line 'only 8,000 tickets sold' as they were free

of charge, gratis, reservations, not sales. The phrase that comes to mind is 'can't give it away'.

[PurityOfEssence]

4. Hey, it worked for Obama, but he had the sense of using musical acts...

Remember the "40 Days of Faith and Family" hullabaloo in October of '09 that Obama used to mobilize the gospel base and undercut Hillary Clinton? You DO remember Donnie McClurkin, don't you? It was a nasty playing of the religion and the race cards, but it worked just fine, giving him a major early win in the primary contest.

Naked appeals to religious fundamentalism work, but the question here is whether Perry fully understands the proper melding of crazy religion with whoop-it-up Show Business. He's also allying himself with some very wacky extremists, who may help him get the nomination, but may be serious baggage in a general election.

We live in scary times where primitive superstition has such power.

[patrice]

5. As long as this is about JOBS, plenty will continue to bow and scrape for those jobs recently freed

up by "lay offs", e.g. I just spoke with Dan Manning who has lost his job, because ___________________ , but here in Brownbackistan many of us know what REALLY goes in that blank.

It looks as though people like Dan can lose, not only a military career, but also civilian employment, because of their sexual orientation. Dan, fortunately has one of the state's eminent ACLU attorneys to assist him, Pedro Irigonegaray, but other folks, who are un-PC for a variety of reasons, don't, so silence on Social Justice is endemic and kissing "at will" asses could extend to going to Texas to establish your creds for ChurchCo in Brownbackistan.

[Buns_of_Fire]

6. Mercy, BAPTIST clerics were against it? In concert with the ADL?

As one raised in a Baptist household, may I say that if God doesn't verily smite them all with a plague of crab lice, they've managed to plan this at a time when God just isn't paying attention!

[Aerows]

8. I know

Baptists standing with Muslims and the ADL is so shocking, I don't even know where to start. When Baptist Ministers start saying they are concerned about separation of Church and State AND start sounding like the voice of sanity and unity, we are in a shit load of trouble.

[Buns_of_Fire]

13. Can you go so far right that you become the left, in one glorious mobius strip of WTF?

I fear this will have dire consequences for the space-time continuum and what not.

[Aerows]

7. I just had to link this

Here's Bill Maher's take on "Prayer Palooza"

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=245410715479163

[Logical]

11. Great! Thanks for that!! n-t

[Kahuna]

9. No affect. Americans have short memories. They won't remember that

perry's schtick is just like dubya's, the guy who also ran on being a Christian.

[LostInAnomie]

10. You can never go too far with some groups.

Some groups just absolutely LOVE being pandered to. Even if it is the most nakedly obvious pandering possible they can never get enough. Churchies love public displays of "righteousness". "Patriots" love even the most ridiculous jingoism. MBA types love fellatious titles like "earner" and "job creators".

It won't bother his target audience one bit that he is intentionally blurring the line between church and state. To them it is what is "right". Anyone that does give a shit about the first amendment doesn't matter because we would have never voted for him in the first place.

[SteveM]

12. Perry is the only guy I know who can make an Armani suit look cheap. nt

[backscatter712]

14. I'm stealing that line!

:rofl:

[sarge43]

15. Excellent.

An update of "lipstick on a pig" for the 21st century.

:applause:

[IndianaJoe]

16. Rick Perry! Oh my God this guy is bad!

"Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention."

Molly Ivins