Charles Barkley Slams Republicans On CNN: "I Call Them Fake Christians", The Word 'Conservative' "Makes Me Sick"

Basketball legend Charles Barkley appeared on CNN's Late Edition, with Wolf Blitzer, this morning, and made some controversial remarks about Republicans. Barkley, who continues his career in basketball off the court as a TV commentator for the NBA, is supporting Barack Obama for president, and was defending Obama against criticism that he is inexperienced in foreign policy and other areas, when he veered off-course, and began a classic Barkley non-sequitur. Barkley started by saying, as a resident of Arizona, how much he respects John McCain, but then quickly began slamming Republicans and conservatives in general. Barkley said, "Every time I hear the word conservative it makes me sick to my stomach because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them." Blitzer asks Barkley to elaborate a bit on the phrase he used, "fake Christians." Barkley does so, essentially accusing conservatives of being hypocritical. Blitzer warns Barkley that he's probably going to a lot of "feedback" about his harsh criticism of the GOP, but Barkley is unfazed, offering this priceless response: "They can't do anything to me. I don't work for them."

Watch the video from CNN below, and tell HuffPost whether or not you agree with Barkley's explosive comments:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1417325938http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1178199204

Comments

[axcordova]

Good for you Charles. We all know those "family value" "Christians" stand for nothing more then hate and intolerance.

[jennbeez]

Somehow my picture of Charles Barkley never developed beyond the '92 Olympics (see: Angola) in which he came off as an unintelligent, insensitive, and truly classless guy.

I'm a fan now!

[Rendon76]

Wolf Blitzer is such a coward. Sir Charles telling it how it is.

[incontempt]

I'm not a ball fan, but I do have a new found hero, thanks Mr Barkley

[jacobomorales]

Charles

You were great in the court and you are great now. Thanks for speaking up!!

[Waitaminute]

Jesus would have TO take these fake christians outside the church tie them to a tree and whip their asses with cattail bullwhips.

[RickO]

There's a big difference between belief and religion. Most people in the world tend to believe in some sort of creator-creature distinction but that is merely belief. Religion, on the other hand, is the cult of belief. Religion implies that the creator is an intervening force and devises all these insane little dogmas about what the desires of that creator are, such as how we conduct our sex lives, who we should vote for, who deserves to die. Religion is the most damaging force ever invented by humans. It is what has destroyed places like Afghanistan, caused untold misery and pain everywhere, and in the United States, the type of christianity practiced by the rabid right (same as radical Islam, only worse because it's here, hiding in plain sight) is sowing the seeds of destruction in this country. Case in point, a recent statistic suggested that two thirds of people polled think creationism should be taught in shools alongside evolution, as though it were science. We are suffering a mass psychosis and a severe dumbing-down of ourselves that is becoming an existential threat.

[incontempt]

Whole heartedly agree, it seems as some are responding to that crazy islamic religious ferver with their own brand of insane religious ferver. Your right also about promoting anything other then science is just promoting Delusions and growing the population of the legally retarded, no offense to those born that way ofcourse.

[BassMonk]

A better word for what you describe is 'fundamentalism'. Muslims have theirs, and so do Christians.

[kccrafts]

Good for Charles! thank you. sounded like Wolf was more than a little apprehensive about what the "Christians" might say about him for allowing the truth to peek out on his show. Gee Wolf.....y­ou'd think at this point you'd be tired of kissing butt for the past eight years.....­.

[Rendon76]

Jesus Amen, finally a voice that says exactly what I think and Wolf is already acting like a scared little bitch.

[helonias]

Hmmmm not peep from the pharisees yet.

[nonconformistx]

I hope Charles Barkley does a lot more shows like that; maybe he'll get through to not only his fans but to many who need a push in the right direction w/ their vote. I can't believe how many idiots I've come across lately who are for Mccain. People need to understand what a vote for that guy represents: more war/more taxes/less help for working class people. MORE OF THE SAME BS we've had for the past 8 miserable years w/ W.

[newunderground]

Wonder what his buddylimbaugh thinks about that?Way to go Sir Charles!!

[malrubius]

More jejune guest commentary from the hacks at CNN. Wasn't long ago Chuck was considering a wingnut republican run for Alabama governor.

[RageAgainstTheNeoCons]

Wolfie always sounds constipated.

[HypocrisyAlarm]

Charles, I'm so glad to hear that it isn't your kind of "foxes" who are guarding the henhouse!!

[RageAgainstTheNeoCons]

Thank you man. That's what I'm talkin about!
You hit the nail on the head. I could never understand in a million years the mentality and mindset of a so called "Christian" conservative. Way to tell it like it is Sir Charles. Don't they know that Jesus was a Super-Liberal?

[mrdontplay]

...he is right. They are bigger liars than liberals.

The pledge indicates Liberty not conservativity.

Plus these people are not conservative of anything.

Money, Environment, values, or anything else you look at.

[FirstShirt]

"Every time I hear the word conservative it makes me sick to my stomach because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them."

Right. To energize the independents who will decide this election you need to bring out Barkley who apparently assumes that only republicans are christians, that we don't already have enough second tier VIP's looking for a little press, that he has anything of value to say, or that he speaks for democrats, liberals or anyone other than himself.

Sometimes you are best defined by who is against you than by who is for you. This is a classic case of that.

[readreza]

what he's "assuming" (and it's not an assumption - it's proven every day) is that the "conservative" "christians" making all the noise are the GOP-supporting fake christians - AND HE'S RIGHT. There are plenty of perfectly decent, actual christians in america - those who are not defined by their hate and fear. Those are not the christians he's talking about. He's talking about the fake christians - just like he said. The "christians" who want us all to live by their perversion of the bible, and want us all to believe what they believe - no matter how fantastical. Those are the "christians" propping up the bush administration and spreading hate.

[FirstShirt]

Actually, I agree with you. And, I agree with the perversion of the Bible, by the Jimmy Swaggerts of the world as well as the atheists with an axe to grind.

The real perversion is the opportunistic political spin put on this type of garbage that "conservatives" believe all the tripe put out by the government or pathetic puppets like Barkley. Conservatives don't like an out of control government. They believe in privacy of the individual. They believe in keeping the government out of the bedroom, the library, etc. They believe in the consititution and the right to have religious beliefs without fear of the "thought police". Perhaps Barkley meant that, but he wasn't very clear and putting "conservatives" in the same camp with warmongers is just stupid and narrow minded.

[Waitaminute]

You are a classic case study of a failure to read and comprehend. Please read the quote from Charles. You have it in your post.

Did you read it again? Now, as i hope you see. There was absolutely nothing about him thinking only republican are christains. He was talking about conservative.

Needless to say we liberals have too much sense, then to be buckeyed FAKE fools.

[incontempt]

So how's this work again?..."­the enemy of my enemy is my freind"? or is it "a freind of a freind is my enemy"?