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

[grannysharp]

I have never been a fan of "sir" Charles but ever so often he does get it right.

[thebeerdoctor]

Honesty can be very refreshing.

[Kula]

Liberals are always so angry. Start finding some tolerance. You expect people to be tolerant of gay marriage yet many people on this post are obscenely critical and intolerant of Christians, the vast majority of whom live decent, respectable lives. Shameful!

[paixa3]

Sorry, you are getting it wrong. People do not hate Christians, per se, but they SURELY HATE their damn hypocritical behaviour.

[mrdontplay]

...yeah but you set our laws based on YOUR beliefs.

Everyone is going to HELL oh no...run run run to church and give the pastor all our money!

[newunderground]

Fake Chistians, noody has any problem with REAL christians. Sermon on the mount Jesus.

[PierreLeClerke]

"They worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" A broad of "Vipers"

[Jey]

Thank GWB for that Kula. I once was a christian say may seven and a half years ago but then GWB turned me against it. I relate christianity to him and I don't want to be a part of a group of people who support torture, an unsupported occupation, who doesn't want to work with anyone who doesn't believe people like them (democrats). They are for their kind only (neo-cons). Jesus loved all people. He didn't care what political affiliation they were. And until we can come together, you know United States of America, I will not belong to an organized group of so called 'Christians.' It's hypocrisy at it's best. SHAMEFUL!

[PierreLeClerke]

Please don't judge Christians by the acts of those that have put on sheep's clothing merely to mix with the sheep. They are truly Wolves, and have come among the sheep to devour them. They hide their true faces and desires and the sheep have been mislead. The day will come and is here now that the sheep will know their Master once again.

Know them by their fruits, not their words.
The Word of Truth is like a Sword that cuts to the Bone of deception.
Join OPERATION RESTORE TRUST!

[fleetw1978]

Kula, some are in fact vulgar to "christians" but for the most part, those of us in the reality based world only hammer on the HYPOCRITES who claim to be christians yet they behave like fools, crooks, liars, and worse. Examples, Jerry falwell, pat robertson, david vitter, rush limpballs, orally, larry craig, bob ney, duke cunningham, GWB... the list goes on and on.

[VivaZapata]

more and more the mainstream media has been emphasizing african american supporters of obama. this will serve their interests of promoting mccain. they've done the same with clinton, trotting out female supporters. that barkley is right doesn't really matter in terms of the visual implication; they will more and more present him as "the black candidate."

[Waitaminute]

Exactly. I noticed that also. They may put a pair of glasses on Obama with quote "by any means necessary". They are diffinently trying to make him just the black candidate. Its so obvious.

[kinderworld]

I see what you are saying. Even though Obama has numerous white supporters, Wolf usually has black supporters of Obama on his show. I am sure the media is playing the race card...get the bigots out to vote against Obama.

[repugssuck]

One more thing - this is how the conservative mind thinks - Delay made the comment that his adultery was not as bad as Newt's because Newt was donking someone while he/they were investigating President Clinton's sexual mis-conduct - your proto-typical "holier than thou" conservative justifying his actions - you are the party of HYPOCRITS - nothing more, nothing less!!!!!!

[champlain113]

Sir Charles spoke what we all know is true.

Love that guy.

[Americano]

The problem with Sr Charles statements is that they were over the top and disconnected. The fact that he accepts gays and put forgiveness in the same sentence is "a lost thought." A disconnect.

His message, especially knowing it will appear on nationally TV, should have been in the Hypocrisy of Republicans and Christian understanding, of love, long suffering, and spreading salvation by example. America, not just Republicans are lost. America's religion is "Capitalism." We can talk that all day. "Show me where your treasure lies and I'll identify your faith!....No one really pays attention to Sr. Charles. I like him but he is more of a comedian! With those statements, he better forget about running for governor 14 years from now.

[repugssuck]

You go Charles - give me someone who practices their faith and not runs to it when their in trouble - the list is so long, on the conservative side, it would take 10 comment pages to get a good start - Tom Delay & Newt Gingrich - both committing adultery - but sit before the choir and preach morality and and faith - give me a break!! Everyone sins, but the conservatives want to claim their a little closer to God than anyone else - NOT!!!!!!!!

[biwee]

As a Christian, I am distressed when others who pretend to be Christian express themselves in an intolerant,unforgiving, and unaccepting
fashion. Jesus taught love, forgiveness, tolerance. Seems some Christians (maybe a LOT)
have no true idea of what Jesus of Nazereth said and did. They have no idea of the early Christian church. And, they have NO idea of how the Bible came into being. These intolerant, right wing nuts are ignorant of what Christianity is. Example: Some profess to literally believe EVERY WORD in the Bible.
How can that be when the book of Mark tells of Jesus being crucified on the day of Passover, and the book of John says it was the day before Passover. And, the last few verses of Mark 16 in today's Bible are not even found in the earliest known manuscript of the book of Mark. Clearly, these were made up and added.
Instead of these intolerant right wing nuts trying to force their incorrect ideas on the rest of us, they should study the works of brilliant textual critics, and learn about what the Bible is, and who Jesus was, and give up on trying to force their narrow and biased beliefs on the rest of us.

[HypocrisyAlarm]

Thank you, biwee.

My experiences growing up in the baptist church with devout baptist parents left me feeling the victim of emotional abuse of a child. It lead to my complete rejection of christianity, as well.

Reading the comments from someone like you, who is christian AND who rejects the self-serving and judgmentalism of many christians, helps ME avoid the intolerance and hatred that I could easily feel (and act upon) as a result of the awful things the baptists did to me. What I learned of the christians' namesake had much to do with CONstruction (loving neighbors, helping others, and so on) and little to do with DEstruction. Most of what I see coming from so-called or self-describing christians is very DEstructive, and I see far too few of them doing much that is CONstructive (like the man in whose name they pray).

(All capitalization (or lack thereof) is intentional).

[maddog2112]

Jesus was a liberal!

[bino]

He has now earned the name Sir Charles.
He made this athiest say AMEN! out loud.
Religion is nothing more than a loop-hole in morality & those people prove it.

[incontempt]

I dig that saying "loop-hole in morality"

[Klip]

Glad to see Charles do this 180-
He USED to be a republican...but has obviously opened his eyes.
(I worked for Nixon in 68 when I was 15 and didn't know any better...but I carry the guilt still)

Thanks for speaking up Mr. B

[DMcD]

Charles is 'the man' -- the neo-cons make me sick as well.

[FirstShirt]

Hmm...a convention of you folks should be interesting, if one can control the gag reflex.

[jcorrington]

I love you Charles!!!




del 8300
ie7

[auramac]

The word "conservative" makes me sick to my stomach- so do a lot of other words associated with it. Most of all, any politician talking about God or their own religion makes me sick to my stomach- the People are no evangelist's captive audience. If you want to go to church, go ahead, but I don't want to hear a damn thing about it. If you don't believe in science, then go back to school and don't tell me you flunked because your religion says otherwise. And if you're so gung-ho on the "War on Terror," then round up the wife and kids and get over to Iraq- the "surge" needs you. That means you- Romney!

[Buddhabman]

Sir Charles, Can I be in your fave five? Barkley rocks, and always has. I was a little dismayed a few years back when he said he was a Republican. Sometimes it takes going to the darkside to appreaciate the Democratic party.

Obama 08

[newunderground]

I may move to Alabama in 7 years, just to vote for him!

[realitytrumpsbull]

I think anyone that goes around preaching 'jesus' and portraying themselves as an ordained minister and tries to siphon money off their coworkers ought to be deported back to the United States and forced to pay their child support.

If you believe in God, that's one thing, but if you run around pan-handling people and trying to pass yourself off that way, especially if the people you're panhandling are SOLDIERS, that's a party foul, right there.
There's an entrenched contest going on here, more or less drawn along the lines of hyphenated-americanism, it's economic, it's political, it's social, 'roid-enhanced con artists, and it's global, meanwhile. Don'tcha just LOVE people? Small wonder they can't get the budget balanced. No one will listen anymore.
But, to resolve it, people gotta lay down the swords, and start remembering how to be civil again. Barkley says he hates conservatives, but it's a little more defined than that, 'hate the sin, love the sinner' etc.
TRUE Conservatism, not the yep-yep pro-war stuff, but the actual principles of conservatism, which include conservation, by the way, it isn't a problem, and I've met many highly respectable conservatives. It's just when people get their eyes, and their wires crossed by lots of money, or lots of debt, that's when it gets ugly, and consequently, hard to really make out what it is you're seeing. Dazed and confused, millions of people...liberal, conservative alike. I like the Independents, and I like Libertarian Ron Paul. He's on the Republican ticket, so I can't vote for him, but I still like what he's got to say. Constitution first, all else afterward.

[traveler501]

This is "explosive?" I think this is beyond obvious...and good for Barkley for saying so. Hard to understand why so many are afraid to admit the simple truth. You could list items all day long about how "Christians" of that certain ilk are as antithetical to Christianity as anyone could imagine. But of course our watchdog media is more concerned with maintaining advertising...and these "Christians" are nothing if not vengeful. Another one of those antithetical attributes...don't you think? LOL