McCain And Obama Agree To Forum At Rick Warren's Saddleback Megachurch

New York Times:

It has taken a man of God, perhaps, to do what nobody else has been able to do since the general election season began: Get Barack Obama and John McCain together on the same stage before their party conventions later this summer.

The Rev. Rick Warren has persuaded the candidates to attend a forum at his Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 16. In an interview, Mr. Warren said over the weekend that the presidential candidates would appear together for a moment but that he would interview them in succession at his megachurch.

Word of the forum came as a leading conservative Christian, James C. Dobson, signaled that he might reverse his position and endorse Mr. McCain, The Associated Press reported.

"I never thought I would hear myself saying this," Mr. Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, said for radio broadcast on Monday. "While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might."

The forum still falls short of the kind of face-to-face, town-hall-style debates that Mr. McCain, of Arizona, has called for this summer before formal debates scheduled for this fall.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Retrofuturistic]

11:55 PM on 07/21/2008

Huh? I thought you weren't supposed to have political events in churches becaue it's a violation of separation of church and state AND grounds to reverse the tax-exempt status of the church.

Well, maybe the candidates can discuss how they will make the teaching of creationism mandatory, how they will provide vouchers to send everyone to megacult schools so they can be taught fake history and fake science and be brainwashed, and then they can commit some money to faith-based initiatives, pro-life causes, and abstinence education.

It's becoming even more clear to me that I don't want to vote for either one of these loons.

[meanguy]

06:38 AM on 07/22/2008

there is nothing that prohibits a church from having both candidates appear at a forum. it is NOT an establishment of a religion, nor a limit on free exercise. now, if the pastor got up in the pulpit to slam one particular candidate, and urge the congregation to vote for his/her opponent, like the TUCC did repeatedly in support of the obama campaign, THAT would be 'electioneering' and would trigger in IRS investigation.

[BobSF94117]

05:34 PM on 07/21/2008

For a guy who's so opposed to gay rights, Dobson sure plays the coy-and-high-maintenance boyfriend shtick like a pro...

[thepoliticalcat]

08:39 PM on 07/21/2008

Oh, Bob! I howled out loud.

Yer right. Geesh, with all the closet queens coming out in the Gay Old Party (about one a month, it seems), I guess JimmyDob's schtick should come as no surprise.

[teachj]

04:52 PM on 07/21/2008

I'm surprised you're getting John McCain to enter a church this political season. When CNN aired 'The Compassion Forum' he didn't bother to show up. I don't see how Dobson or any evangelical minister could endorse McCain who has little use for the church. At least, Obama says that he has a personal spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ - I have not heard any such statement by John McCain. Also when you want to talk about family values, I can't forget how John McCain dumped his first wife and cheated on her when it suited his purposes, so he could move on to his new richer, younger wife

[openhand]

03:36 PM on 07/21/2008

In the right corner sporting the red trunks we have the old testament...

[Sixtwo]

02:58 PM on 07/21/2008

Non-theologian Dodson's revenge? He took quite a hit over his remarks about Obama alledgedly having taken the Bible out of context. Dobson is not man enough to outright endorse McCain, even though everyone who have been listening to him knows that he is and has been an endorser of McCain from day one. Warren is an American citizen, who is Pastor of a church that grew from a living room to mega status. He has the right to interview the candidates just as other non-Ministers...What do the interviews have to do with separation of church and state?

[MajorKong]

10:32 PM on 07/21/2008

Hey, I'd like to interview both candidates too, since it's my "right". How does this guy get so much political mojo that he can have both presidential candidates show up on his doorstep?

[Zanti]

06:31 AM on 07/22/2008

Maybe has ties to the NRA?

Or Big Oil/Energy? Or maybe some other group that Congress obeys whenever it whistles at them?

[4wehttam]

02:42 PM on 07/21/2008

I've read that Warren is one of the most tolerant church leaders out there. He's a FAR cry from Dobson, who is more judgmental than any one living person has a right to be. This will be great for Barack, he needs some of these votes. Believers need to be represented as well as non-believers.

[VSamuels]

02:35 PM on 07/21/2008

For all of those whinning about mixing church and state and why are they meeting in a church, as well as those making inane predictions about this nation becoming a theocracy, just can it. As long as I can possibly remember, most churches of which I've been familar have given time to political candidates to speak. In fact, as a child it was among one of the earliest times, I remember seeing and hearing a white person in our church's pulpit.

It is not the end of the world, nor does it pose any threat to your little world; there will be no litmus test concerning Warren, so stop inferring things which will not happen or does not advance the dialogue towards choosing our next President. Warren isn't beyond asking McCain to explain how he supports war which kills and maims hundreds of thousands but at the same time supports a policy to overturn Roe v. Wade. A simple rendering of "Do you believe there are any excepts to the Commandment of thou shalt not kill?" and if so, what are the conditions?

This may prove to be the only chance to discuss the morality of what McCain's camp so cherishes as their own.

[strut2k]

02:26 PM on 07/21/2008

There are Evangelical votes out there for Obama, and a forum like this is a good way to reach out to sympathetic evangelicals. Obama knows he won't get the majority of Evangelicals, but in 2008 he could well get a third to 40% of their votes.

Obama has spoken at a Saddleback conference, and Rick Warren is no Jerry Falwell/Pat Robertson/James Dobson partisan.

The Evangelicals are there, folks, and they're not monolithic Dobsonistas. Many don't trust McCain or like him because of his record. Younger Evangelicals are just as likely to resonate with Obama as any other young person. Their votes will either swing states or force the GOP to spend time and money to hang onto them. This is all good for Obama.

[MaddiK]

02:04 PM on 07/21/2008

How backward can we go? Now the candidates have to appear on the stage of pure profit-driven, self righteous mega money machine to persuade custard brained, Wheel of Fortune-watching, I Can’t Think for Myself people? Let’s not forget in God’s name we waged illegal wars against 3rd world countries and killed millions of their civilians and called it “collateral damages,” in which chucklenut claimed to have “consulted” with God and got His instructions first.

It’s pathetic how low they have to stoop to get elected. It’s also clear they have only “money” in mind, not people’s welfare. We need a leader who’s on OUR side, not the mega money machine. Nader is our ONLY hope to take the government back and get us out of the hell bound track. WWW.VOTENADER.ORG. It’s time for a REAL change.

[meanguy]

06:40 AM on 07/22/2008

MaddiK, PLEASE tell me about these wars we waged "in God's name"...must have missed those

[Sarahjan]

01:58 PM on 07/21/2008

Another nod to the Family Values! Creepy.

[kjdwyer]

01:28 PM on 07/21/2008

Is anyone else as bothered as I am by the continued blurring of the line between religion and politics? The growing influence of evangelicals?

If things continue at the rate they've been trending over the last 10 years, by around 2020, we should be a full-on Christian Theocracy.

[Zanti]

02:03 PM on 07/21/2008

"Is anyone else as bothered as I am by the continued blurring of the line between religion and politics?"

In fact, tons of other people. All of whom are very vocal about it, like you. Nowadays, you can't join the Society of Right-Thinking Progressives unless you spend at least five minutes a day going on about the coming theocracy.

But do consider the radical possibility that churches have every right to interact with politicians. With government. That they even deserve the same right to representation that we gladly grant to other institutions and groups, including the NRA, cable providers, and Big Energy.

In a representative democracy, we should be careful of the lines we draw, because we might find ourselves behind one of them.

[4wehttam]

02:37 PM on 07/21/2008

Very well said Zanti. I'm in complete agreement with you. We ALL need to be represented, whether we are believers or non-believers.

[BobSF94117]

05:32 PM on 07/21/2008

So, what you're saying is that they're just like everyone else.... and should pay taxes.

[Syco]

02:26 PM on 07/21/2008

too late
we are already there

[Middleclassvotingbloc]

01:22 PM on 07/21/2008

Real Christians don't care what Dobson says or does. I think his endorsement of McCain will help Obama. Dobson is not a man of God but a man of the Republican Party. Who cares?

[BADEN]

01:16 PM on 07/21/2008

WHY?

WHY A CHURCH?

WHY A MEGA CHURCH?

WHAT FOR?

Don't these people live In a COMMUNITY OUTSIDE THAT SHOPPNG MALL OF A CHURCH?

I am VERY upset at this.

THIS IS NOT A CHURCH-STATE.

[Zanti]

01:51 PM on 07/21/2008

Ohhhhhhhh-kay.

[4wehttam]

02:39 PM on 07/21/2008

Relax man, they need to be represented as well. Barack needs to go where the republican voters are as well...............................like when he went on FIXED NOISE. Not every single repub or independent that watches FIXED is evil.....................maybe a little misguided.

[BADEN]

09:39 PM on 07/21/2008

They can go to city hall to listen to what the politician has to say.

[DMcD]

01:16 PM on 07/21/2008

Obama note to self: "dumb move" (don't let them dictate the debate or battlefields)

[Paula1953]

01:14 PM on 07/21/2008

Rick Warren is the pastor at Saddleback church. Did you know they discourage bringing bibles to church because IT MIGHT OFFEND SOMEONE?