"Hispanic Karl Rove" Helps Shape Democratic Party "Centrist" Positions

[note: although six members of the House of Representatives and five US Senators serve as Third Way honorary co-chairs, neither the Third Way or Faith in Public Life, addressed in this story, have any official organizational connection to the Democratic Party]

As a January 29, 2008 Chicago Tribune story observed, "[Reverend Samuel] Rodriguez, ... has been dubbed by some Christian leaders the Karl Rove of Hispanic evangelical strategy." When Rodriguez and Karl Rove met in late September 2008 for breakfast, as reported in an October 7, 2008 Newsweek story, Rove quipped, "If you're the Hispanic Karl Rove, then does that make me the Anglo Sam Rodriguez?"

Does Karl Rove help shape Democratic Party "Third Way" positions on reproductive and gay rights ? Well, no. But the "Hispanic Karl Rove" does. When not having breakfast with Karl Rove or railing against "radical Muslims," "radical homosexuals," "radical abortionists," and "Oprah Winfrey Christians," the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez can be found helping to shape the Third Way / Faith in Public Life "centrist" agenda on culture-war issues, such as gay and reproductive rights, in the "Come Let Us Reason Together Governing Agenda" (CLURT) that was re-released with a flourish last January, 2009.

[Below: audio from a sermon Rev. Samuel Rodriguez gave November 19, 2006, in a Utah church, in which Rodriguez railed against Muslims, homosexuals, abortionists, and "Oprah Winfrey Christians"]

The Third Way / Faith in Public Life initiative has provoked considerable criticism from the liberal and progressive left [1,2,3,4] as well as rebuttals [1,2] of that criticism from Governing Agenda authors. As journalist Frederick Clarkson and other critics have pointed out, the Governing Agenda approach to reproductive rights seems to derive from a strategy hatched over a decade ago, to reframe the discourse in a way that would exclude, marginalize, and undercut the position that access to reproductive health care is an essential and inalienable right of all American citizens. A decade later, legal abortion is now unavailable across wide swaths of the continental United States. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. counties lack a single abortion provider according to a study from the Guttmacher Institute.

"Progressives and evangelicals have begun to build coalitions on issue like the environment and Darfur, but we believe that we can go even further." -- Rachel Laser, Third Way Culture Program Director

"We have radical Muslims. Radical homosexuals. Radical abortionists. We need radical, born again, spirit filled Christians to arise ! Do you follow me ? We don't need any sissy Christians, Oprah Winfrey Christians. We need prophetic, devil stomping, demon rebuking, blood washed, Bible believing, free-from-sin Christians !" -- Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, prominent Come Let Us Reason Together Governing Agenda co-author

Detailed below, Samuel Rodriguez is one of a number of evangelical Christians who are working with Democratic Party "centrist" efforts to establish "common ground" while at the same time also actively inciting the culture wars. Some evangelicals doing this also make appearances on far-right wing radio shows that promote "birther" conspiracy theories.

Rodriguez is extensively tied to and is in fact leading a new Christian right that looks different for being ethnically inclusive but which is if anything more ideologically extreme than the traditional politicized Christian fundamentalism associated with figures such as the late Jerry Falwell.

Sammy Rodriguez is a point man working to formulate and advance what seems to be a two-pronged strategy: 1) colonize and ideologically infiltrate the left, alienate its activist base, and tie the Democratic Party in knots, 2) work to reshape and rebrand the right and the GOP, as an ethnically inclusive, pseudo-progressive "Rainbow" movement. The latter strategy was field tested in the pro-Proposition 8 push last year, in California.

As I noted in an introduction to my new ongoing series, "How The Religious Right is Infiltrating the Democratic Party", Howard Ahmanson, who has been associated with key proponents of Christian Reconstructionism and helped fund the anti-gay marriage Proposition Eight push in California, has joined the Democratic Party. Anecdotal reports suggest Ahmanson is far from alone. In my introduction I wrote:

That would be pragmatic but also visionary. Once upon a time, though it may seem strange to think of it in the year 2009, the Republican Party was moderately progressive. So there's no reason Democrats can't become populist theocrats, especially if they are willing to jettison core principles such as support for secular government and minority rights.

In the first installment of my series, 'Hispanic Karl Rove' Helps Shape 'Third Way' Democratic Party Platform, I explore the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, an emerging kingmaker of the evolving new Christian right with an astonishing ability to shape-shift at will, from a fire-breathing partisan for Christian supremacy into the guise of an allegedly centrist "new evangelical."

The Third Way boasts six Congress members and five senators from the Democratic Party as honorary co-chairs and, along with Faith in Public Life, the two inside-the-beltway nonprofit groups are peddling their "Governing Agenda" as a way to move American political discourse beyond the acrimonious deadlock of the "culture wars" but there is one hitch -- a number of the figures who have helped shape the "Come Let Us Reason Together" agenda are activists, identifiably on the hard Christian right, who are helping to provoke the "culture wars." In that light, the claim that the Third Way / FPL effort is a way of conducting outreach to centrist evangelicals looks dubious indeed.

"Come Let Us Reason Together Governing Agenda" co-contributors Dr. Randy Brinson and Dr. Joel Hunter both supported Mike Huckabee's presidential bid, and that's especially notable given Huckabee's proposal for the United States Constitution to be rectified with Bible scripture. And Katie Paris, the Third Way's Communications Director, sits together with Rick Scarborough, an Orly Taitz promoter, on the Advisory Board of Randy Brinson's Redeem The Vote, a nonprofit GOTV effort focused on registering evangelicals who, conveniently, vote for the GOP by about a 2-1 margin.

Brinson and the theocratically-minded Scarborough and Huckabee have recently appeared on Janet Porter's national far-right wing radio show, Faith2action, which also airs "birther" conspiracy theorists such as Orly Taitz and Jerome Corsi. (note: Porter's show is not the only Christian radio show promoting "birther" conspiricism.)

Meanwhile, Samuel Rodriguez is listed on the Advisory Board Lou Engle's The Call. Last November, Engle's group put on the capstone rally for the pro-Proposition Eight push in California. During the event Engle and other speakers railed from onstage against gay marriage and legal abortion which, Engle has forecast, will lead to a second American civil war.

During the event, held November 1st at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, Lou Engle called for acts of Christian martyrdom. There can be real-world consequences to such rhetoric: As CBS's Jeff Glor reported in the wake of the murder of Wichita, Kansas late-term abortion doctor George Tiller, the ex-wife of Scott Roeder, charged in the murder, told Glor that "we did speak with the accused shooter Scott Roeder's ex-wife yesterday. She said was not surprised this happened and that she believed Roeder wanted to be a martyr for the cause." Dr. Tiller was gunned down on Sunday May 31, 2009, in the lobby of the church he attended.

Lou Engle promotes the claim that to be gay is to be demon-possessed, and Engle's son Jesse, who has set up a ministry in San Francisco, specializes in casting out "gay demons." San Francisco, claims Lou Engle, is where "the homosexuals boast the dominion of darkness." Rodriguez is now helping to lead the ongoing national anti-gay marriage campaign.

Rodriguez is Hispanic, so he supports immigration reform. But, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is an emerging key thinker helping to fold Hispanic identity politics into a new GOP strategy that pulls Hispanic, Black, Asian, even Native American evangelical Christians into a "rainbow" rightwing coalition. The strategy has already been field-tested in the 2008 election, with the successful push to pass anti-gay marriage amendments in California, Florida, and Arizona (see: Proposition 8 : A Proving Ground For The New 'Rainbow' Right.)

Through the organization Rodriguez helped found in 2000, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Rodriguez purports to represent 10 million Hispanic evangelicals and 5 million Hispanic charismatic Catholics. Rodriguez' NHCLC has established strategic partnerships with the National Association of Evangelicals, Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, and Oral Roberts University. In a February 2009 Charisma magazine story, Samuel Rodriguez described Sarah Palin as a "kindred spirit."

Rodriguez is a rising young lion of the new Christian Right. He has been dubbed a "new evangelical" but in reality there's not much that distinguishes Rodriguez' positions from those of the late Jerry Falwell. Recently, Samuel Rodriguez has joined a new network of Christian right groups called the Freedom Federation.

Comments

[dubster]

I'm Hispanic, weekly Roman Catholic church goer, staunch progressive and I don't want this Karl Rove acolyte in my party! I watched him on Bill Moyer's Journal once and he seemed articulate and knowledgeable, however, I don't like this right wing rhetoric that he seems to be bandying i.e anti abortion and anti gay rights etc. I do agree with him on immigration reform however, but it's at most duplicitous of him to be call himself a "centrist"; dubious at minimum.

[voteforlove]

Centrist seems to be another word for conservative these days. It's like Bill Maher says: We don't have a liberal party in America anymore. Even our so-called Democrats are more conservative (not that this guy is a Democrat, but just saying).

[theone718]

I don't want anything associated with Karl Rove in party, at all, EVER.

[noudidnt]

Confusing...so is he a Dem strategist or a Repub strategist????????

[bboyy]

if this is centrist, thank goodness I way far to the left,, (although this is a far right view)

[johnsonb2005]

It's a Jerry Springer World and the conservative republicans are holding the folding chairs.

[Hank10303]

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is not a democrat - he is a prejudice religious figure invoking his faith in the government of all the people. He is no better than Farewell or any of the others Any legislators that listens to him or endorsed by him should be avoided like the plague.

[GeorgeP922]

Yes and his EMPLOYER THIRD WAY is not a Democratic group either.

Do a little research, just because Obama won does not mean we don't have scam artists trying to rob us blind.
Did you know that Third Way was founded by Mark Penn, his wife and Evan Bayh?

Read this lovely piece that a good reporter here wrote on Mark Penn's wife and how she played Democrats and made a cool million (although Obama won, the DNC warchest could have used that money for 2010, Im sure Nancy donated to individual campaigns :P)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/10/mark-penns-wife-feeding-a_n_112058.html

And of course, here is where they recently tried to derail healthcare:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/08/third-ways-anti-public-he_n_212816.html

And where they hired CNN's Bill Schneider to repeat their anti health care and pro corporate talking points?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/cnn-dives-head-first-into_b_252160.html

These folks are far more dangerous as the right wing think tanks.
They get just as much money, but they can hide behind their "We all used to work for Democrats, so trust" bs lie.

Trust me, if they were Democrats they would have shown up to Netroots Nation.
The Democratic party base is a big tent, it's just not a tent they have any interest in standing under.

[PATina]

Man.... I'm telling you.... just like the Dixiecrats infiltrated the Republican party in the 60s.... Conservatives are infiltrating the Democratic Party today. W/in 10-15 years... we won't even recognize the Democratic party.

[GeorgeP922]

PAT, you are on this board enough. Please see my links, but do your own research.

Third Way is a conservative think tank and have been around for about 5 years now.
Their main goal is to produce talking points that weaken the Democratic message.
They have NOTHING to do with the base or the party.

Shut them down and shame them by reporting on their activities, their chairs, their staff etc.

Third Way is an easy target, started by Mark Penn and his wife that should be easy.

I already wrote Ryan Grim to cover this specific story, and now will tell Rachel Maddow too.

This here is great ammunition to discredit Third Way even further.
I thank Bruce Wilson, as part of the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, I thank you sir.

[Bruce Wilson - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks - you're very welcome. There's more on the way. And, Frederick Clarkson has done some great writing on this subject. See: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/1/22/11238/4072

[atila]

I couldn't agree more,that's why we need a strong third choice before that happens

[MisterHands]

The GOP goes from...

"I personally love Hispanic people. Frankly, I know my friends in the Hispanic community, and Hispanic people all over America, are watching this debate, and they are sensing something very unfair going on here." ~ Orrin Hatch on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=7651148

To...

John McCain (R-AZ) calls group of Hispanic business leaders "you people".
‘You people — you people made your choice. You made your choice during the election’ “He was angry, he was over the top. There were portions of the meeting where he was just staring at the ceiling"
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/pi_20090404_9431.php
---
"I think I'm going to send Sotomayor, and her club, a bunch of vacuum cleaners to help them clean up after their meetings,'' Limbaugh
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/06/rush_limbaugh_sotomayors_vacuu.html
---
Gingrich Begins A Twitter Feed In Spanish, ‘The Language Of Living In A Ghetto’
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/13/gingrichs-twitter-spanish/
---
" Let's hope Sotomayor isn't menstruating at key Supreme Court conferences." ~ G. Gordon Liddy
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/05/liddy-lets-hope-sotomayor-who-speaks-illegal-alien-isnt-menstruating-at-conferences.php?ref=fpblg

[HC4BO]

Centrism is an Unattainable Political position ...

You are either right or left ...

Being in the middle makes you a person who can NOT make up his/her mind ...

[PATina]

Agreed... and would also like to add that since they cannot make up their own minds... they tend to go w/ whatever is popular at the moment.

[alan2a]

Is this Obama's new Pastor? Seems like a good fit.

[GeorgeP922]

Wow another kleenex lib who doesnt know how to read.

Read a little closer, you will see that Third Way is a conservative think tank that is in no way assoiciated with Obama.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/8/740037/-Third-Way-on-Public-Option:-Make-One-that-Cant-Work
Read that to get a small idea of the group, and click the links. Educate yourself more before you smear the President of the United states.

[Petey131]

No it isn't so you can go away now.

[cordyc]

If you look at how the Republican party has changed over the past 3 decades you'll see it has evolved from a "big business" party of Reagan/Goldwater to a party of evangelical Xtain philosophy.

The xtain mega churches began taking over the local R's county by county is Texas in the 1990'ies. My aunt was a dedicated volunteer for 25 years at her local office but by 1998 she was no longer welcome at the party office. The xtain's had taken over. She was proud that Bexar was the last county in Texas to fall to "them" but also saddened that her party was no longer supporting freedom of religion.

She also wasn't sure about GWB, and thought that he might just be a fellow traveler of the xtains. He did a good job of playing both sides of the Republican party (supporters of "business" vs "our religion is the only way").

She passed in 2001 but I often think of just how observant she was that the religious fanatic wing will take over the R party but also destroy it. Just think how many traditional R members can't stand this religious posturing.

So how do we fight the "culture" war. We don't, we just have to keep reminding everyone that Freedom of religion is Fundamental to who we are as the USA.

[andyg]

And the left have moved into pot smoking 60's hippies.

[sjones66]

No, you didn't just repeat a talking point smear from the '60's??? The republicans really need to get current with their smears.

[loonwalk]

Thanks for the post. It's always plain the Rove thinks he's smarter than everybody else and can't keep himself from utt.ering his stup.id witicisms. The sadness is that, while he might be smarter than the average Republican, he is not very smart. If he ever tried a mensa exam, he would have to ch.eat and would be fine with ch.eating. That I am sure of.

[GeorgeP922]

Bruce I am beggin you, please clarrify your blog as it seems you are doing the bidding to prop up Third Way and the DLC as legitimate factions of the Democratic party.

The "Third Way" Think Tank in DC is NOT IN ANY WAY ASSOCIATED with the Democratic party, not any more or less so than the Daily Kos, your blog or the Huffington Post.

The story here is NOT about Rodriguez, and it is not about the Democratic Party.

It is about a Special Interest group posed as a Democratic Think tank gleefully watching you spread their propaganda. Your heart is in the right place, but the story has the wrong target.
The crux of this article should be: "Here is another attack on the party coming from ThirdWay and the DLC using this extremist clown"

I will write HP Reporters Ryan Grim and Sam Stein as they are both well versed in the backround players in this story.

[kappa08]

You're always on point George...thank you for your articulate clarification...

[GeorgeP922]

I try my best, it just drives me nuts when the groups try to destroy what our party's base has fought so hard for. And to give them some credit, they can be very effective if we don't stop them. They JUST hired CNN's funny hat man http://www.thirdway.org/press/release/93
So look forward to him spinning for them.

The GOP is becoming a regional party, their only threat to us is how the MSM eats up their talking points and framing.
But OTOH groups like Third Way and DLC make the MSM's job even easier to do this.
They pose as Democrats, but write memos and papers siding with the Republicans and derailing the agenda of the candidate they tried their hardest to keep from office President Obama.

MSNBC daytime will do this sometimes when they have DLC Chairmen and MSNBC analyst Harold Ford Jr debate a Republican say on health care. First Harold will say 5 times how much he is friends with and respects Republican XXX pundit/congressmen, then he buckles, spits the DLC talking point and the anchor says "here is your fair and balanced debate."

Electing Obama was step #1, we have alot of hard work to do as activists and we cannot forget the lessons learned during the years of 2004-2008.

[Bruce Wilson - Huffpost Blogger]

Well, I've put in a clarification (it may take a bit to be approved/become public), at the beginning of my story, that makes very clear that neither the Third Way or Faith in Public Life have any official connection to the Democratic Party. However, they exert considerable influence within the party.

As far as Samuel Rodriguez goes, he is indeed part of my story though perhaps not part of the story you would have liked me to write ! - Rodriguez is an exceptional strategic thinker whose ideas have the potential of reshaping the GOP, to the detriment of the Democratic Party - that's the wider significance of this.

[ohiomark]

The words "Democrat Party" and "centrist" shouldn't be in the same sentance. There is nothing "centrist" about these leftists.

[Aaror]

Actually, it depends on the group.
The average American claims to be right of center. However, given a list of right/left positions, will tend to pick the "leftist," position more often than not.
America is a right of center nation, in that both our policies and our politics are significantly to the right of other democratic nations. Granted, there are people to the right of the Republicans in office in other nations, but the list is shorter than you would think. Sarkozy for instance espouses positions which would make him a little to the left of Ted Kennedy. Ahmadinejad is the only right wing leader of a democracy (or used to be democracy) I can think of who is to the right of the current republican party.

[Petey131]

"Democratic Party."