rightwingwatch--2020-10-15--As Senate Holds Amy Coney Barrett Hearing, ‘Anti-Catholic’ Smears and Anti-Catholic Bigotry in Trump

As Senate Holds Amy Coney Barrett Hearing, ‘Anti-Catholic’ Smears and Anti-Catholic Bigotry in Trump’s Base

“ Anti-Catholic bigotry has no place in the United States of America , ” President Donald Trump said two weeks ago in a hyperpartisan video message to the charitable Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation , claiming in the next breath that such bigotry “ predominates in the Democrat Party.
” It ’ s a preposterous claim , considering that the two top figures in the Democratic Party—presidential nominee Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—are practicing Catholics .
That kind of divisive smear is sadly not surprising coming from Trump ; as the editors of the lay Catholic magazine Commonweal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart , and makes this election so urgently important , is the viciousness of the man himself : his malice and well-documented mendacity , his callousness and incompetence , his total lack of scruples.
” Even before Trump went along with demands from his religious-right supporters that he nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court , right-wing groups were dusting off the dishonest “ anti-Catholic ” playbook that they have turned to again and again—accusing Democratic senators who raise questions about judicial nominees ’ judicial philosophy of being anti-religious , and often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the top—in this case , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , who claimed on Oct. 7 , “ United States Senators are suggesting that Judge Barrett is too Christian , or the wrong kind of Christian , to be a good judge.
” That charge was repeated by Carrie Severino , whose Judicial Crisis Network has spent many millions of dollars to make right-wing ideology dominant in the federal courts .
She tweeted that McConnell was “ exactly right , ” adding , “ The Democrats and their liberal allies think Judge Barrett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wrong kind of Christian ’ to be a good judge .
That is rank bigotry , and it has no place in our country.
” The  “ anti-Catholic ” smear against Democratic senators—even Catholic senators—by religious-right and Republican leaders has a long and dishonorable history as a tactic for deflecting criticism from the records and extremist ideologies of some judicial nominees .
During the first two days of Barrett ’ s confirmation hearings , the only people talking about Barrett ’ s faith have been Republicans .
Democratic senators have asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Affordable Care Act , her open hostility to Roe v. Wade and legal abortion , her criticism of the Supreme Court ’ s marriage equality ruling , her record as a judge on racial discrimination cases—and even the imperative for a peaceful transfer of power .
But Barrett ’ s backers have kept up a constant drumbeat on the “ anti-Catholic ” front , promoting a false narrative that opposition to her confirmation is grounded in religious bigotry .
Vice President Mike Pence , for example , recently appeared at an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation in Iowa , where he railed against Democrats and “ Hollywood elites , ” saying , “ [ T ] hese attacks on Judge Barrett ’ s faith must stop !
” Meanwhile , Barrett ’ s supporters routinely cite her “ devout ” Catholicism as a selling point ; some dominionist Pentecostal leaders even say that Barrett , a Charismatic Catholic , has been “ anointed ” by God to bring an end to abortion in America .
( Charismatic worship practices , which emphasize “ gifts of the Holy Spirit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly associated with the Pentecostal branch of evangelical Protestantism but have been embraced by communities within other Christian denominations . )
Trump ’ s rhetoric and that of his allies seems designed not only to suppress objections to Barrett ’ s confirmation but also to use the charge of Democratic anti-Catholicism to benefit his reelection prospects .
In his video for the Al Smith dinner , Trump followed his false claim of anti-Catholic bigotry among Democrats with a directive : “ [ W ] e must do something immediately about it , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pundits and members of the hierarchy , like Bishop Joseph Strickland and Rev .
James Altman , a Wisconsin priest , are promoting Trump ’ s reelection by claiming , “ You can not be Catholic and be a Democrat.
” Such partisan smears disrespect the long and robust tradition of Catholic social teaching and social justice activism among Democratic activists , including those who make up Catholics for Biden .
In Biden ’ s video address to the Al Smith dinner , he talked about the impact of social justice teachings on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has helped him through dark times to find “ purpose to live a life worthy of those I lost.
” As for Trump , during the 2016 Republican primaries , when he was competing with Sen. Ted Cruz—the son of a Cuban evangelical minister—for the support of conservative evangelicals in Iowa , Trump wondered in front of an audience whether Cuba raises “ true evangelicals , ” suggesting that Cruz ’ s Cuban family background meant that Cruz could be secretly Catholic and insinuating that that would make him less worthy of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backers have had extremely harsh words for Pope Francis , leader of the Catholic Church .
When the pope criticized Trump ’ s immigration policies and described his desire for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border as “ not Christian , ” Trump fired back , saying it was “ disgraceful ” for the pope to question his faith—even though Trump , of course , has repeatedly questioned the faith of his political opponents .
A few months ago , Trump embraced Carlo Maria Viganò , a hard-right fringe anti-Francis archbishop who portrayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep state ” as a “ biblical ” battle of light against darkness .
Attacks on the pope and on Catholicism itself—and other forms of religious bigotry—are not hard to find within religious-right and right-wing circles that make up Trump ’ s most loyal political base .
Members of Trump ’ s Cabinet have participated in weekly Bible studies with Ralph Drollinger , who teaches public officials that the Bible mandates their support for a range of right-wing policies .
Drollinger has called Catholicism “ one of the primary false religions in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept him from getting privileged access to teach members of the House , Senate , and Cabinet .
And it hasn ’ t kept Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from opening doors for Drollinger to take his Bible studies behind closed doors to powerful politicians in foreign capitals .
Robert Jeffress , pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas , Texas , and a relentless promoter of Trump from the pulpit and via frequent appearances on Fox , was denounced by news website IrishCentral earlier this year as “ a bigoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created by Satan.
” In the past , Jeffress has enlisted Fox pundit Sean Hannity , who recently left the Catholic Church , and other friends on Fox to back up his denials of anti-Catholic bias , claiming such charges against him were based on quotes from him that had been “ manufactured ” or taken out of context .
A few years ago , the Dallas Observer transcribed portions of Jeffress comments that had been highlighted by Right Wing Watch in 2011 in which Jeffress reports that the early church was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religion ” that that “ today the Roman Catholic Church is the result of that corruption.
” Jeffress said then : Much of what you see in the Catholic Church today doesn ’ t come from God ’ s word ; it comes from that cultlike , pagan religion .
Now you say , ‘ Pastor , how can you say such a thing ?
That is such an indictment of the Catholic Church .
After all , the Catholic Church talks about God and the Bible and Jesus and the blood of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the genius of Satan ?
If you want to counterfeit a dollar bill , you don ’ t do it with purple paper and red ink .
You ’ re not going to fool anybody with that .
But if you want to counterfeit money , what you do is make it look closely related to the real thing as possible .
And that ’ s what Satan does with counterfeit religion .
He uses , he steals , he appropriates all of the symbols of true biblical Christianity , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause people to miss eternal life .
When Mitt Romney was running for the Republican presidential nomination , Jeffress denounced the Mormon Church as a cult , and he reportedly used the word to characterize the Catholic Church when speaking with journalists later to defend those comments .
“ I believe we should always support a Christian over a non-Christian , ” Jeffress said ,  adding , “ Christians are uniquely favored by God , [ while ] Mormons , Hindus and Muslims worship a false god .
The eternal consequences outweigh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimize a faith that would lead people to separation from God.
” ( Jeffress changed his tune in 2012 when Romney became the Republican nominee , saying it was better for evangelicals to support Romney given Obama ’ s positions on legal abortion and marriage equality . )
By their own standards , there ’ s no shortage of hard-right pundits who appear to exhibit “ anti-Catholic bigotry ” in their criticism of the pope , the head of the Roman Catholic Church .
Birtherism-promoting WorldNetDaily suggested that the pope ’ s criticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the KGB .
Pamela Geller , an anti-Muslim activist and zealous Trump supporter , mocked and criticized Francis over a papal letter calling for “ affection and respect ” toward Muslims , asking , “ When did he become an imam ?
” The American Family Association ’ s Bryan Fischer has slammed Pope Francis for not taking a more strident stance against homosexuality—saying the pope is “ taking his theological cues from popular culture rather than the Word of God ” —and climate change— “ Pope Francis takes the Church back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In spite of theological differences ,  conservative evangelicals have long made common political cause with conservative Catholics in fighting culture-war battles around abortion , LGBTQ equality , and public funding for religious schools , making a legal and public relations strategy of framing those issues as questions of religious liberty .
Right-wing evangelicals have welcomed the intellectual and political leadership of right-wing Catholics like Attorney General William Barr , Princeton ’ s anti-LGBTQ Robert George , the Federalist Society ’ s Leonard Leo , the Heritage Foundation ’ s Ryan Anderson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2016 , Trump-promoting dominionist Lou Engle welcomed Catholics to The Call ’ s  ” Azusa Now “ prayer gathering and highlighted the Catholic charismatic movement , even though his New Apostolic Reformation colleagues like Cindy Jacobs have in the past denounced Catholicism as a form of “ religious occultism ” and encouraged believers to burn photos and icons of the Virgin Mary and other Catholic saints as demonic objects .
Harry Jackson , an anti-LGBTQ pastor and POTUS Shield member , supported Catholic Supreme Court nominees like John Roberts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when President Barack Obama nominated Elena Kagan , who is Jewish , Jackson declared that the nomination “ should outrage evangelical Protestants.
” Jackson argued , “ Although Catholics are well represented on the Supreme Court , there will likely be important cases that will need the insight of unbiased evangelicals to create an atmosphere for true justice.
” In the case of Amy Coney Barrett , Jackson has expressed no similar concerns about the lack of evangelical representation on the high court ; indeed , Jackson , a cancer survivor , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House announcement of Barrett ’ s nomination that is now understood to have been a superspreader event for COVID-19 .
 Today , as in 2016 , conservative evangelicals and conservative Catholics see Trump and his Republican allies the vehicle for achieving their joint political agenda : creating a federal judiciary dominated by right-wing judges , undermining separation of church and state and promoting Christian nationalism , criminalizing abortion , reversing legal and cultural gains made by women and LGBTQ people , and dramatically limiting the authority of the federal government .
Progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice is grounded in opposition to that agenda and the concern that millions of people ’ s lives and families will be harmed by it , beginning with those who could be stripped of access to health care if Barrett votes with other right-wing justices to overturn the Affordable Care Act , which she has made clear in writing that she considers unconstitutional .
That explains why Sister Simone Campbell , executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice , has opposed Barrett ’ s confirmation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ACA and her voting “ to uphold the wrongful conviction of a man based on faulty evidence.
” In a press statement , Campbell stated : The U.S. Constitution ’ s prohibition on a religious test for public office protects religious liberty .
Opposition to confirming judges with harmful judicial ideologies is not a religious test .
In American public life , Christian nationalists and religious-right activists have a record of challenging political opponents ’ faith and arguing that candidates ’ religious beliefs make them unfit to hold public office .
Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building a political movement with the power to create lasting ideological domination of the federal courts .
And they have spent years trying to discredit opposition to their power play by portraying opposition to right-wing judicial nominees as religious bigotry .
The difference between Republican claims about Democratic opposition to the confirmation of Barrett and what Democratic senators are actually saying is stark .
Republicans should be held accountable for their dishonest smears .

“Anti-Catholic bigotry has no place in the United States of America,” President Donald Trump said two weeks ago in a hyperpartisan video message to the charitable Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, claiming in the next breath that such bigotry “predominates in the Democrat Party.” It’s a preposterous claim, considering that the two top figures in the Democratic Party—presidential nominee Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—are practicing Catholics.
That kind of divisive smear is sadly not surprising coming from Trump; as the editors of the lay Catholic magazine Commonweal editorialized recently, “What sets Trump apart, and makes this election so urgently important, is the viciousness of the man himself: his malice and well-documented mendacity, his callousness and incompetence, his total lack of scruples.”
‘Anti-Catholic’ Smears as Political Tactic
Even before Trump went along with demands from his religious-right supporters that he nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, right-wing groups were dusting off the dishonest “anti-Catholic” playbook that they have turned to again and again—accusing Democratic senators who raise questions about judicial nominees’ judicial philosophy of being anti-religious, and often specifically anti-Catholic.
The smears came from the top—in this case, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who claimed on Oct. 7, “United States Senators are suggesting that Judge Barrett is too Christian, or the wrong kind of Christian, to be a good judge.” That charge was repeated by Carrie Severino, whose Judicial Crisis Network has spent many millions of dollars to make right-wing ideology dominant in the federal courts. She tweeted that McConnell was “exactly right,” adding, “The Democrats and their liberal allies think Judge Barrett is ‘too Christian’ or ‘the wrong kind of Christian’ to be a good judge. That is rank bigotry, and it has no place in our country.”
The “anti-Catholic” smear against Democratic senators—even Catholic senators—by religious-right and Republican leaders has a long and dishonorable history as a tactic for deflecting criticism from the records and extremist ideologies of some judicial nominees.
During the first two days of Barrett’s confirmation hearings, the only people talking about Barrett’s faith have been Republicans. Democratic senators have asked substantive questions about Barrett’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act, her open hostility to Roe v. Wade and legal abortion, her criticism of the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling, her record as a judge on racial discrimination cases—and even the imperative for a peaceful transfer of power.
But Barrett’s backers have kept up a constant drumbeat on the “anti-Catholic” front, promoting a false narrative that opposition to her confirmation is grounded in religious bigotry. Vice President Mike Pence, for example, recently appeared at an event sponsored by the anti-LGBTQ Family Leader Foundation in Iowa, where he railed against Democrats and “Hollywood elites,” saying, “[T]hese attacks on Judge Barrett’s faith must stop!”
Meanwhile, Barrett’s supporters routinely cite her “devout” Catholicism as a selling point; some dominionist Pentecostal leaders even say that Barrett, a Charismatic Catholic, has been “anointed” by God to bring an end to abortion in America. (Charismatic worship practices, which emphasize “gifts of the Holy Spirit” like speaking in tongues, are mostly associated with the Pentecostal branch of evangelical Protestantism but have been embraced by communities within other Christian denominations.)
‘Anti-Catholic’ Smears as Electoral Strategy
Trump’s rhetoric and that of his allies seems designed not only to suppress objections to Barrett’s confirmation but also to use the charge of Democratic anti-Catholicism to benefit his reelection prospects. In his video for the Al Smith dinner, Trump followed his false claim of anti-Catholic bigotry among Democrats with a directive: “[W]e must do something immediately about it, like a Republican win.”
Some right-wing Catholic pundits and members of the hierarchy, like Bishop Joseph Strickland and Rev. James Altman, a Wisconsin priest, are promoting Trump’s reelection by claiming, “You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat.” Such partisan smears disrespect the long and robust tradition of Catholic social teaching and social justice activism among Democratic activists, including those who make up Catholics for Biden.
In Biden’s video address to the Al Smith dinner, he talked about the impact of social justice teachings on his life and said his Catholic faith has helped him through dark times to find “purpose to live a life worthy of those I lost.”
Anti-Catholicism Close to Home
As for Trump, during the 2016 Republican primaries, when he was competing with Sen. Ted Cruz—the son of a Cuban evangelical minister—for the support of conservative evangelicals in Iowa, Trump wondered in front of an audience whether Cuba raises “true evangelicals,” suggesting that Cruz’s Cuban family background meant that Cruz could be secretly Catholic and insinuating that that would make him less worthy of their support.
Trump and many of his backers have had extremely harsh words for Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church. When the pope criticized Trump’s immigration policies and described his desire for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border as “not Christian,” Trump fired back, saying it was “disgraceful” for the pope to question his faith—even though Trump, of course, has repeatedly questioned the faith of his political opponents. A few months ago, Trump embraced Carlo Maria Viganò, a hard-right fringe anti-Francis archbishop who portrayed Trump’s battle against the “deep state” as a “biblical” battle of light against darkness.
Attacks on the pope and on Catholicism itself—and other forms of religious bigotry—are not hard to find within religious-right and right-wing circles that make up Trump’s most loyal political base.
Members of Trump’s Cabinet have participated in weekly Bible studies with Ralph Drollinger, who teaches public officials that the Bible mandates their support for a range of right-wing policies. Drollinger has called Catholicism “one of the primary false religions in the world.” But that hasn’t kept him from getting privileged access to teach members of the House, Senate, and Cabinet. And it hasn’t kept Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from opening doors for Drollinger to take his Bible studies behind closed doors to powerful politicians in foreign capitals.
Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and a relentless promoter of Trump from the pulpit and via frequent appearances on Fox, was denounced by news website IrishCentral earlier this year as “a bigoted anti-Catholic who believes the Catholic Church was created by Satan.” In the past, Jeffress has enlisted Fox pundit Sean Hannity, who recently left the Catholic Church, and other friends on Fox to back up his denials of anti-Catholic bias, claiming such charges against him were based on quotes from him that had been “manufactured” or taken out of context. A few years ago, the Dallas Observer transcribed portions of Jeffress comments that had been highlighted by Right Wing Watch in 2011 in which Jeffress reports that the early church was “infected” by a “Babylonian mystery religion” that that “today the Roman Catholic Church is the result of that corruption.” Jeffress said then:
Much of what you see in the Catholic Church today doesn’t come from God’s word; it comes from that cultlike, pagan religion. Now you say, ‘Pastor, how can you say such a thing? That is such an indictment of the Catholic Church. After all, the Catholic Church talks about God and the Bible and Jesus and the blood of Christ and salvation.’ Isn’t that the genius of Satan? If you want to counterfeit a dollar bill, you don’t do it with purple paper and red ink. You’re not going to fool anybody with that. But if you want to counterfeit money, what you do is make it look closely related to the real thing as possible. And that’s what Satan does with counterfeit religion. He uses, he steals, he appropriates all of the symbols of true biblical Christianity, and he changes it just enough in order to cause people to miss eternal life.
When Mitt Romney was running for the Republican presidential nomination, Jeffress denounced the Mormon Church as a cult, and he reportedly used the word to characterize the Catholic Church when speaking with journalists later to defend those comments. “I believe we should always support a Christian over a non-Christian,” Jeffress said, adding, “Christians are uniquely favored by God, [while] Mormons, Hindus and Muslims worship a false god. The eternal consequences outweigh political ones. It is worse to legitimize a faith that would lead people to separation from God.” (Jeffress changed his tune in 2012 when Romney became the Republican nominee, saying it was better for evangelicals to support Romney given Obama’s positions on legal abortion and marriage equality.)
By their own standards, there’s no shortage of hard-right pundits who appear to exhibit “anti-Catholic bigotry” in their criticism of the pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Birtherism-promoting WorldNetDaily suggested that the pope’s criticism of the excesses of capitalism was shaped by the KGB. Pamela Geller, an anti-Muslim activist and zealous Trump supporter, mocked and criticized Francis over a papal letter calling for “affection and respect” toward Muslims, asking, “When did he become an imam?” The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer has slammed Pope Francis for not taking a more strident stance against homosexuality—saying the pope is “taking his theological cues from popular culture rather than the Word of God”—and climate change—“Pope Francis takes the Church back to the anti-science days of Galileo.”
Politics Trumps Theology
In spite of theological differences, conservative evangelicals have long made common political cause with conservative Catholics in fighting culture-war battles around abortion, LGBTQ equality, and public funding for religious schools, making a legal and public relations strategy of framing those issues as questions of religious liberty. Right-wing evangelicals have welcomed the intellectual and political leadership of right-wing Catholics like Attorney General William Barr, Princeton’s anti-LGBTQ Robert George, the Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo, the Heritage Foundation’s Ryan Anderson, and the most right-wing Supreme Court justices.
In 2016, Trump-promoting dominionist Lou Engle welcomed Catholics to The Call’s ”Azusa Now“ prayer gathering and highlighted the Catholic charismatic movement, even though his New Apostolic Reformation colleagues like Cindy Jacobs have in the past denounced Catholicism as a form of “religious occultism” and encouraged believers to burn photos and icons of the Virgin Mary and other Catholic saints as demonic objects.
Harry Jackson, an anti-LGBTQ pastor and POTUS Shield member, supported Catholic Supreme Court nominees like John Roberts and Samuel Alito, but in 2010, when President Barack Obama nominated Elena Kagan, who is Jewish, Jackson declared that the nomination “should outrage evangelical Protestants.” Jackson argued, “Although Catholics are well represented on the Supreme Court, there will likely be important cases that will need the insight of unbiased evangelicals to create an atmosphere for true justice.” In the case of Amy Coney Barrett, Jackson has expressed no similar concerns about the lack of evangelical representation on the high court; indeed, Jackson, a cancer survivor, was among the non-mask-wearing celebrants at the White House announcement of Barrett’s nomination that is now understood to have been a superspreader event for COVID-19.
Today, as in 2016, conservative evangelicals and conservative Catholics see Trump and his Republican allies the vehicle for achieving their joint political agenda: creating a federal judiciary dominated by right-wing judges, undermining separation of church and state and promoting Christian nationalism, criminalizing abortion, reversing legal and cultural gains made by women and LGBTQ people, and dramatically limiting the authority of the federal government.
Opposition to Barrett’s Judicial Philosophy
Progressive opposition to the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice is grounded in opposition to that agenda and the concern that millions of people’s lives and families will be harmed by it, beginning with those who could be stripped of access to health care if Barrett votes with other right-wing justices to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which she has made clear in writing that she considers unconstitutional.
That explains why Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, has opposed Barrett’s confirmation, citing Barrett’s opposition to the ACA and her voting “to uphold the wrongful conviction of a man based on faulty evidence.” In a press statement, Campbell stated:
It is insulting to act as if my faith boils down to one issue. Catholics cannot support judges or politicians who blatantly ignore the breadth of Catholic Social Teaching on women’s rights, voting rights, immigrant’s rights, health care, environmental protections, and so much more. This crass partisan power grab by the President, Senator McConnell, and his Republican colleagues is an insult to our democracy. It is an assault on our democratic system to rush a vote while they cling to power. The people and their next chosen President must decide on the next Supreme Court Justice. If Senator McConnell and President Trump think that pushing this through will help them win Catholic votes, then they don’t know Catholics. Unlike these politicians focused on taking power at all costs, we love our country more than political power. We Catholics will vote for integrity, justice, and the common good.
The U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on a religious test for public office protects religious liberty. Opposition to confirming judges with harmful judicial ideologies is not a religious test. In American public life, Christian nationalists and religious-right activists have a record of challenging political opponents’ faith and arguing that candidates’ religious beliefs make them unfit to hold public office.
Republicans and right-wing judicial advocates have spent decades building a political movement with the power to create lasting ideological domination of the federal courts. And they have spent years trying to discredit opposition to their power play by portraying opposition to right-wing judicial nominees as religious bigotry.
The difference between Republican claims about Democratic opposition to the confirmation of Barrett and what Democratic senators are actually saying is stark. Republicans should be held accountable for their dishonest smears.


rightwingwatch--2020-10-15--Amy Coney Barrett Puts Reversal of Marriage Equality ‘Clearly Within Sight,’ Says Anti-Equality Nati

Amy Coney Barrett Puts Reversal of Marriage Equality ‘Clearly Within Sight,’ Says Anti-Equality National Organization for Marriage

While many Republicans and right-wing activists are pretending that they have no idea how Amy Coney Barrett will rule on major issues , anti-equality activists like National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown aren ’ t being so coy .
In an email to supporters Wednesday , Brown said his group ’ s goal of overturning the U.S. Supreme Court ’ s marriage equality ruling in Obergefell is now “ clearly within sight.
” When the US Supreme Court illegitimately redefined marriage in 2015 with their anti-constitutional ruling in the Obergefell case , NOM vowed to work every day to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were crazy to think that was possible .
We were mocked and ridiculed by LGBT activists for even suggesting that the Supreme Court would ever reverse their ruling imposing gay ‘ marriage.
’ Regardless , NOM pressed on and now the supposedly unthinkable is clearly within sight .
They don ’ t think we ’ re crazy any longer .
Brown was gleeful that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse , D-R.I. , mentioned NOM during his questioning of Barrett , calling it evidence that “ leading politicians from both parties see NOM as a powerful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we care so deeply about.
” Brown continued , “ We may already have the five votes we need on the US Supreme Court to overturn the Obergefell decision that redefined marriage , but there is no question that the addition of Amy Coney Barrett to the Court significantly strengthens our hand .
”

While many Republicans and right-wing activists are pretending that they have no idea how Amy Coney Barrett will rule on major issues, anti-equality activists like National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown aren’t being so coy.
In an email to supporters Wednesday, Brown said his group’s goal of overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling in Obergefell is now “clearly within sight.”
When the US Supreme Court illegitimately redefined marriage in 2015 with their anti-constitutional ruling in the Obergefell case, NOM vowed to work every day to overturn that decision. People said we were crazy to think that was possible. We were mocked and ridiculed by LGBT activists for even suggesting that the Supreme Court would ever reverse their ruling imposing gay ‘marriage.’ Regardless, NOM pressed on and now the supposedly unthinkable is clearly within sight. They don’t think we’re crazy any longer.
Brown was gleeful that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., mentioned NOM during his questioning of Barrett, calling it evidence that “leading politicians from both parties see NOM as a powerful force for marriage and all the issues we care so deeply about.”
Brown continued, “We may already have the five votes we need on the US Supreme Court to overturn the Obergefell decision that redefined marriage, but there is no question that the addition of Amy Coney Barrett to the Court significantly strengthens our hand.”


rightwingwatch--2020-10-16--Right Wing Round-Up: Unmasked

Right Wing Round-Up: Unmasked

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rightwingwatch--2020-10-16--Right Wing Bonus Tracks: Balls of Steel

Right Wing Bonus Tracks: Balls of Steel


rightwingwatch--2020-10-16--Why Doesn’t Trump Disavow QAnon? He Can’t Afford to

At a town hall event in Miami broadcast by NBC News Thursday night , President Donald Trump was asked to disavow the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory .
He didn ’ t .
In fact , he offered words of praise for the movement .
Followers of QAnon believe that Trump is waging a behind-the-scenes battle against a deep state of satanic pedophiles , consisting of leaders in Democratic politics , business , and entertainment .
Once an outlandish conspiracy theory existing on the fringe , it has entered the mainstream and infiltrated the Republican Party with seemingly little resistance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential source of domestic terrorism—one that has already been connected to deadly violence .
Hosting the town hall , NBC News ’ Savannah Guthrie asked Trump to clear up a few things from the first and only presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in which Trump failed to condemn white supremacy .
Instead , he told the Proud Boys hate group to “ stand back and stand by.
” “ I denounce white supremacy , OK ?
” Trump said , falsely claiming that he had done so at the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about QAnon .
Explaining that followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory believe “ that Democrats have a satanic pedophile ring and you are the savior of that , ” Guthrie asked , “ Can you just once and for all state that this is not true and disavow QAnon in its entirety ?
” “ I know nothing about QAnon , I know very little , ” Trump said .
“ You told me , but what you told me doesn ’ t necessarily make it fact , I hate to say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know nothing about it .
I do know they are very much against pedophilia , they fight it very hard .
But I know nothing about it.
” After some back and forth , Trump stated again that he was against pedophilia .
“ What I do hear about [ QAnon ] is that they ’ re very strong against pedophilia , and I agree with that , ” he said .
As Right Wing Watch noted immediately after the exchange , “ Nobody in QAnon World is ‘ fighting ’ pedophilia at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they don ’ t like of *being* pedophiles .
There is a difference.
” This isn ’ t the first time the president has failed to denounce QAnon .
During a press conference in August , a reporter asked Trump about the conspiracy theory : “ Mr .
President , at the crux of the theory is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this Satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals .
Does that sound like something you are behind , or a believer in ?
” “ Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump claimed .
“ But is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing ?
I mean , you know , if I can help save the world from problems , I ’ m willing to do it .
I ’ m willing to put myself out there.
” So , why isn ’ t Trump disavowing QAnon ?
Its believers ’ devotion to the theory and to Trump are a valuable asset to a president and team that have no scruples .
More than just movement , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sprawls across several social media platforms with commentators amassing large followings by pushing the conspiracy theory , and Trump is at the center of it—the hero waging battle .
It ’ s even entered such disparate spaces as the evangelical community , Seven Mountains Dominionism , mixed martial arts , and yoga and wellness spaces .
Johnny Enlow , a leading proponent of Seven Mountains Dominionism , recently said the conspiracy theory “ connects to our overall message on the Seven Mountain Mandate , ” claiming this is what happens when the church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that shape culture—education , government , media , business , arts and entertainment , family , and religion .
Meanwhile , dozens of QAnon followers ran as Republicans for Congress , and a handful won their GOP primaries .
Marjorie Taylor Greene , the GOP nominee for Senate in Georgia and a QAnon follower , is almost certain to be walking the halls of Congress next year .
And the growth of the QAnon movement is staggering for a conspiracy theory that originated on anonymous message boards in 2017 .
A recent Morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans who engaged with QAnon content online believed the sprawling claims to be very accurate , with another 17 percent believing them to be somewhat accurate .
The movement also began using the hashtag # SavetheChildren—co-opted from the humanitarian organization—this summer in social media posts and memes about pedophiles , asking why the news wasn ’ t reporting on it .
It was a soft front , attracting followers to the movement by slowly introducing them to more QAnon-focused content , as newcomers engaged with the posts about needing to save children and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a part of his base and attracting new followers , the QAnon community ’ s mantra that members must always “ trust the plan ” means that ahead of Election Day , followers have faith that Trump will win and take out the deep state set on putting him out of office to prevent him from revealing their satanic cabal .
Pro-Trump commentator Bill Mitchell of YourVoice America has said that he sees “ no downside ” to QAnon , arguing that people should not criticize the movement because even if it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motivated and confident in Trump as November approaches .
And even if Trump loses in November , QAnon followers will believe that the deep state must have stolen the election , and that messaging is in keeping with Trump and the GOP ’ s fear-mongering about voter fraud through mail-in ballots .
Likewise , Facebook , YouTube , and Twitter ’ s crackdown on the conspiracy theory—just yesterday , YouTube removed the accounts of a number of influential QAnon accounts , including Praying Medic—falls in line with the Big Tech narrative driven by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being censored .
“ Big Tech is silencing QAnon , Facebook is silencing QAnon , ” Ed Martin , president of the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles organization , complained in an Oct. 7 Periscope broadcast .
“ What ’ s the standard ?
The standard is thumb on the scale .
The standard is anything they can do to put their thumb on the scale—that ’ s what President Trump is up against.
” Republicans were slow to disavow the conspiracy theory .
After Marjorie Taylor Greene won her primary runoff in Georgia in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and in October , all but 17 signed onto a recent House resolution calling it a “ conspiracy theory.
” ( Among those who did not were Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Steve King of Iowa . )
But that may have been too little , too late .
The more that Republicans or Trump avoid denouncing the conspiracy theory , the more conspiracy theorists will shape the narrative .
Conspiracy theorist Ann Vandersteel has been telling QAnon followers that they should take Republican Party leadership ’ s silence about QAnon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s probably just fine .
The more the movement spreads , the less Trump can do wrong by his already enamored MAGA supporters .
Does it matter that he ’ s told the Proud Boys hate group to “ stand by ” ?
Does it matter that more than 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 ?
Does it matter that he ’ s refused to say whether he ’ ll commit to a peaceful transfer of power ?
Thousands believe he ’ s saving children from Satanic pedophiles—what could be @ @ @ @ @

Analysis
At a town hall event in Miami broadcast by NBC News Thursday night, President Donald Trump was asked to disavow the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory. He didn’t. In fact, he offered words of praise for the movement.
Followers of QAnon believe that Trump is waging a behind-the-scenes battle against a deep state of satanic pedophiles, consisting of leaders in Democratic politics, business, and entertainment. Once an outlandish conspiracy theory existing on the fringe, it has entered the mainstream and infiltrated the Republican Party with seemingly little resistance, despite the FBI identifying it as a potential source of domestic terrorism—one that has already been connected to deadly violence.
Hosting the town hall, NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie asked Trump to clear up a few things from the first and only presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in which Trump failed to condemn white supremacy. Instead, he told the Proud Boys hate group to “stand back and stand by.”
“I denounce white supremacy, OK?” Trump said, falsely claiming that he had done so at the first debate.
Guthrie then asked the president about QAnon. Explaining that followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory believe “that Democrats have a satanic pedophile ring and you are the savior of that,” Guthrie asked, “Can you just once and for all state that this is not true and disavow QAnon in its entirety?”
“I know nothing about QAnon, I know very little,” Trump said.
“I just told you,” Guthrie replied.
“You told me, but what you told me doesn’t necessarily make it fact, I hate to say that,” Trump said. “I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia, they fight it very hard. But I know nothing about it.”
After some back and forth, Trump stated again that he was against pedophilia. “What I do hear about [QAnon] is that they’re very strong against pedophilia, and I agree with that,” he said.
As Right Wing Watch noted immediately after the exchange, “Nobody in QAnon World is ‘fighting’ pedophilia at all. They are simply accusing everyone they don’t like of *being* pedophiles. There is a difference.”
This isn’t the first time the president has failed to denounce QAnon. During a press conference in August, a reporter asked Trump about the conspiracy theory: “Mr. President, at the crux of the theory is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this Satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Does that sound like something you are behind, or a believer in?”
“Well, I haven’t heard that,” Trump claimed. “But is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing? I mean, you know, if I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to put myself out there.”
So, why isn’t Trump disavowing QAnon? Its believers’ devotion to the theory and to Trump are a valuable asset to a president and team that have no scruples.
More than just movement, it’s become a vast network that sprawls across several social media platforms with commentators amassing large followings by pushing the conspiracy theory, and Trump is at the center of it—the hero waging battle. It’s even entered such disparate spaces as the evangelical community, Seven Mountains Dominionism, mixed martial arts, and yoga and wellness spaces.
Johnny Enlow, a leading proponent of Seven Mountains Dominionism, recently said the conspiracy theory “connects to our overall message on the Seven Mountain Mandate,” claiming this is what happens when the church doesn’t run the seven mountains that shape culture—education, government, media, business, arts and entertainment, family, and religion.
Meanwhile, dozens of QAnon followers ran as Republicans for Congress, and a handful won their GOP primaries. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the GOP nominee for Senate in Georgia and a QAnon follower, is almost certain to be walking the halls of Congress next year.
And the growth of the QAnon movement is staggering for a conspiracy theory that originated on anonymous message boards in 2017. A recent Morning Consult survey found that 21 percent of Republicans who engaged with QAnon content online believed the sprawling claims to be very accurate, with another 17 percent believing them to be somewhat accurate.
The movement also began using the hashtag #SavetheChildren—co-opted from the humanitarian organization—this summer in social media posts and memes about pedophiles, asking why the news wasn’t reporting on it. It was a soft front, attracting followers to the movement by slowly introducing them to more QAnon-focused content, as newcomers engaged with the posts about needing to save children and unknowingly followed conspiracy theorists.
Beyond engulfing a part of his base and attracting new followers, the QAnon community’s mantra that members must always “trust the plan” means that ahead of Election Day, followers have faith that Trump will win and take out the deep state set on putting him out of office to prevent him from revealing their satanic cabal.
Pro-Trump commentator Bill Mitchell of YourVoice America has said that he sees “no downside” to QAnon, arguing that people should not criticize the movement because even if it’s false, QAnon is keeping people motivated and confident in Trump as November approaches.
And even if Trump loses in November, QAnon followers will believe that the deep state must have stolen the election, and that messaging is in keeping with Trump and the GOP’s fear-mongering about voter fraud through mail-in ballots.
Likewise, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter’s crackdown on the conspiracy theory—just yesterday, YouTube removed the accounts of a number of influential QAnon accounts, including Praying Medic—falls in line with the Big Tech narrative driven by Trump and conservatives that they’re being censored.
“Big Tech is silencing QAnon, Facebook is silencing QAnon,” Ed Martin, president of the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles organization, complained in an Oct. 7 Periscope broadcast. “What’s the standard? The standard is thumb on the scale. The standard is anything they can do to put their thumb on the scale—that’s what President Trump is up against.”
Republicans were slow to disavow the conspiracy theory. After Marjorie Taylor Greene won her primary runoff in Georgia in August, they finally began denouncing QAnon, and in October, all but 17 signed onto a recent House resolution calling it a “conspiracy theory.” (Among those who did not were Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Steve King of Iowa.) But that may have been too little, too late.
The more that Republicans or Trump avoid denouncing the conspiracy theory, the more conspiracy theorists will shape the narrative. Conspiracy theorist Ann Vandersteel has been telling QAnon followers that they should take Republican Party leadership’s silence about QAnon as tacit approval.
And for Trump, that’s probably just fine. The more the movement spreads, the less Trump can do wrong by his already enamored MAGA supporters. Does it matter that he’s told the Proud Boys hate group to “stand by”? Does it matter that more than 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19? Does it matter that he’s refused to say whether he’ll commit to a peaceful transfer of power? Thousands believe he’s saving children from Satanic pedophiles—what could be more heroic than that?


rightwingwatch--2020-10-16--Johnny Enlow Says Trump Has Been ‘Relatively Gracious’ for Someone Battling Satanic Pedophiles

Pastor Johnny Enlow , a leading proponent of Seven Mountains Dominionism , appeared on a YouTube program hosted by “ prayer warrior ” Donna Partow in September , where he said that Christians must “ get over ” President Donald Trump ’ s use of abusive attacks on his enemies and his use of vulgar language because he ’ s battling a cabal of evil satanic pedophiles .
Enlow , who is a full-blown QAnon conspiracy theory proponent , said that Christians don ’ t understand the “ demonic forces ” that Trump is fighting behind the scenes and so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over ” Trump ’ s harsh personality and rhetoric .
“ I wish he had his language toned down , ” Enlow said .
“ But if we knew what he was facing behind the scenes and the attacks he gets .
… You have a whole combination of the top demonic forces on the planet and the individuals aligned with that going after you , and you actually know—as opposed to almost all the American people—you actually know what they ’ ve done .
… Luciferianism , organized crime , pedophilia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they ’ ve done this for a long time .
When you know that , it ’ s amazing ; I think he ’ s been relatively gracious for what he actually knows .
”

Pastor Johnny Enlow, a leading proponent of Seven Mountains Dominionism, appeared on a YouTube program hosted by “prayer warrior” Donna Partow in September, where he said that Christians must “get over” President Donald Trump’s use of abusive attacks on his enemies and his use of vulgar language because he’s battling a cabal of evil satanic pedophiles.
Enlow, who is a full-blown QAnon conspiracy theory proponent, said that Christians don’t understand the “demonic forces” that Trump is fighting behind the scenes and so they “really do have to get over” Trump’s harsh personality and rhetoric.
“I wish he had his language toned down,” Enlow said. “But if we knew what he was facing behind the scenes and the attacks he gets. … You have a whole combination of the top demonic forces on the planet and the individuals aligned with that going after you, and you actually know—as opposed to almost all the American people—you actually know what they’ve done. … Luciferianism, organized crime, pedophilia, and just the highest satanism imaginable, and they’ve done this for a long time. When you know that, it’s amazing; I think he’s been relatively gracious for what he actually knows.”


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Right Wing Round-Up: The Cries of the Non-Essential


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Right Wing Bonus Tracks: President Corleone


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Sean Feucht’s COVID-19-Be-Damned Tour Is Heading to DC to Boost Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination and S

Sean Feucht’s COVID-19-Be-Damned Tour Is Heading to DC to Boost Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination and Spark Revival

On Saturday , a day after ABC News reported that Kansas City hospitals were being overwhelmed by new COVID-19 cases , and a day before the Associated Press reported that eight area hospitals had turned away ambulances due to a lack of space , musician-politician Sean Feucht brought his high-energy “ Let Us Worship ” tour to Kansas City .
A video Feucht posted Sunday morning shows a mostly maskless crowd of people packed close together in a park singing , shouting , praying , and dancing .
A musician associated with controversial Northern California megachurch Bethel , Feucht ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culture-warrior Republican who was endorsed by Christian nationalists , dominionists , and Turning Point USA ’ s Charlie Kirk .
Feucht is holding a series of “ worship protests ” around the country that he says are meant to spark spiritual revival .
His next stop is an event on the National Mall in Washington , D.C. , on Oct. 25. , which he is portraying as an opportunity to enlist divine support for the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett .
Because the mall is controlled by the National Park Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions on gatherings will not be enforced .
Feucht told Charisma CEO Stephen Strang during an Oct. 6 podcast interview that there ’ s a “ good chance ” that either President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence will attend .
Feucht was part of a group of religious leaders who gathered with and prayed over Trump in the White House last December .
In Shasta County , California , home to Bethel and its School of Supernatural Ministry , county officials last week confirmed 274 cases of COVID-19 connected to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife of Bethel founder Bill Johnson and a senior leader at the church , posted a video mocking mask-wearing requirements and calling masks “ worthless.
” A resident of Redding , California , where the church and school are located , told the Daily Beast last week , “ We are now just days away from going into a lockdown , all thanks to Bethel , Sean Feucht , and their careless activities.
” Feucht ’ s gatherings have been alarming public health officials since he launched them in July in response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ insane ” public health restrictions on churches meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
Feucht ’ s gathering in Nashville , Tennessee , last week , held without a permit , “ drew large crowds of people who weren ’ t wearing masks , ” according to a news report .
It was criticized by law enforcement and public health officials .
An infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University told a reporter that based on the size of the gathering he could say with “ 100 percent certainty ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Feucht ’ s “ Let Us Worship ” tour is promoting Hold the Line , a political group he formed earlier this year after his run for Congress ended when he failed to make it through California ’ s primary .
Feucht describes his attendance as a teenager at anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ dominionist Lou Engle ’ s political “ Call on the Mall ” rally in 2000 as a formative experience for him .
In a video promoting the Oct. 25 gathering , Feucht called Engle a “ legend ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling Feucht a “ hinge of history ” and saying he believes Feucht ’ s events are helping to spark a new Great Awakening .
In his conversation with Engle , Feucht said he believes the timing of the rally , nine days before the Nov. 3 election and during the Barrett confirmation process , is “ a divine set-up from Heaven.
” Engle , who has frequently prayed that God would “ remove ” pro-choice Supreme Court justices , told Feucht he believes God set up Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation “ from the coronavirus to the courts because he ’ s bringing Roe v. Wade to court.
” Engle has previously declared that Amy Coney Barrett has been prophesied and anointed by God to bring an end to abortion in the U.S. “ I understand that President Trump is a hard pill to swallow , but he ’ s also the most pro-life president in modern history that we ’ ve ever had , ” Engle said , adding that he believes the 2020 election is not a referendum on Trump or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the church ’ s commitment to God ’ s law .
Engle prayed for an end to abortion and for national spiritual revival , asking that 100,000 LGBTQ people be “ saved and transformed.
” On Oct. 9 , during Rick Joyner ’ s “ Harvest Fest 2020 , ” Joyner , Engle , anti-choice activist Janet Porter , and religious-right “ historian ” and Republican activist David Barton prayed over Feucht and his Oct. 25 event .
Joining them was Brad Cummings , an editor of Barton ’ s “ Founders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett ’ s confirmation .
He said God has given Feucht “ favor to open the pathway for the courts.
” Cummings said that God has “ hand-picked a handmaiden to fill that vacancy in the court ” and asked him to use Feucht ’ s gathering to “ change the atmosphere ” over Washington , D.C. , and “ open the door for an Esther to come in .
”

On Saturday, a day after ABC News reported that Kansas City hospitals were being overwhelmed by new COVID-19 cases, and a day before the Associated Press reported that eight area hospitals had turned away ambulances due to a lack of space, musician-politician Sean Feucht brought his high-energy “Let Us Worship” tour to Kansas City. A video Feucht posted Sunday morning shows a mostly maskless crowd of people packed close together in a park singing, shouting, praying, and dancing.
A musician associated with controversial Northern California megachurch Bethel, Feucht ran for Congress this year as a Trump-supporting culture-warrior Republican who was endorsed by Christian nationalists, dominionists, and Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk. Feucht is holding a series of “worship protests” around the country that he says are meant to spark spiritual revival. His next stop is an event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 25., which he is portraying as an opportunity to enlist divine support for the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. Because the mall is controlled by the National Park Service, the D.C. government’s pandemic restrictions on gatherings will not be enforced.
Feucht told Charisma CEO Stephen Strang during an Oct. 6 podcast interview that there’s a “good chance” that either President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence will attend. Feucht was part of a group of religious leaders who gathered with and prayed over Trump in the White House last December.
Public health officials view Feucht’s gatherings as potential superspreader events for COVID-19.
In Shasta County, California, home to Bethel and its School of Supernatural Ministry, county officials last week confirmed 274 cases of COVID-19 connected to the school. Meanwhile, Beni Johnson, wife of Bethel founder Bill Johnson and a senior leader at the church, posted a video mocking mask-wearing requirements and calling masks “worthless.” A resident of Redding, California, where the church and school are located, told the Daily Beast last week, “We are now just days away from going into a lockdown, all thanks to Bethel, Sean Feucht, and their careless activities.”
Feucht’s gatherings have been alarming public health officials since he launched them in July in response to what he called “tyrannical” and “insane” public health restrictions on churches meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Feucht’s gathering in Nashville, Tennessee, last week, held without a permit, “drew large crowds of people who weren’t wearing masks,” according to a news report. It was criticized by law enforcement and public health officials. An infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University told a reporter that based on the size of the gathering he could say with “100 percent certainty” that the virus was spread at the event.
Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour is promoting Hold the Line, a political group he formed earlier this year after his run for Congress ended when he failed to make it through California’s primary.
Feucht describes his attendance as a teenager at anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ dominionist Lou Engle’s political “Call on the Mall” rally in 2000 as a formative experience for him. In a video promoting the Oct. 25 gathering, Feucht called Engle a “legend” and “hero.” Engle returned the favor, calling Feucht a “hinge of history” and saying he believes Feucht’s events are helping to spark a new Great Awakening.
In his conversation with Engle, Feucht said he believes the timing of the rally, nine days before the Nov. 3 election and during the Barrett confirmation process, is “a divine set-up from Heaven.”
Engle, who has frequently prayed that God would “remove” pro-choice Supreme Court justices, told Feucht he believes God set up Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Rosh Hashanah to change the public conversation “from the coronavirus to the courts because he’s bringing Roe v. Wade to court.” Engle has previously declared that Amy Coney Barrett has been prophesied and anointed by God to bring an end to abortion in the U.S.
“I understand that President Trump is a hard pill to swallow, but he’s also the most pro-life president in modern history that we’ve ever had,” Engle said, adding that he believes the 2020 election is not a referendum on Trump or Biden but a “final exam” on the church’s commitment to God’s law. Engle prayed for an end to abortion and for national spiritual revival, asking that 100,000 LGBTQ people be “saved and transformed.”
On Oct. 9, during Rick Joyner’s “Harvest Fest 2020,” Joyner, Engle, anti-choice activist Janet Porter, and religious-right “historian” and Republican activist David Barton prayed over Feucht and his Oct. 25 event. Joining them was Brad Cummings, an editor of Barton’s “Founders’ Bible,” who prayed for Barrett’s confirmation. He said God has given Feucht “favor to open the pathway for the courts.” Cummings said that God has “hand-picked a handmaiden to fill that vacancy in the court” and asked him to use Feucht’s gathering to “change the atmosphere” over Washington, D.C., and “open the door for an Esther to come in.”


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Right-Wing Pastor Denise Goulet Declares That Trump Is the Apple of God’s Eye

While campaigning in Nevada Sunday , President Donald Trump again attended a service at the International Church of Las Vegas , where he was prophesied over by pastor Denise Goulet , who declared that Trump will win a second term because he is “ the apple of [ God ’ s ] eye.
” Goulet claimed that she received a word from God just that morning that Trump will be reelected , and explained that the prophesy carried various meanings .
“ At 4:30 , the Lord said to me , ‘ I am going to give your president a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Now , this has three meanings .
A win that you will be the president again .
And win that when an athlete is running a marathon , there ’ s such a thing as a second win , where you come to a point where you have no energy … and you feel like you have no strength , but all of a sudden , the lungs of this athlete has been trained in high altitudes , [ and ] the athlete is able to get so much energy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is what the Lord saying , ” she added .
“ He says he has made your lungs , your body , your spirit , your strength , he has made it in such a way that you have been trained in such high-pressured places in the last four years—and even before that—and the Lord said , ‘ He is ready for the next four years , and I ’ m giving him a second win.
’ Do you understand that ?
” Apparently not realizing that the term for this phenomenon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ second win , ” Goulet then asserted that the term “ second wind ” meant that Trump was about to receive “ another infilling of the Holy Spirit.
” “ And there ’ s also this a second wind , if you add ‘ d , ’ it ’ s the Holy Spirit , ” Goulet continued .
“ And the Lord showed me today that you are coming to get a second wind , another infilling of the Holy Spirit , because the Holy Spirit makes you able to finish .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ President .
And then he said to me that you were the apple of his eye—that ’ s what we are , friends , we ’ re the apple of his eye—and that he ’ s protecting you like he is protecting the ancient foundations of our nation .
God wants to be in the middle of our nation .
”

While campaigning in Nevada Sunday, President Donald Trump again attended a service at the International Church of Las Vegas, where he was prophesied over by pastor Denise Goulet, who declared that Trump will win a second term because he is “the apple of [God’s] eye.”
Goulet claimed that she received a word from God just that morning that Trump will be reelected, and explained that the prophesy carried various meanings.
“At 4:30, the Lord said to me, ‘I am going to give your president a second win,'” Goulet declared. “Now, this has three meanings. A win that you will be the president again. And win that when an athlete is running a marathon, there’s such a thing as a second win, where you come to a point where you have no energy … and you feel like you have no strength, but all of a sudden, the lungs of this athlete has been trained in high altitudes, [and] the athlete is able to get so much energy to at least finish the marathon.”
“This is what the Lord saying,” she added. “He says he has made your lungs, your body, your spirit, your strength, he has made it in such a way that you have been trained in such high-pressured places in the last four years—and even before that—and the Lord said, ‘He is ready for the next four years, and I’m giving him a second win.’ Do you understand that?”
Apparently not realizing that the term for this phenomenon is “second wind,” not “second win,” Goulet then asserted that the term “second wind” meant that Trump was about to receive “another infilling of the Holy Spirit.”
“And there’s also this a second wind, if you add ‘d,’ it’s the Holy Spirit,” Goulet continued. “And the Lord showed me today that you are coming to get a second wind, another infilling of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit makes you able to finish. Take this to the end, Mr. President. And then he said to me that you were the apple of his eye—that’s what we are, friends, we’re the apple of his eye—and that he’s protecting you like he is protecting the ancient foundations of our nation. God wants to be in the middle of our nation.”


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Ted Cruz’s New Book Is a Call for a Hard-Right Supreme Court—and a Love Letter to Himself

Sen. Ted Cruz ’ s new book about the Supreme Court reads like an homage to his own brilliance and the first campaign material for a 2024 run for the presidency , which Cruz admits he is still interested in pursuing .
“ One Vote Away : How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History , ” released by right-wing publisher Regnery at the end of September , unintentionally makes clear just how disastrous a President Cruz would be .
Cruz ’ s book was written before the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg but published just afterward , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a pandemic and with an election under way .
The book begins with the senator from Texas recounting that immediately after hearing of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia , he was the first to demand that the seat be held open for the next president .
“ President Obama of course , would try to rush through a replacement in the waning months of his presidency , ” writes Cruz , who is now helping Trump push through Amy Coney Barrett ’ s nomination in the waning days of his presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created by Senate Republicans ’ refusal to consider Obama ’ s nomination of Merrick Garland was for many Americans , including Cruz himself , “ the single most important reason we voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.
” And yet , while Trump ’ s packing of the federal courts with unqualified ideologues and his nominating Supreme Court justices pre-approved by the right-wing Federalist Society have won cheers from most conservatives , Cruz looks a bit askance at Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh , saying they had not proven themselves sufficiently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a far-right vision of the Constitution .
( Cruz also makes it clear that he is no fan of Chief Justice John Roberts , who he dubs “ the new Sandra Day O ’ Connor.
” ) Before Gorsuch and Kavanaugh ’ s nominations were announced , Cruz says he lobbied Trump to name Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to the Supreme Court .
Lee has been ranked the most right-wing member of the Senate and espouses a radical Tea Partier ’ s view of the Constitution .
When Cruz floated Lee as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 , Right Wing Watch noted that Lee has “ perhaps the most extreme view of the Constitution of anyone in the Senate.
” Notably , when Cruz had the opportunity to grill Amy Coney Barrett on her judicial philosophy during her confirmation hearing last week , he instead asked her about her children ’ s piano lessons and distance learning .
Clearly , Cruz is already convinced that Barrett fits the mold of the reliably right-wing ideological combatant he says conservatives must demand .
In the book , Cruz writes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in becoming a Supreme Court justice , but Cruz decided that he ’ s more interested in pursuing right-wing policy goals as a politician—and future presidential candidate .
His analysis of the 2016 Republican primary is that he would have been victorious if not for the mainstream media ’ s fixation on Trump .
The bulk of the book is a series of topic chapters covering issues of concern to the right-wing activists Cruz is courting , including religious liberty , “ school choice , ” gun control , national sovereignty , abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and order.
” In each chapter , Cruz proudly describes his leadership and strategic genius as he recounts Supreme Court cases in which he was involved as solicitor general of Texas and organizer of amicus briefs .
Those sections are generally followed by a policy discussion accusing Democrats of embracing dangerously radical positions on the issue and warning that disaster is just a liberal Supreme Court justice away .
Cruz also includes a chapter on his role in the notorious Bush v. Gore decision , which he unironically categorizes as “ democracy.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case based on their belief that in any recounts , Republicans would be scrupulously honest and Democrats would inevitably try to cheat their way to victory .
Cruz dedicated “ One Vote Away ” to former Chief Justice William Rehnquist , for whom he clerked .
He calls the “ deeply conservative ” Rehnquist “ one of the greatest justices ever to serve on the Court ” and praises him for moving the court to the right .
Rehnquist was a law clerk for Justice Robert Jackson when the Supreme Court was considering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1951 , Rehnquist wrote Jackson a memo defending separate-but-equal policies and arguing that Plessy v. Ferguson , which upheld segregation , “ was right and should be affirmed.
” Rehnquist later claimed that he was reflecting Jackson ’ s views and not his own , but scholars have questioned the credibility of Rehnquist ’ s claims .
Before joining the court , Rehnquist was a political operative who took part in a 1962 Republican campaign in Phoenix , Arizona , that “ was designed to reduce the number of Black and Hispanic voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the words of a former federal prosecutor .
When Rehnquist denied those charges during his 1986 confirmation hearings , his testimony was disputed by multiple witnesses .
Given that Cruz calls Rehnquist “ one of the greatest justices ever to serve on the court , ” you can imagine what a Supreme Court might look like under a President Cruz .
Even more telling is the scenario Cruz plays out in a section of the book criticizing Republican presidents ’ record of nominating justices who didn ’ t turn out to be reliably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things might have been if Ronald Reagan nominee Robert Bork had been confirmed rather than rejected by the Senate and if the ultra-conservative Edith Jones had been nominated by President George H.W .
Bush instead of David Souter : Cruz of course wishes that he were in the White House rather than Trump .
But given Trump ’ s record of appointing more extreme judges than either Reagan or Bush , a second Trump term could well give Cruz the Supreme Court of his dreams .

Sen. Ted Cruz’s new book about the Supreme Court reads like an homage to his own brilliance and the first campaign material for a 2024 run for the presidency, which Cruz admits he is still interested in pursuing. “One Vote Away: How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History,” released by right-wing publisher Regnery at the end of September, unintentionally makes clear just how disastrous a President Cruz would be.
Cruz’s book was written before the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg but published just afterward, as Republicans rushed to fill the seat during a pandemic and with an election under way. The book begins with the senator from Texas recounting that immediately after hearing of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, he was the first to demand that the seat be held open for the next president. “President Obama of course, would try to rush through a replacement in the waning months of his presidency,” writes Cruz, who is now helping Trump push through Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination in the waning days of his presidency.
Cruz says the Supreme Court vacancy created by Senate Republicans’ refusal to consider Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland was for many Americans, including Cruz himself, “the single most important reason we voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.”
And yet, while Trump’s packing of the federal courts with unqualified ideologues and his nominating Supreme Court justices pre-approved by the right-wing Federalist Society have won cheers from most conservatives, Cruz looks a bit askance at Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, saying they had not proven themselves sufficiently committed to ideological combat on behalf of a far-right vision of the Constitution. (Cruz also makes it clear that he is no fan of Chief Justice John Roberts, who he dubs “the new Sandra Day O’Connor.”)
Before Gorsuch and Kavanaugh’s nominations were announced, Cruz says he lobbied Trump to name Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to the Supreme Court. Lee has been ranked the most right-wing member of the Senate and espouses a radical Tea Partier’s view of the Constitution. When Cruz floated Lee as a potential justice during his presidential campaign in 2016, Right Wing Watch noted that Lee has “perhaps the most extreme view of the Constitution of anyone in the Senate.”
Notably, when Cruz had the opportunity to grill Amy Coney Barrett on her judicial philosophy during her confirmation hearing last week, he instead asked her about her children’s piano lessons and distance learning. Clearly, Cruz is already convinced that Barrett fits the mold of the reliably right-wing ideological combatant he says conservatives must demand.
In the book, Cruz writes that Trump asked him if he was interested in becoming a Supreme Court justice, but Cruz decided that he’s more interested in pursuing right-wing policy goals as a politician—and future presidential candidate. His analysis of the 2016 Republican primary is that he would have been victorious if not for the mainstream media’s fixation on Trump.
The bulk of the book is a series of topic chapters covering issues of concern to the right-wing activists Cruz is courting, including religious liberty, “school choice,” gun control, national sovereignty, abortion, Citizens United, and “law and order.” In each chapter, Cruz proudly describes his leadership and strategic genius as he recounts Supreme Court cases in which he was involved as solicitor general of Texas and organizer of amicus briefs. Those sections are generally followed by a policy discussion accusing Democrats of embracing dangerously radical positions on the issue and warning that disaster is just a liberal Supreme Court justice away.
Cruz also includes a chapter on his role in the notorious Bush v. Gore decision, which he unironically categorizes as “democracy.” He defends Republicans’ behavior in that case based on their belief that in any recounts, Republicans would be scrupulously honest and Democrats would inevitably try to cheat their way to victory.
Cruz dedicated “One Vote Away” to former Chief Justice William Rehnquist, for whom he clerked. He calls the “deeply conservative” Rehnquist “one of the greatest justices ever to serve on the Court” and praises him for moving the court to the right.
Rehnquist was a law clerk for Justice Robert Jackson when the Supreme Court was considering Brown v. Board of Education; in 1951, Rehnquist wrote Jackson a memo defending separate-but-equal policies and arguing that Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld segregation, “was right and should be affirmed.” Rehnquist later claimed that he was reflecting Jackson’s views and not his own, but scholars have questioned the credibility of Rehnquist’s claims.
Before joining the court, Rehnquist was a political operative who took part in a 1962 Republican campaign in Phoenix, Arizona, that “was designed to reduce the number of Black and Hispanic voters by confrontation and intimidation,” in the words of a former federal prosecutor. When Rehnquist denied those charges during his 1986 confirmation hearings, his testimony was disputed by multiple witnesses.
Given that Cruz calls Rehnquist “one of the greatest justices ever to serve on the court,” you can imagine what a Supreme Court might look like under a President Cruz. Even more telling is the scenario Cruz plays out in a section of the book criticizing Republican presidents’ record of nominating justices who didn’t turn out to be reliably right-wing. Cruz fantasizes about the way things might have been if Ronald Reagan nominee Robert Bork had been confirmed rather than rejected by the Senate and if the ultra-conservative Edith Jones had been nominated by President George H.W. Bush instead of David Souter:
If those two things had both happened, we would have had a five-justice majority of which Antonin Scalia would arguably have been the most liberal: a majority consisting of Chief Justice Rehnquist, Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork, Edith Jones, and Antonin Scalia, with Justice O’Connor floating out there as the possible sixth vote in any particular case. The annals of constitutional history for the last four decades would have been dramatically different.
Cruz of course wishes that he were in the White House rather than Trump. But given Trump’s record of appointing more extreme judges than either Reagan or Bush, a second Trump term could well give Cruz the Supreme Court of his dreams.


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Dominionist Ché Ahn Launches Political Group to Elect Anti-Choice, Anti-Equality Leaders

Dominionist pastor Ché Ahn has launched 1RACE4LIFE , a new anti-choice initiative that is designed to bring about “ the end of abortion on a local , state , and national level.
” Ahn recently appeared at “ The Return , ” a pro-Trump prayer rally on the National Mall , where he denounced legal abortion and marriage equality and thanked God that Amy Coney Barrett would “ be the judge that will help us to overturn Roe v. Wade.
” Ahn is a leader of the New Apostolic Reformation , a network of Pentecostal leaders who believe God has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miracles , transform Christianity , and disciple whole nations to their biblical worldview in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ .
“ I feel strongly that we have reached a kairos moment—an opportune , God-appointed moment in time , ” Ahn wrote in an Oct. 11 blog post .
“ I believe it is time for us to rise up , take a stand on God ’ s Word , and partner with heaven ’ s agenda to bring reformation to society and revival to our land !
” Ahn wrote that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set apart time to travel to the key battleground states and speak at as many churches as I can to mobilize young people to vote pro-life.
” Ahn made it clear that he was writing about the presidential election : Church , we have come to a crucial crossroads .
November 3 is fast approaching , and with it the US presidential election .
There is a battle going on for the soul of America .
I believe this is the most important election because so much is at stake when we cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be hard to fathom , but one third of evangelicals in America are not even registered to vote .
Meanwhile , the fundamental liberties that make our nation what it is today are being challenged by dangerous ideologies like Marxism .
We are living in a time where the decisions that our commander in chief makes will have an enormous effect on our families , communities , and nation for years to come .
Now is the time for us as God ’ s people to take action and defend biblical family values @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears to be a project of Ahn ’ s Harvest International Ministry , declares on its website that its objectives are to elect : Ahn is a proponent of Seven Mountains Dominionism , a theological and rhetorical framework that seeks to transform societies by putting what its supporters view as the right kind of right-wing Christians in positions of power within the seven “ mountains ” or spheres of cultural influence in society : government , media , arts and entertainment , education , business , religion , and family .
1RACE4LIFE uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ a reformer , world changer , and history maker ” by making the following pledges : • I pledge to always vote pro-life .
I will never vote for an elected official that is pro-abortion .
I recognize that all lives are sacred , including the unborn .
Therefore , I will content for the rights of the unborn until abortion is illegal and rare .
• I pledge to always vote for biblical family values .
I will defend the sacred covenant of marriage between a man and a woman .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ biblical injustice .
I will work toward racial reconciliation where there is racial divide in the Body of Christ and in society .
• I pledge to pray for my president and all those who are in authority over the seven mountains of culture .
I will contend for revival in the Church and spiritual awakening in my nation .
• I pledge to live a life of love .
As I constantly receive the love of my heavenly Father , I commit to love God and love my neighbor as myself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Elijah List , a newsletter of “ prophetic ” information and commentary that claims 148,000 subscribers .

Dominionist pastor Ché Ahn has launched 1RACE4LIFE, a new anti-choice initiative that is designed to bring about “the end of abortion on a local, state, and national level.” Ahn recently appeared at “The Return,” a pro-Trump prayer rally on the National Mall, where he denounced legal abortion and marriage equality and thanked God that Amy Coney Barrett would “be the judge that will help us to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
Ahn is a leader of the New Apostolic Reformation, a network of Pentecostal leaders who believe God has empowered modern-day apostles and prophets to perform miracles, transform Christianity, and disciple whole nations to their biblical worldview in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ.
“I feel strongly that we have reached a kairos moment—an opportune, God-appointed moment in time,” Ahn wrote in an Oct. 11 blog post. “I believe it is time for us to rise up, take a stand on God’s Word, and partner with heaven’s agenda to bring reformation to society and revival to our land!” Ahn wrote that during September and October, he “set apart time to travel to the key battleground states and speak at as many churches as I can to mobilize young people to vote pro-life.”
Ahn made it clear that he was writing about the presidential election:
Church, we have come to a crucial crossroads. November 3 is fast approaching, and with it the US presidential election. There is a battle going on for the soul of America. I believe this is the most important election because so much is at stake when we cast our ballots this year. It may be hard to fathom, but one third of evangelicals in America are not even registered to vote. Meanwhile, the fundamental liberties that make our nation what it is today are being challenged by dangerous ideologies like Marxism. We are living in a time where the decisions that our commander in chief makes will have an enormous effect on our families, communities, and nation for years to come. Now is the time for us as God’s people to take action and defend biblical family values in America.
The group, which appears to be a project of Ahn’s Harvest International Ministry, declares on its website that its objectives are to elect:
A pro-life president
A majority of pro-life senators
A majority of pro-life House of Representatives
State and local pro-life officials
A majority of pro-life Supreme Court justices.
Ahn is a proponent of Seven Mountains Dominionism, a theological and rhetorical framework that seeks to transform societies by putting what its supporters view as the right kind of right-wing Christians in positions of power within the seven “mountains” or spheres of cultural influence in society: government, media, arts and entertainment, education, business, religion, and family.
1RACE4LIFE uses Seven Mountains language urging people to be “a reformer, world changer, and history maker” by making the following pledges:
I pledge to always vote pro-life. I will never vote for an elected official that is pro-abortion. I recognize that all lives are sacred, including the unborn. Therefore, I will content for the rights of the unborn until abortion is illegal and rare. I pledge to always vote for biblical family values. I will defend the sacred covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. I pledge to fight racism and biblical injustice. I will work toward racial reconciliation where there is racial divide in the Body of Christ and in society. I pledge to pray for my president and all those who are in authority over the seven mountains of culture. I will contend for revival in the Church and spiritual awakening in my nation. I pledge to live a life of love. As I constantly receive the love of my heavenly Father, I commit to love God and love my neighbor as myself.
Ahn’s blog post was promoted by the Elijah List, a newsletter of “prophetic” information and commentary that claims 148,000 subscribers.


rightwingwatch--2020-10-19--Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Claims Laptop Shows Hunter Biden Engaging in ‘Serious Torture Porn’

In the waning days of the 2016 election , the FBI announced that it had found emails pertinent to its investigation of Hillary Clinton ’ s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state on a laptop belonging to former Rep. Anthony Weiner , the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin .
In the wake of the announcement , right-wing conspiracy theorists began baselessly asserting that the laptop contained numerous videos showing Clinton and Abedin sexually abusing and torturing children .
The laptop , of course , contained nothing of the sort , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by supporters of the “ Pizzagate ” and QAnon conspiracy theories , which alleges that President Donald Trump has been working to take down high-level entertainment figures and Democratic politicians who are supposedly part of a global network of satanic pedophiles .
With just two weeks to go until the 2020 election , the right appears to be using this disinformation same strategy yet again , only now it is aimed at Hunter Biden , the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden .
Last week , the New York Post published a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hard drive from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden that was left unclaimed at a Delaware computer repair shop .
The two key “ sources ” behind the story have been former Trump campaign and White House adviser Steve Bannon , who is currently under indictment for fraud , and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani , who has been endlessly spreading unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the Bidens for years .
Predictably , the existence of this alleged hard drive has resulted in right-wing conspiracy theorists asserting that it contains videos showing Hunter Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentator , conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump obsessed sycophant Wayne Allyn Root has been leading the charge on Twitter : Root ’ s tweets have been widely spread by various other right-wing conspiracy theorists , such as pastor Greg Locke and QAnon supporter Ann Vandersteel : Naturally , radical right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones basically dedicated his entire Infowars network to covering the story over the weekend , posting several videos claiming to have confirmation that the laptop contains multiple videos showing Hunter Biden engaging in “ serious torture porn ” of pre-pubescent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an adult man having sex with what looks like 10-year-old girls , ” Jones said .
“ He ’ s beating and torturing them and beating the living hell out of them.
” “ This fits into the whole M.O .
of these people , ” Jones added .
“ Their selfishness , their corruption .
‘ Oh , you want me to shoot films with underage girls ?
I ’ ll break their jaws .
I ’ ll slap them .
I ’ ll hit them .
I ’ ll shove huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ This is serious torture porn .
”

In the waning days of the 2016 election, the FBI announced that it had found emails pertinent to its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state on a laptop belonging to former Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. In the wake of the announcement, right-wing conspiracy theorists began baselessly asserting that the laptop contained numerous videos showing Clinton and Abedin sexually abusing and torturing children.
The laptop, of course, contained nothing of the sort, but the false allegation is still widely believed by supporters of the “Pizzagate” and QAnon conspiracy theories, which alleges that President Donald Trump has been working to take down high-level entertainment figures and Democratic politicians who are supposedly part of a global network of satanic pedophiles.
With just two weeks to go until the 2020 election, the right appears to be using this disinformation same strategy yet again, only now it is aimed at Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Last week, the New York Post published a highly suspect article claiming to have obtained a hard drive from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden that was left unclaimed at a Delaware computer repair shop. The two key “sources” behind the story have been former Trump campaign and White House adviser Steve Bannon, who is currently under indictment for fraud, and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has been endlessly spreading unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the Bidens for years.
Predictably, the existence of this alleged hard drive has resulted in right-wing conspiracy theorists asserting that it contains videos showing Hunter Biden sexually abusing and torturing children.
Right-wing commentator, conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump obsessed sycophant Wayne Allyn Root has been leading the charge on Twitter:
BREAKING NEWS. My sources- as high up as it gets- watched videos on Hunter’s laptops TODAY. Just told me point blank…no rumor…they saw Hunter raping & torturing little Chinese children…Chinese govt has the same videos…Biden is compromised. Blackmailed. Can NEVER be Prez. — Wayne Allyn Root (@RealWayneRoot) October 19, 2020
My sources who actually watched videos & images on Hunter Biden’s laptop said it was horrifying. Obviously any sex w/prepubescent girls is automatically “rape.” & any abuse of little girls is automatically “torture.” This is disgraceful. & easy for China to blackmail Joe. — Wayne Allyn Root (@RealWayneRoot) October 19, 2020
I know the people who have seen images on laptop. Very real. It’s Hunter Biden’s laptop. Saw his emails detailing massive corruption & bribery scam by Joe Biden. My high level sources watched terrible images of Hunter w/young girls. Sorry Dems, it’s real. https://t.co/KQGUAjwGtn — Wayne Allyn Root (@RealWayneRoot) October 19, 2020
Root’s tweets have been widely spread by various other right-wing conspiracy theorists, such as pastor Greg Locke and QAnon supporter Ann Vandersteel:
THIS IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY FOLKS. https://t.co/zySWpZySci — Pastor Greg Locke (@pastorlocke) October 19, 2020
How do you Redpill people without destroying their minds and torture their souls? https://t.co/pKCT9r3jY3 — FEARLESS Ann Vandersteel (@annvandersteel) October 19, 2020
Naturally, radical right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones basically dedicated his entire Infowars network to covering the story over the weekend, posting several videos claiming to have confirmation that the laptop contains multiple videos showing Hunter Biden engaging in “serious torture porn” of pre-pubescent girls.
“This is not just an adult man having sex with what looks like 10-year-old girls,” Jones said. “He’s beating and torturing them and beating the living hell out of them.”
“This fits into the whole M.O. of these people,” Jones added. “Their selfishness, their corruption. ‘Oh, you want me to shoot films with underage girls? I’ll break their jaws. I’ll slap them. I’ll hit them. I’ll shove huge things that damage their bodies into them.’ This is serious torture porn.”


rightwingwatch--2020-10-20--Right Wing Round-Up: Trump’s Declassified Survival Guide


rightwingwatch--2020-10-20--Right Wing Bonus Tracks: The William Wilberforce of Our Time


rightwingwatch--2020-10-20--Head of US Election Assistance Commission Tells Christians to ‘Rise Up’ and Vote: ‘We Can Decide Jus

Head of US Election Assistance Commission Tells Christians to ‘Rise Up’ and Vote: ‘We Can Decide Just About Every Election in This Country’

Christy McCormick is the head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission , an “ independent , bipartisan commission , ” which serves as a national clearinghouse for election administration information and is “ charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet [ Help America Vote Act ] requirements , adopting voluntary voting system guidelines , and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment.
” The commission is “ also charged with developing and maintaining a national mail voter registration form.
” On Monday , McCormick appeared on a YouTube program hosted by Intercessors for America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative “ prayer warriors ” on behalf of President Donald Trump and Republican candidates .
IFA is also closely affiliated with Trump ’ s spiritual adviser , pastor Paula White .
During the call , McCormick declared that if Christians “ rise up ” and vote , “ we can decide just about every election in this country.
” McCormick , who was a member of Trump ’ s bogus voter fraud commission , used the program to spread fears about the integrity of the upcoming election , before declaring that the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and vote .
“ The most important thing is to pray , ” McCormick said .
“ The second most thing is to make sure you vote .
… The third thing is to get your co-workers , your family , your friends , your neighbors , your church members , get them to vote .
One of the things that we ’ ve seen over the years is that Christians don ’ t vote .
Millions and millions , tens of millions of Christians do not vote .
And if we did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then voted , we can decide just about every election in this country.
” Later in the broadcast , McCormick went through a list of “ prayer points ” for the upcoming election , including that women will not be put off by a candidate ’ s “ integrity issues ” —which is the standard way in which Trump ’ s Christian supporters justify overlooking his various personal failings—and will vote as “ the Lord would want us to.
” “ I think we need to pray for women and how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re very confused this year for some reason , I think it ’ s the integrity issue … and I think it ’ s important to realize that we aren ’ t voting for the man , we ’ re voting for the platform .
We ’ re voting for life .
We ’ re voting for Israel .
We ’ re voting for marriage .
We ’ re voting for the nuclear family , teaching our children laws and decrees , freely worshiping , speaking the name of Jesus publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s important that we realize that we need to vote the platform , and we need to look at what we think the Lord would want us to do .
”

Christy McCormick is the head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an “independent, bipartisan commission,” which serves as a national clearinghouse for election administration information and is “charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet [Help America Vote Act] requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment.” The commission is “also charged with developing and maintaining a national mail voter registration form.”
On Monday, McCormick appeared on a YouTube program hosted by Intercessors for America, a right-wing organization dedicated to mobilizing conservative “prayer warriors” on behalf of President Donald Trump and Republican candidates. IFA is also closely affiliated with Trump’s spiritual adviser, pastor Paula White.
During the call, McCormick declared that if Christians “rise up” and vote, “we can decide just about every election in this country.”
McCormick, who was a member of Trump’s bogus voter fraud commission, used the program to spread fears about the integrity of the upcoming election, before declaring that the most important thing is for Christians to pray and vote.
“The most important thing is to pray,” McCormick said. “The second most thing is to make sure you vote. … The third thing is to get your co-workers, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your church members, get them to vote. One of the things that we’ve seen over the years is that Christians don’t vote. Millions and millions, tens of millions of Christians do not vote. And if we did vote, if we did rise up and then voted, we can decide just about every election in this country.”
Later in the broadcast, McCormick went through a list of “prayer points” for the upcoming election, including that women will not be put off by a candidate’s “integrity issues”—which is the standard way in which Trump’s Christian supporters justify overlooking his various personal failings—and will vote as “the Lord would want us to.”
“I think we need to pray for women and how they vote,” she said. “They’re very confused this year for some reason, I think it’s the integrity issue … and I think it’s important to realize that we aren’t voting for the man, we’re voting for the platform. We’re voting for life. We’re voting for Israel. We’re voting for marriage. We’re voting for the nuclear family, teaching our children laws and decrees, freely worshiping, speaking the name of Jesus publicly without being silenced. So, it’s important that we realize that we need to vote the platform, and we need to look at what we think the Lord would want us to do.”


rightwingwatch--2020-10-20--Pat Robertson Prophesies That Trump Will Win Reelection, Then the End Times Will Begin

Televangelist Pat Robertson reported on “ The 700 Club ” today that he had been told by God that President @ @ @ @ @ … and his reelection will bring about start of the End Times .
Robertson said @ @ @ @ @ Trump is going to win the election , ” but it will result in widespread @ @ @ @ @ there will be at least two attempts to assassinate the president .
While America is @ @ @ @ @ predicted that Islamic nations will use it as an opportunity to attack Israel but will @ @ @ @ @ , leading to “ a remarkable time of peace.
” Following several years of peace @ @ @ @ @ world will then experience the End Times ’ “ great tribulation ” when an asteroid @ @ @ @

Televangelist Pat Robertson reported on “The 700 Club” today that he had been told by God that President Donald Trump will be reelected … and his reelection will bring about start of the End Times.
Robertson said that “without question, Trump is going to win the election,” but it will result in widespread civil unrest, during which there will be at least two attempts to assassinate the president.
While America is engulfed in chaos, Robertson predicted that Islamic nations will use it as an opportunity to attack Israel but will be wiped out by God, leading to “a remarkable time of peace.”
Following several years of peace and global revival, the world will then experience the End Times’ “great tribulation” when an asteroid strikes the Earth.