Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell will not take office until January 16, 2010, yet his self-anointed Uber Christian mentor, Pat Robertson has already shot off his mouth and put McDonnell on the spot where - if he is going to meet the same standard the GOP applied to Obama - McDonnell needs to disavow Robertson and his remarks. Of course, by doing so he risks angering the reality challenged Christianist base that gave McDonnell the nomination. I suspect that McDonnell is going to have a difficult time satisfying the whacked out Republican Part of Virginia base without signaling to independents and moderates that his campaign personae was a calculated lie. Hopefully, McDonnell may prove me wrong in how he governs. While he is definitely no moderate, he is not (in my opinion) clinically insane like the attorney general elect, Ken Cuccinelli. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:*
Bob McDonnell is already being forced to confront how he plans to handle his friendship with minister Pat Robertson, a longtime ally but also a controversial figure, once he takes office. Virginia Muslims are calling on McDonnell to disavow comments made last week by the Christian broadcaster from Virginia Beach in response to the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas. Robertson asserted that Islam is "not a religion" but a "violent political system" and that those who practice it should be treated like members of a communist or fascist party.
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Robertson has made similar assertions about Islam before, but the recent comments came only a couple of weeks after he made a late $25,000 donation to McDonnell's campaign and just days after he attended McDonnell's election-night party. He told a reporter there that he would be visiting McDonnell in his hotel suite while awaiting election results.
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During the campaign, McDonnell played down his ties to Robertson, whom he has known since he attended the law school Robertson founded in the late 1980s. McDonnell tried during the race to convince Virginians that he was a social conservative who could speak more broadly to issues that cross party lines.
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But Robertson's comments last week suggest he might prove to be a political liability as McDonnell, a Republican, seeks to turn his bipartisan campaign promises into a governing coalition. McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin would not comment last week, saying only that McDonnell is "focused on the transition as he prepares to take office in January."
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The stance was disappointing to Mohamed Magid, imam of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, a mosque in Sterling that hosted McDonnell for lunch during the campaign. Although McDonnell should not be held responsible for Robertson's comments, Magid said, "I would rather see him say something in defense of Muslim Americans in Northern Virginia.
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"He promised and campaigned to be the governor for all Virginians. Therefore, we expect him to distance himself from such remarks of hate toward very contributing, very loyal Americans in this area."
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Bob McDonnell is already being forced to confront how he plans to handle his friendship with minister Pat Robertson, a longtime ally but also a controversial figure, once he takes office. Virginia Muslims are calling on McDonnell to disavow comments made last week by the Christian broadcaster from Virginia Beach in response to the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas. Robertson asserted that Islam is "not a religion" but a "violent political system" and that those who practice it should be treated like members of a communist or fascist party.
*
Robertson has made similar assertions about Islam before, but the recent comments came only a couple of weeks after he made a late $25,000 donation to McDonnell's campaign and just days after he attended McDonnell's election-night party. He told a reporter there that he would be visiting McDonnell in his hotel suite while awaiting election results.
*
During the campaign, McDonnell played down his ties to Robertson, whom he has known since he attended the law school Robertson founded in the late 1980s. McDonnell tried during the race to convince Virginians that he was a social conservative who could speak more broadly to issues that cross party lines.
*
But Robertson's comments last week suggest he might prove to be a political liability as McDonnell, a Republican, seeks to turn his bipartisan campaign promises into a governing coalition. McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin would not comment last week, saying only that McDonnell is "focused on the transition as he prepares to take office in January."
*
The stance was disappointing to Mohamed Magid, imam of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, a mosque in Sterling that hosted McDonnell for lunch during the campaign. Although McDonnell should not be held responsible for Robertson's comments, Magid said, "I would rather see him say something in defense of Muslim Americans in Northern Virginia.
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"He promised and campaigned to be the governor for all Virginians. Therefore, we expect him to distance himself from such remarks of hate toward very contributing, very loyal Americans in this area."
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Robertson is typical of the Christo-fascist mindset the in my opinion permeates the GOP base. If McDonnell cannot come across as a governor for all Virginians and as a non-religious extremist, his ambitions for higher office will be significantly undermined.
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