Santorum and Jindal Join Hate Group Trip to Israel to Convert Jews

One of the most vile hate groups in America that hides behind the Christian label is Family Research Council ("FRC").  The organization is rabidly anti-gay, against women's rights and its leader, Tony Perkins has documented white supremacist ties.  One would think that respectable politicians would avid any involvement with such a foul organization.  That said, it's no surprise that Rick Santorum - in my view, a tortured closet gay suffering from hysterical levels of internalized homophobia - would join FRC's trip to Israel to convert Jews to save them from themselves, if you will.  In the case of Bobby Jindal, his presence on the trip shows that there is virtually no limit to the self-degradation Jindal will engage in to further his quest of endearing himself to the foulest elements of the Christofascist GOP base.  Right Wing Watch looks at this sad case of willing self-prostitution.  Here are excerpts:

After dozens of members of the Republican National Committee went on a trip to Israel sponsored by a notorious hate group that has repeatedly claimed that that Jewish Americans have no First Amendment rights and argued that Jewish immigrants should be forced to convert to Christianity, Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal are now taking part in a visit to Israel organized by an organization with similar views.

The Family Research Council announced in an email to members today it is organizing an Israel tour with Santorum and Jindal, two likely Republican presidential candidates, along with End Times author Joel Rosenberg.

Jindal and Santorum’s decision to travel to Israel with FRC may raise eyebrows, given the group’s history of making dismissive comments about American Jews and expressing hope that Jews in Israel will convert to Christianity, a central theme of certain End Times narratives.

FRC Executive Vice President Jerry Boykin said last year that Jews who convert to Christianity are “fulfilled Jews,” claiming that missionary efforts should focus on Israeli Jews, who can learn from their Arab Christian neighbors.

Like Boykin, FRC President Tony Perkins, for his part, once attacked the “Jewish lobby” for its ties to Democratic elected officials, lamenting that Democrats “enjoy the money coming from the Jewish community.”

The FRC is also well-known for its extreme anti-gay views. For example, Perkins believes that gay rights supporters are planning a holocaust of Christians and are quite literally pawns of the Devil. As we’ve previously reported, Perkins has “defended Uganda’s ‘kill the gays’ bill and connected homosexuality to a whole host of evils, including death, sexual assault, depression, suicide, government population control, and child abuse. He has even compared homosexuality to shootings, kidnappings and alcoholism.”