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UPDATED:  JAN 16, 2008 

“THE CHRISTIANIZING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, I”

Mit Romney tells us that without freedom there is no religion and without religion there is no freedom.  He also tells us that the particular English translation of a particular Latin text of a particular Greek translation of a particular Hebrew text of a particular Aramaic text of a book called The Bible is the “inerrant word of God” (despite the fact that he is a Mormon and they have their own “bible” as well).  Mike Huckabee runs an ad in Iowa proclaiming himself as the “Christian” candidate (while in New Hampshire, this “open, honest, down-to-earth” fellow runs the same ad, but in it the word “conservative” is substituted for the word “Christian”).  John McCain (you know, the “maverick,” the “reasonable,” the endorsement choice of the only Jew to be nominated for one of the two highest offices in the land) runs an obviously staged ad of himself lying on dirt in a North Vietnamese prison and on a given Christmas day, one of his guards draws a cross in the dirt beside him.

What is happening here?  Well, in 1996, an author using the pseudonym “Jonathan Westminster” published a book entitled The 15% Solution: A Political History of American Fascism, 2001-2022.  In this work of “fictional non-fiction” he predicted just such a development.  At the time, the thoughts expressed in the book were considered to be so outlandish that no publisher would touch the manuscript (and to this day none will).  And so, the book was self-published and has received little notice.  I do have a copy and last week I sat down to re-read chapter 10.  It’s about the Inaugural, on Christmas Day 2008 (yes Inauguration Day had been moved back to that date and took place in the National Cathedral in Washington instead of in front of the Capitol), of the President, Jefferson Davis Hague, who had been re-elected as the candidate of the Republican-Christian Alliance in the election of 2008.  I found the chapter instructive and thought that you might too.  I will be presenting extended excerpts from it to you over the next several weeks.

Before we begin, just a little guide to the characters.  “Jefferson Davis Hague” was a great grand nephew of “Boss” Frank Hague of pre WW II Jersey City, who once famously said: “You hear about constitutional rights, free speech and the free press.  Every time I hear these words I say to myself, ‘That man is a Red, that man is a Communist.’  You never hear a real American talk like that.”  JD Hague had been elected to Congress in the “Gingrich Class” of 1994, rose rapidly in the quickly “Christianizing” Republican Party and was elected President in 2004.  “Connie Conroy” was a White House press officer.  “Alex Poughton” was an English journalist assigned to cover the US during the Fascist Period.  Openly he maintained a fairly neutral stance, as did William Shirer in pre-World War II Germany.  His private views were contained in letters he wrote to his friend “Karl” (otherwise unidentified) living in England.  “Parthenon Pomeroy” was a Hague loyalist.  “Curley Oakwood” was the 300 lb., leading hate-radio screamer, supporting the Regime.

All the quotes are referenced in the book.  And now to the action. 

The Second Inaugural Address of Presi­dent Jefferson Davis Hague

December 25, 2008

“My fellow Americans under God.  I stand here before you on the birth­day of our Lord Jesus

Christ, anticipating in all humili­ty the opportunity you have so gra­ciously given me to continue to

do His bidding as your President.  And I can tell you that His bidding now is to continue to fight

the good fight, for the Lord, and for you the American people under God.

“In fighting this fight, to the best of my ability, blessed by both our Lord Jesus Christ and you, the American people under God, I am both pleased and privileged to be able to announce today the first step we of the Second Hague Administration have taken to do just that.  We have converted our nation's leading political party, the Republican‑Christian Alliance, the party of God‑fearing people that has put you in complete con­trol of the government here in Washington, into a brand‑new entity.

“This is an historic decision, comparable to the one that estab­lished the original Republican Party back in the mid‑19th centu­ry.  For all of us, Christian and pagan American alike, it will usher in a glorious new era of peace and harmony under the blessings of our Lord and his only son whose birthday we cele­brate today, Jesus Christ.

“Reflecting the spirit of our times, and the best of all American tradi­tions, we have named our new party the American Chris­tian Nation Party.  For yes, in truth, declaring and carrying out

Chris­tian policies is the only way that we will be able to contin­ue to fight the good fight to rescue our beloved country from the forces of sin, Godlessness, and liberalism that continue to drag her down. . . .

“To our friends who are not Christians we say first, join us, for the Chris­tian Way is the Godly

Way.  But for those Ameri­cans who choose to con­tinue to exercise their right as an American to freely prac­tice the reli­gion of their choosing, a right we fiercely defend, we say ally with us, to carry out the work of the Lord.  And let me make it very clear that no one has any­thing to fear from our new party or the new poli­cies we will be carrying out, as long as he is a loyal

American, devot­ed to God.

“But let me also make it very clear that woe be to him who is God­less, or worships a false God, or does not accept the Holy Bible as the inerrant word of our Lord God and his only son Jesus

Christ.  For upon him will fall the wrath of God—and our wrath too.  Let that be known.

“Let me now turn to sharing with you the genesis of our brand new American Christian Nation Party.  It sprang from the God‑inspired minds of the forefathers of our movement.  And it is the thinking of some of them, both great and small, that I would like to share with you now. . . .

“As the Rev. Pat Robertson himself told us:

‘The Constitution of the United States is a marvelous doc­u­ment for self‑government by

Christian people [emphasis added]. But the minute you turn the document into the hands of

non‑Christian peo­ple and athe­ist people, they can use it to de­stroy the very foundation of our

soci­ety.’

 

“And the Rev. Pat told us how Christian governmental control is to be achieved and maintained: 

‘Christians founded this nation, they built this nation, and for three hundred years they governed this nation.  We can govern again.  That's why I founded the Christian Co­ali­tion. . . . The mission of the Christian Coalition is sim­ple: to mobilize Chris­tians one precinct at a time, until once again we are the head and not the tail, and at the top rather than the bottom of our political system.’

“And finally the Rev. Pat, in 1993 speaking at his Regent Uni­ver­sity law school, predicted that what we have now achieved would indeed be achieved by us: ‘One day, if we read the Bi­ble correctly, we will rule and reign along with our sovereign, Jesus Christ. . . .’ "

“The Republican‑Christian Alliance has been strong, and it has brought us a long way.  But we have yet a long way to go, and it is the Ameri­can Christian Nation Party that will get us there.  In clos­ing, my friends and fellow Christian Americans, let us join together in pledging alle­giance to our new Christian flag [folks, this ‘pledge’ was actually read out by Dan Quayle, Vice-President under the first Bush, at a Janu­ary, 1994 training conference for Religious Right activists called ‘Reclaiming Ameri­ca,’ while looking at a flag that had a cross emblazoned on a field of red and white stripes]:

"I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior, for whose Kingdom it stands, one

Savior, cruci­fied, risen, and coming again, with life and liberty for all who believe. 

“Thank you my friends, God bless the God‑fearing, and good night.” 

To be continued.

 

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ADDENDUM (JAN. 8, 2008):   Disclaimer: I did NOT make up the material below, and I really did write the text above, in 1995. 

Huckabee Steps Back Into the Pulpit at Evangelical Church in N.H., By Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, January 7, 2008; A07

WINDHAM, N.H., Jan. 6 -- A pastor from Texas was scheduled to deliver the sermon Sunday at a church here called the Crossing.  But instead this small evangelical congregation heard from a different special guest: Baptist minister and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. "When we become believers, it's as if we have signed up to be part of God's Army, to be soldiers for Christ," Huckabee told the enthusiastic audience. . . . Huckabee's campaign did not allow cameras into the church, and the candidate did not make an appeal for votes as part of his sermon. But a church official invited members to attend an event a mile away, where Huckabee held a rally with actor Chuck Norris and where free clam chowder was served. . . .  "When you give yourself to Christ, some relationships have to go," he said. "It's no longer your life; you've signed it over."  Likening service to God to service in the military, Huckabee said "there is suffering in the conditioning for battle" and "you obey the orders."  . . . His campaign has not run an ad, popular in Iowa that dubbed him a "Christian leader."

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