Monday, December 23, 2013
From: Gary L. Bauer
Duck Dynasty Controversy Continues
The battle for America continues on two fronts: On the legislative front in Washington over Obamacare, growing socialism, the Obama Administration’s attack on religious liberty, while the battle for our culture rages across the country. All too often in the culture war, we are on our own with little-to-no political support.
The most recent and obvious example of America’s culture war is the attack on Phil Robertson, the head of Duck Dynasty clan. Just like the attack on Chick-fil-A had nothing to do with chicken, the attack on Duck Dynasty has nothing to do with ducks. This is not a distraction or a sideshow.
You should care about this controversy, whether you are the pastor of a church, a homeschooling mom or a conservative Christian who may not get too involved beyond voting. Even if you have never heard of “Duck Dynasty” or could care less about the show, you should care about this fight.
Why? Because the attack on Robertson is part of a well-funded organized campaign to make much of the belief system of Bible-believing Christians, and for that matter Torah-believing Jews, unspeakable in American public life.
The economic challenges confronting America are incredibly important. But nations, including America, have suffered economic collapses and recovered from them. Let’s hope we don’t have to go through that again.
What is not recoverable is when a nation abandons the essence of what it is. And the essence of America was summarized in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence when our Founding Fathers declared to the world that our liberty comes from God.
They believed America would be a shining city upon a hill, and based the foundation of our nation on Judeo-Christian thought. That is why this battle is so important.
That’s why your support for American Values is so important.
Grassroots Backlash
There is a little evidence — and I stress a little — that the radical gay rights movement and its big media supporters may have overstepped this time. Several major gay personalities and activists have said, “Wait a minute, count me out.” They have referred to the attack on Robertson as “fascism,” “bigotry” and “Stalinism.”
GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which launched the attack against Phil Robertson, admitted that it has gotten more pushback on this than any other battle it has been in. Even corporate America, where bowing to the demands of the homosexual rights movement has become routine, has taken notice.
Cracker Barrel, which announced Friday that it was eliminating merchandise with Robertson’s picture on it, quickly reversed course. More significantly, Cracker Barrel apologized last night. Here’s an excerpt of the company’s statement:
“When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done.
“You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. … You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened.
“Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores. And, we apologize for offending you.”
A passing note to the D.C. consulting class, pollsters and politicians: Twice now in the last two years (the Chick-fil-A and Duck Dynasty controversies), we have witnessed an outpouring of activism among grassroots conservatives that political operatives can only dream about. Neither had anything to do with economic issues.
Is anyone in the Washington political establishment is speaking up for these people? Who is reaching out to them? Last year hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on ads focused only on economic issues. I would respectfully suggest that more attention to America’s traditional values is in order.
Obamacare Deadlines & Disarray
For the millions of uninsured Americans and those whose policies have been cancelled, today was supposed to be the deadline to sign-up for Obamacare coverage that will be effective January 1st. The White House has extended the deadline for 24 hours — just in case healthcare.gov crashes again.
Unfortunately for the White House, enrollments are just a few million short of expectations.
As the Associated Press reports, sticker shock from the so-called “Affordable Care Act” is likely a big part of the problem. And it is undoubtedly a major factor in Obamacare’s cratering public support. According to a new CNN poll, just 35% of Americans, a record low, now support Obamacare, while 62% oppose it.
Meanwhile, Politico reports that Maryland Democrats, embarrassed by the disastrous rollout of the state’s Obamacare exchange, are openly fighting among themselves and attacking one another over the program’s epic failures.
In addition, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) warned yesterday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Obamacare could still “meltdown” and “fall of its own weight.”
If you are interested in receiving Mr. Bauer’s daily report by e-mail, please call 703-671-9700, visit SIGN UP FOR GARY BAUER’S “END OF DAY REPORT” or simply send a reply e-mail titled “Subscribe” and include your name and address.
Visit End of Day archives to share reports on Facebook. Follow Gary On Facebook And Twitter.
To be removed from Gary Bauer’s End of Day distribution list, please reply to this message with “Remove” in the subject line.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to American Values are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. You may donate online by visiting our website or by using the following address in your web browser: https://www.ouramericanvalues.org/american-values-contribution or you may mail contributions to the following address:
American Values
2800 Shirlington Road
Suite 950
Arlington, VA 22206
Phone: 703-671-9700
Fax: 703-671-1680