Well on the way, head in a cloud
The man of thousands voices talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice.
But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning around.
-- "The Fool On the Hill" words & music by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
[found on many albums, but I enjoy the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour)
So little Jimmy Dobson of Focus on the Fool wants our attention today. [New York Times story on A10, "Evangelical Leader Threatens to Use His Political Muscle Against Some Democrats"
(http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/01/politics/01dobson.html?oref=login by David D. Kirkpatrick.]
See, little Jimmy Dobson and Focus on the Fool are so all powerful that their threats should make US senators shiver.
Specifically, they're threatening Ben Nelson (Nebraska), Mark Dayton (Minnesota), Robert C. Byrd (West Virginia), Jeff Bingham (New Mexico), Bill Nelson (Florida) and Kent Conrad (North Dakota).
Now where does little Jimmy Dobson get his power, such as it is? Anybody?
Preacher preaching love like like vengeance
Preaching love like hate
Calling for large donations
Promising estates
Rolling lawns and angel bands
Behind the pearly gates
You know, he will have his in this life
But yours'll have to wait
He's immaculately tax free
Tax free
Tax free
-- "Tax Free" words & music by Joni Mitchell
[from the Joni Mitchell album Dog Eat Dog]
And why is he tax free? Is it because, if you try to threaten U.S. senators, there's some special get-out-of-paying-taxes clause?
No, but Preacher James Dobson (we won't call him "Doctor") has been itching to step into the political ring openly for years. He first pops up in the Carter administration. (What was Jimmy Carter thinking?) Later he's serving on the Ed Meese porn commission (why do I suspect Dobson had, for a moment, found his true calling?) and over the years, he's been in-and-out of the government repeatedly. Always in non-elected roles, non-Senate confirmed roles, under the radar type of roles.
But in 2004, he endorsed a presidential candidate and, having swung the closet door open, he's now wanting the Bully Boy to pay it forward. Ol' hatchet face Dobson is already making noises at the Bully Boy. He's got his panties in a wad over something Bush said ("it bothers me a lot") about the country not being ready to overturn Roe v. Wade (no, not by a long shot). And now, Brother Dobson's here to tell us all that those six senators are "in the bull's eye." That's what Jesus would say? "In the bull's eye?"
Kind of reminds me of the infamous "Angels in Chains" episode of Charlie's Angels. First season, when the female guard leers up and down at Kate Jackson's Sabrina and says, "I'm going to be watching you, sweetcakes, watching you real hard." Well my goodness gracious, Brother Dobson.
So Preacher Man looked at Tom Daschle's loss and decided that Tommy D's loss is a credit to the power and the glory of . . . James Dobson. What? You didn't think he was going to credit God when Brother Dobson has convinced himself that it was Jimmy who climbed right down off that cross to move the mountain -- did you?
Taking self-enthrallment to new levels, Dobson looks at Daschle's loss and sees only his own power. Forget the fact that Daschle was targeted with ads in 2002, two years before his election. Forget the fact that Daschle's tendency to go wobbly resulted in his looking weak and ineffective even within his own party. Forget the fact that the airline bailout might have seemed less questionable were it not for the fact that Daschle's wife was a lobbyist for . . . the airlines.
No, all things happen as . . . Dobson planned them. In his mind anyway.
I don't know much about the Nelsons or Bingham, but with regard to the other three, let's use the Bully Boy's rallying cry: Bring it on!
Senator Robert C. Byrd has represented West Virigina for ages. The people know him, they like him. His elequent (and strong) voice has earned him attention and respect around the nation.
I'm sure Byrd will hold his own quite well against Jimmy Come Lately Dobson and his mythical followers.
Dayton? After the way Paul & Sheila Wellstone's memory and memorial were trashed by GOP lies, I don't know think the Republicans will have an easy task in attempting to wrestle the seat from Dayton, with or without Ja-Do's help.
Kent Conrad? This one excites me the most. Conrad was one of the first Democrats to find a spine. I don't think he's now going to hand it over on a plate in the face of ridiculous threats from the man chanting, "Oh come let us adore -- ME!" (Joni Mitchell and her song "Tax Free" are acknowledged for that quote.) (I could be wrong.)
An assistant to incoming Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid gets off a good line in the article --
"James Dobson needs to focus on the facts," James Manley argues. Well said.
The whole thing reminds me of a certain group claiming to be a "majority" and claiming to be "moral" and how despite all their blustering and brimstone they couldn't even get a TV show taken off the air. Not only did NBC refuse to cancel Flamingo Road under threats from the so-called Moral Majority, but the ratings actually increased during the tempest.
I know Brother Dobson has had many pet causes over the years but the one I'm most reminded of is his War on Barbie. Last time I checked, Mattel's doll had withstood the wrath of Ja-Do. Any Democratic senator thinking of buckeling might want to remember he's already publicly
lost one battle . . . to a plastic doll.
And nobody seems to like him,
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings.
But the fool on the hill on the hill sees the sun going down
. . . .
[Note: This post has been corrected. Three commas have been added and other grammer errors were caught by Shirley. As always, thank you Shirley.]
