Pat Robertson Virginia GOP Use Each Other

As of 2018 Pat Robertson has had zero political influence for the last 20 years. L. Loflin

Pat Robertson is not only one of the most powerful men in the Virginia Republican Party but represents much of the reason why the Republican Party has gone to Hell. The recent bid by John McCain for president has revealed just how far the rift between traditional Republicans and these religious fundamentalist fanatics has become.

Call them evangelicals, charismatic, born again, or just fundamentalists. The simple truth is that many Christians strongly disagree with these "agents of intolerance" as do many traditional conservatives, but the fact is that the Republican Party panders to these people for votes and it is tearing the party apart. Just like many former Democrats who are sick of socialist extremists in their party, a lot of moderate/traditional Republicans are going independent or to third parties.

Pat Robertson, whose money has bought the Virginia GOP ($100,000 to Gov. Gilmore alone), wants to make the Christian fundamentalist nightmare a reality in Virginia. Civil rights, a woman's right to choose, religious freedom, equal treatment for all, and the Rule of Law are being buried under an avalanche of Christian fundamentalist money to Republican candidates across the state. In fact, the reason the Christian Coalition lost its non-profit status is because of involvement in the Republican Party.

"The mission of the Christian Coalition is simple," says Pat Robertson. It is "to mobilize Christians -- one precinct at a time, one community 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." Robertson predicts that "the Christian Coalition will be the most powerful political force in America by the end of this decade." And, "We have enough votes to run this country...and when the people say, 'We've had enough,' we're going to take over!"

What would Pat Robertson's vision of America be if he and his fellow fundamentalists gained power? One vision of America might be found in Pat Robertson's view of Zambia. Zambian President Frederick Chiluba is a Robertson associate who, in 1991, officially declared the country a 'Christian nation,' and followed this up by changing some of the nation's laws to reflect the new Christian status.

Robertson hailed this action while interviewing Chiluba during a taped segment that aired during the April 25, 1995, edition of 'The 700 Club' and lamented the fact that no such declaration can occur in the United States. "Your country is a standard for not only Africa but the rest of the world,' gushed Robertson.

Since Chiluba took office all public schools have become saturated with fundamentalist Christianity - Muslims and Hindus were told that they would have to build their own schools; state-run radio and television has been taken over by Christian fundamentalist religious programming; all abortion was outlawed - police shut down every clinic and many doctors and staffers were attacked and beaten; an anti-pornography crusade was launched, and fundamentalist ministers and missionaries were given license to work with the police to publicly burn any material deemed obscene.

The country is now swarming with fundamentalist Christian missionaries, many of them affiliated with the radical Christian Reconstructionist movement...[which] Under their plan, the harsh legal code outlined in the Old Testament would be the basis for U.S. law."

Pat often praises Latin American dictators like Augusto Penochet as "model Christians" and laments that America doesn't adapt his tactics. Penochet is being sought by Spain on mass murder charges. Murder doesn't bother Pat at all.

When Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson blamed God and America for the attacks on 9/11, it only proved how asinine they really are. This was aired only 48 hours after the attacks in New York and Washington. Ralph Reed already bailed out of the CC, Robertson finally saw the writing on the wall and resigned in December 2001. Pat's failure to get his golden boy Early elected as governor of VA and the shambles of the Gilmore Governorship (Pat claims "some credit" for his election) may have marked the end of Robertson in VA and national politics. I wouldn't count on it.