Tag: Obama Derangement Syndrome

Video of the sermon delivered by Steven L. Anderson on August 17, the night before on of his parishioner took a loaded assault weapon to Pres. Obama’s town hall in Phoenix.

Look out, Ralph Reed. Your comeback is in jeopardy. There’s a new evangelical mudslinger in town, and he is younger and more in tune with today’s tea bagger, birther/deather Christianist movement than a inside-the-Beltway operative like you will ever be.

Last month, at a nighttime church service on the eve of a presidential town hall in Phoenix, Rev. Steven L. Anderson, of Tempe, Ariz., masterfully grabbed the attention of the media — and the Secret Service — by preaching a sermon he titled, “Why I Hate Barack Obama.”

During the sermon, Anderson asserted that the Bible makes it clear that it is okay to hate people, and that Obama deserved to die because he supported a woman’s right to choose. He also said, “When I go to bed tonight, Steven L. Anderson is going to pray for Barack Obama to die and go to hell. ”

The next day, one of Anderson’s benighted congregants appeared outside the presidential event carrying loaded weapons — an assault rifle and a pistol. When questioned by the media, the congregant, Chris Broughton, essentially said, Rev. Steven L. Anderson sent me.

Just two months ago, Reed, the former head of Christian Coalition, a Republican religious group that in the 1990s focused much of its attention and resources on Pres. Clinton’s sex life, announced a comeback. “This is not going to be your daddy’s Christian Coalition,” Reed said in July. “It has to be younger, hipper, less strident, more inclusive and it has to harness the 21st century that will enable us to win in the future.” He even compared his return to Steve Jobs’ return to Apple.

Reed is 48 — which, God knows, is still young by evangelicals’ standards — but he is tainted among the base by his involvement in Bush-era Beltway skullduggery and his long association with the likes of Karl Rove, Grover Norquist and Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Republican lobbyist.

Anderson is 28, and much closer to the current-day Christianist movement — and, as you will see, it has nothing to do with being “hipper, less strident [and] more inclusive” than the 1990s’ evangelical-political movement. Quite the opposite.

What sets Steven Anderson apart is that he has demonstrated nascent abilities in manipulate the media, albeit crudely. It’s likely he engineered Broughton’s appearance at the town hall — there’s a bit of wink-wink at the end of the sermon when he says he’s “not a protest guy.” And there are instances during his preaching when he is deliberately provocative, mugging for the camera and boldly putting his offensive rhetoric on the record. Note the practiced phrasing here: “When I go to bed tonight, Steven L. Anderson is going to pray for Barack Obama to die and go to hell.”

From his point of view, being arrested or at least questioned by the authorities would be a terrific career move. It would give him instant cred in Tea Bag Land and on hate radio.

Anderson recently engaged in another attention-grabbing incident last spring. After an altercation with the U.S. Border Patrol, he pt himself in front of a video camera — his face blotched with scars and abrasions — and told a tale about having been tasered because he refused to allow a search of his car. Not because he had anything to hide, he says, but because he stood on his Fourth Amendment right that protected him from unwarranted searches.

Anderson also advocates the death penalty for, as he says, “homosexuals, sodomites and queers,” of course. You can listen to more of his views on that subject, and read a transcript, here.

About two weeks after Anderson’s sermon, the Secret Service confirmed it was following up on Anderson’s statements, and that it was looking into Chris Broughton’s carrying a loaded rifle to a presidential event. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups nationwide, is considering putting Anderson’s church on its watch list.

On Sunday, about 100 people organized by a group calling itself People Against Clergy Who Preach Hate protested outside the strip mall where Anderson was preaching — which of course brings more publicity to his hateful views.

Last year, the right-wing base gave us Sarah Palin and Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher. This year, the Tea Baggers, Birthers and Deathers have bubbled up from the depths of the right’s cultural sewer. Now we have Steven L. Anderson, who melds it all together. He has both the charisma, for lack of a better word, and meager intellectual gifts of Palin and Wurzelbacher — and the incoherent, right-wing-talking-points-laden, spittle-spewing rage of the Tea Baggers and their cohorts.

That’s why it’s someone like Anderson, who wallows in bigotry and hatred while inviting his racist, fear-addicted followers to join him — not Ralph Reed, who aspires for inclusiveness — who embodies the zeitgeist of the American theocratic movement today. Anderson should be on everyone’s list of rising stars in politics for 2010 and beyond.

Highlights of the Aug. 17 Sermon

A more complete transcript of the video of Anderson’s August 17 sermon (posted at the top) follows, but the sermon is a long hard slog — bleak, violent and packed with lies and right-wing propaganda — so here are the highlights:

• Anderson says, “I HATE Barack Obama. No, you’re saying you don’t like what he stands for. NO, I hate the person. No, you mean you just don’t like his color. NO, I hate HIM!”
• Obama deserves to die because he voted against a ban on a partial-birth abortions when he was in the Illinois Senate. Anderson says, “‘Abort Obama’ ought to be the motto.”
• God appointed Obama to be president “to destroy this country for [its] wickedness.”
• Anderson says that, if forced to offer a more “positive” prayer for the president, he would use a verse from Psalms. “If somebody can twist my arm behind my back and tell me to pray for Barack Obama,” Anderson says, “this is what I’m going to pray, because this is the only prayer that applies to him: “Break his teeth, oh God, in his mouth.”
• Obama is in the same league as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy
• Anderson knows how to segue between hellfire and brimstone and Republican politics: “Hey!” he shouts. “This isn’t to tickle your ears, it’s to give you a swift kick in the pants tonight. Because that’s what you need every once in a while. You need to come to church and get a boot in your rear end. And that’s what this sermon is. Because we don’t need to constantly just have this, “Oh, it’s great, it’s wonderful.” OH GOD! Are we going to survive?! OH GOD! Are you going to give us freedom or are you going to allow us to go into the depths of socialism and communism with Barack Obama?!”
• Anderson disparages Obama for not being saved as child and exposes himself as a top-level birther and a racist (which is not imply there is a difference between the two): ” Now when little Barry Monsanto — what was his name? Barry Santorum. That’s what his name used to be before he put on his cool name, “Barack Obama.” Barry Santor…? What is it? Barry Santoro — that’s the name he was blotted out. When little Barry was playing baseball as a kid in Kenya, where he was born or whatever. And he’s using a stick and a mango or something — I don’t know. [Laughter.] I’m just trying to paint the image for you. Little Barry is over there playing stick ball in Africa. Hey, God loved him. God wanted him saved. Who knows? Maybe even some missionary came to his house when he was a child and gave him the gospel and tried to get him saved. Very likely. There are a lot of missionaries in Africa. Who knows? But I’ll promise you one thing — that Jesus died for him, that God gave him opportunities to be saved, that he had opportunities to hear — because God never turns anybody over to a reprobate life until they’ve had ample opportunities to hear the gospel…”
• When Anderson asks his congregation if they know what the word “lewd” means, only one person apparently knows the answer, and it’s unclear from the recording whether that answer was correct.
• Anderson also seems to have very leftist views on war: “It’s not just the abortion. You know, it’s all the warfare too that our country has no business being involved in. That kills innocent people. You can say whatever you want. “Oh, you’re un-American.” Okay, Sean Hannity, I’m sick of you. You don’t even believe in Jesus Christ. Don’t call me un-American when I say that our country needs to quit trying to police the world. [VOICE: That’s right.] Killing a bunch of innocent people around the world. There are over 1 million people dead in Iraq. Why? To advance the causes of people who love money. The military-industrial complex. That want to … sacrifice the lives of our young boys for their own financial interests.”
• Anderson also hates George W. Bush: “Most of this, everything I’m saying pretty much applies to George W. Bush, too. So just deal with that. That’s. He never did one thing — what did he ever do to stop abortion. What did he ever to do to stop the queers from taking over. He was promoting it. He hired more sodomites than any other president in the history of the United States. He spent more money than any president in the history of the United States. He was a socialist. Period.”
• But he’s not above lying to make a point. Federal funding of abortion has been illegal since the Hyde Amendment passed in the 1970s, but Anderson, but that’s not what Anderson tells his ignorant flock: “It would be one thing if abortion were just legal. No. It’s sanctioned with government dollars. It’s paid for by your tax dollars. You are forced to pay for abortions, if you work in the United States of America. It’s taken out of your check, and it’s going to abortions. Believe it or not, it’s true.”
• He knows he’ll be called un-American (but not un-Christian?), and he is against health care: “I’m not the traitor tonight. [They] may call Steven Anderson a traitor. [They] will say, “Oh yeah, you’re a traitor. You’re un-American.” I’m American from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Hey, I believe in this country. I believe in the way it was founded — the principles of liberty and justice — not health care for all.”
• And, finally, about protesting at the town hall the next day, Anderson says, “If I went there, I’d be there to say, “Down with Obama.” You know, I’d be down there protesting Obama, that’s all. But I’m not a protest kind of a guy. I’m a preacher, so I’m preaching to you what the Bible says.”

Partial Transcript:

These excerpts focus mostly on Anderson’s comments about the president:

[12:56] Now tonight I want to preach this sermon. Now you probably never heard a sermon like this before. Actually, you probably have if you’ve been coming to church here for a while. [Laughter.] Here’s my sermon, “Why I Hate Barack Obama.” That’s my sermon. Because, you know, Barack Obama’s coming to town tomorrow morning. Barack Obama is coming town — and he’s going to be here to… Who knew that he’s coming? [Asks for show of hands.] I didn’t know. I just found out recently. You know with his health care and everything like this.

You know. I’m going to tell you something, I HATE Barack Obama. [Cross-talk. MAN in crowd: Amen.] No, you’re saying, you don’t like what he stands for. NO, I hate the person. [VOICES: Amen.] No, you mean you just don’t like his color. NO, I hate HIM!

Now I’m going to prove this from the Bible tonight why I hate him. Why God wants me to hate Barack Obama. God hates Barack Obama…

[21:35] …When he was in Chicago, in the state senate, he voted — everyone else voted that if a botched abortion actually lives and survives that they would care for that child and give it medical treatment and care to keep it in life. And yet Barack Obama said, “Nope. Let it die.” About a newborn baby.

And yet I’m told by the preachers of 2009, “Love Barack Obama.” Unbelievable. Love him. Pray for him. And we’re going to get to that a little later on. Respect him. Obey him. I mean I — you know, I guess they want me to put a bumpersticker on the back of my car, “Obey Obama.” You know. That’s my new slogan. That’s my motto. Obey, love and respect and pray for him. God ordained him. God appointed him.

Yeah, God appointed him to destroy this country for the wickedness of the United States of America. God appointed him because that’s what our country has turned into. That’s who we deserve as a president. But let me tell you something. I don’t love Barack Obama. I don’t respect Barack Obama. I don’t obey Barack Obama. And I’d like to see Barack Obama melt like a snail tonight.

Because he needs to recompense — he needs to reap what he’s sown. You see, any Christian will tell you that a person who commits murder should get the death penality. Because that’s what it says in Genesis, chapter 9… And when Barack Obama’s going to push his partial birth abortion, his salty saline solution abortion — he deserves to be punished for what he’s done and I’m not going to pray for God to bless Barack Obama. This is my prayer tonight to Barack Obama. [VOICES: Amen.]…

[24:14] I also like to take some of these prayers [from the Pslams, a book in the Bible] and make them my prayer. Now look, if somebody wants me — if somebody can twist my arm behind my back and tell me to pray for Barack Obama, this is what I’m going to pray, because this is the only prayer that applies to him: “Break his teeth, oh God, in his mouth. You know. As a snail would melt it, let him pass away, like the untimely birth of a woman.” He thinks — he calls it a woman’s right to choose. He thinks it’s so wonderful — it ought to be — he ought to be aborted. It ought to be “abort Obama” — ought to be the motto.

Look at this. Look at chapter 59. And look. Don’t get uncomfortable. I’m just preaching God’s word…

[24:54] “Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. People who are bloody and violent are evil people. I mean, do you love Adloph Hitler? Do you love Josef Stalin? Do you love Mao Tse-Tung? Do you love these evil, sadistic butchers of history?

No! If you were to meet Jeffrey Dahmer in real life. If you were to meet John Wayne Gacy. Or if Adolph Hitler could come back from the dead and be in church, I’m sure you’d go shake his hand and tell him, “It’s good to have you here.”

No – the Bible says in Josea 9:14, “Throw them out of the congregation of the Lord. I will love them no more. Violent, bloody, wicked people. He’s saying, “Get ’em away from me.”

Look at verse 5. “Now therefore, Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, away to visit all the heathen. Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors.” This is David praying to God. And so this is not something I made up. This is God’s word.

Look at Pslam 139, verse 19 … You say, why are you preaching this? You know what? Because it makes me mad. I’m mad. I don’t know about you, but I’m fed up tonight. I’m angry tonight. Because I’m angered by a bunch of preachers who want to sit back and let America go to hell. Let our freedoms go to hell. Let the souls of America go to hell. And we all just sit back, and we’re comfortable. We’re lazy. We’re lukewarm. We’re neither cold nor hot, and we want to come to church and have our ears tickled…

[27:02] Hey! This isn’t to tickle your ears, it’s to give you a swift kick in the pants tonight. Because that’s what you need every once in a while. You need to come to church and get a boot in your rear end. And that’s what this sermon is. Because we don’t need to constantly just have this, “Oh, it’s great, it’s wonderful.” OH GOD! Are we going to survive?! OH GOD! Are you going to give us freedom or are you going to allow us to go into the depths of socialism and communism with Barack Obama?!…

[28:10] If you think God’s in control of this country, you’re insane. A MAD MAN is in control of this country. Wicked, evil people who are motivated by the love of money are the ones who are controllling our country…

I’m here to tell you tonight that God is a God of wrath and vengeance. That’s the message that ought to be thundering from every pulpit in America today. People ought to be trembling today. People in America ought to be scared to death and trembling, saying, “Oh God, what are you going to do to our country?!…

[28:27] The devil is the God of this world, according to my Bible. The devil is the God of this world, and the devil is putting spiritual wickedness in high places, the Bible says. We wrestle not aagainst flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

And let me name one for you. Barack Obama is one of the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Here Anderson becomes deceitful with his congregants about abortion funding.

[56:33] It would be one thing if abortion were just legal. No. It’s sanctioned with government dollars. It’s paid for by your tax dollars. You are forced to pay for abortions, if you work in the United States of America. It’s taken out of your check, and it’s going to abortions. Believe it or not, it’s true.

In fact, it is not true. The Hyde Amendment (named for Rep. Henry Hyde, the right-wing Christian zealot and adulterer who led the House’s impeachment of Pres. Clinton) made it illegal for tax-dollars to be spent on abortions.

[57:25] And here’s they said to [Jesus], “Oh, it’s treachery. You traitor. You’re un-American.” I’m not the traitor tonight. [They] may call Steven Anderson a traitor. [They] will say, “Oh yeah, you’re a traitor. You’re un-American.” I’m American from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Hey, I believe in this country. I believe in the way it was founded — the principles of liberty and justice — not health care for all.

I know you might have read it in a while. It doesn’t say “Food, clothing, jobs, green energy and health-care for all.” NO. It says, “Life, liberty and justice for all.” Justice for all. Justice for everyone. “We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life — and guess what, God created every baby, and it has a right to life.

[1:04:29] But today, there is spiritual wickedness in high place. Now, I’m preaching against Barack Obama. It’s not all him. But he is the tip of the sword. He is the figurehead of spiritual wickedness in high places. And he’s coming to Arizona tomorrow. Don’t go there and scream [garbled]. I know you were planning on it. [Laughs.] Don’t go there and get a tear in the eye. No, go to the prayer closet and get a tear in the eye for our country… If I went there, I’d be there to say, “Down with Obama.” You know, I’d be down there protesting Obama, that’s all. But I’m not a protest kind of a guy. I’m a preacher, so I’m preaching to you what the Bible says…

Now, dear reader, you probably want to take a bath.