Alan Chambers On Hillary Clinton

Jim Burroway

November 29th, 2007

Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, began by saying, “I have been described as an ultra conservative and a member of the vast right wing conspiracy. I am a Republican, a conservative Christian and the head of an international pro-family organization.” With all that, he’s not happy with the political discourse in the current presidential campaign:

Ironically, when I made an appointment with Senator Hillary Clinton’s office last year senior level staffers were assigned to that meeting. When I walked in, presumably as a member of the enemy camp, I was warmly welcomed, greeted and treated the entire time. I am sure her staff hated my position on the issues I was discussing with them, but they were consummate professionals and treated me with the utmost respect. I have been in hundreds of offices on the Hill and not all Republican ones treat me like they did. Whatever the reason for their demeanor, I appreciated and believed it genuine.

Regardless of her accomplishments and my opinion of her politics, however, I must unequivocally denounce the names she is being called by fellow Republicans, especially those who are followers of Christ.  ….I was very disappointed when Senator McCain failed to stand up for a fellow Senator, Presidential rival and woman last month when one of his supporters asked, “How do we beat the bitch?”

It’s a well-crafted statement. And we should all be able to agree on his closing remarks: “If you don’t like Hillary, don’t vote for her.  But, for goodness sake, have some respect.” I’ll second that. And I would like to point out that you can substitute any name, Democratic or Republican, for “Hillary” and it should still hold true.

Ben in Oakland

November 29th, 2007

Could we ask Mr. chambers for the same courtesy to be extended to his gay brothers and sisters that he would extend to a mere politician?

Allyson

November 29th, 2007

Question: Why do we feel it’s okay to refer to Senator Clinton as “Hillary,” when no one’s calling Senator McCain “John” or Senator Obama “Barack?”

Emily K

November 29th, 2007

Chambers would say he DOES extend the same warmth to his queer brothers and sisters – and honestly, campaigning political is a very peaceful way to bring about the kind of change you want to bring about (e.g., a constitutional ban on same sex unions). But since he is such an advocate of religious freedom and of Christianity, he should stick to declaring God against us, instead of our own government.

Timothy Kincaid

November 29th, 2007

Classy article, Alan.

John

November 29th, 2007

I have always been surprised at the strong reactions that Hillary Clinton seems to get, even long before she ran for the Senate. I am convinced that some of this is gender based.

I wonder if Alan has spoken to Mike Ensley about this subject. He has been particularly harsh about Sen. Clinton and has referred to her on his Spiritual Oddity site as Hitlery (?sp).

Mike A

November 29th, 2007

Umm, guys, Clinton is not the only Democrat who has been called names.

Edwards and Obama have been called much worse things. I appreciate Alan’s gesture, but I dislike efforts to single her out as a victim. Are the defenses of Clinton motivated in part by the assumption that women should be less subject to insults?

Patrick

December 1st, 2007

Kudos to Alan. It’s nice to see a conservative Christian not always driven by a political agenda.

Alan Chambers

December 1st, 2007

Allyson, calling Senator Clinton “Hillary” is the same as calling President Bush “W”. I think it shows their human and isn’t meant to be disrespectful. As for calling Senator McCain “John”….there is a John around every corner.

Jim Burroway

December 1st, 2007

I’d also add that simply calling Sen. Clinton by her last name (a la Giuliani, McCain, Obama, Edwards, etc.), which is also a common practice, would leave some ambiguity as to which Clinton you were referring to since Bill Clinton remains very much in the public eye.

I don’t think there’s any inherent disrespect by calling her Hillary. Especially considering that her supporters are as likely to call her by her first name as her opponents.

Timothy Kincaid

December 1st, 2007

Calling the Senator by her first name is no more offensive than calling the previous NY mayor “Rudy”, which do most of his supporters and much of the press.

Jonathan

December 2nd, 2007

I was watching my local news the other evening after HRC spoke at Rick Warren’s church in Orange County. The OC is an incredibly conservative county and many of Warren’s paritioners identify as such. Several who were interviewed found their opinion of HRC to be totally changed after listening to her speech. One said that while his politics wouldn’t allow him to vote for her should she win the primary, he wouldn’t be uncomfortable if she were elected President. Another flat out said that he might actually find himself voting for a Democrat for the first time in his life.

I’m not sure I’m ready to cast my support behind her. However, I am finding that people who are adamently opposed to the idea of her as President come away feeling a little less strident about their position after having heard her in person.

I’m glad Alan has made these comments!

j.

Jason

December 2nd, 2007

how funny, I had to read Jonathan’s comment twice. HRC = Human Rights Campaign in my vocabulary. That’s interesting that HRC = Hilary Rodham Clinton as well…

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