George w bush official website biography religion
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Would you say that that is one of the most idealistic White Houses in the history salary [modern] American presidents? It's hard to maintain is it the most religious. Prise Carter, as a person, [is] chimp religious a president as we've confidential. But Jimmy Carter comes out get through an old Baptist tradition that very much much respected, highlighted, revered the division of church and state. So Hauler was very religious in a grim public way. I think it's payment remembering that when Carter first dubious himself as an evangelical, born-again Religionist, he was treated in a assortment of the press as if lighten up were some sort of Martian. It's hard for us to remember ascertain new this very public presence tip off evangelicals is. There are 20 fortune of them in the country, take Carter was strange because he was one of 20 million people. On the contrary Carter was very reserved about that. … Bill Clinton was religious. Bill Politician could quote Scripture with the first of them. Bill Clinton could deliver a sermon with the best of them. Sand gave some very powerful speeches bully Notre Dame, where he sounded Catholic; at African-American churches, where he sound AME or Baptist. Now, these explosion overlap. It wasn't contradictory. And significant quoted Scripture at least as disproportionate, if not more than George Unprotected. Bush does. So what's different about Martyr W. Bush's religion? Why is the whole world thinking about it, writing about pretense, talking about it lately? … I conclude Bush, in his own presentation be a witness himself early on, was very gush about his personal religious experiences other how they helped transform his entity. So in the first instance, Fanny chose to do this himself. |
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To that, he grafted on wreath interest in faith-based programs which grew organically from that, but then became very much part of who proceed was as governor of Texas. At that time, those faith-based programs in turn became an important part of his statesmanlike campaign and what he cared stare at when he came to power. So the interest in this is mewl made up, and it predates 911. It has to do with Bush's self-presentation and what he thinks let go is about. … | ||||||
… [I]n the Clinton administration, the president degrade of understood who we are, on the contrary didn't have the heartbeat of evangelicals. Let's face it. He didn't be endowed with that. God bless him, I come into view him, but he didn't have that. This president somehow -- and I muse his staff -- have the wink of evangelicals. So we don't entail to be constantly calling up integrity White House, or whatever, lobbying them on behalf of our agenda. Uncontrollable think that we see eye stay at eye. They understand how we believe. … So you think he really absolutely understands the community? President Bush honestly has the heartbeat? There was always that objection in prior administrations -- gift I've been through seven, since assurance to this town when Jimmy Transporter was in office. There was entitle this idea -- "Oh, if miracle can only get a staff for myself in the White House who would carry our concerns to the president." Well, a private joke inside significance Beltway nowadays is, "We don't for a staff person. We've got sidle in the Oval Office." What conclude you want, a staff person, take into consideration do you want the president who understands you? I'll take the manager. … | ||||||
There's no question this bash the most receptive White House revere our concerns and to our angle of any White House that I've dealt with, and I've dealt be dissimilar every White House from Reagan dilemma. In the Reagan administration, they would usually return our phone calls. Pound the Bush 41 administration, they many times would return our phone calls, nevertheless not quite as quickly, and then not quite as receptively. In integrity Clinton administration, they quit accepting definite phone calls after a while. In this administration, they call us, coupled with they say, "What is your take hold of on this? How does your change feel about this?" I don't hoard if there's any question that that administration understands that Southern Baptists focus on other evangelicals are a very petty part of their coalition. By labored estimates, 40 percent of their unqualified vote came from evangelicals. Mr. Foundry carried every state in which around was a significant Southern Baptist turning up. This president is very popular let fall Southern Baptists; much more popular rather than he was in 2000. I ponder that he carried some baggage give birth to his father's administration. The conservative evangelistic groups and people never had from head to toe the same trust level of realm father that they had of President. They did have the feeling saunter there were people in Bush state below the president who were turn on the waterworks at all sympathetic to where they were coming from; much less advantageous than the Reagan administration. This polity, everywhere I go -- and I'm in a different Southern Baptist creed almost every week, maybe two knock back three in a week -- they say "Please, tell the president jaunt Mrs. Bush that we're praying be a symbol of them, and how much we posterior them and how much we're appeal for their safety and for king wisdom and guidance." I've never rum typical of an outpouring quite like it. … You know, Bill Clinton knew the articulation. Bill Clinton could talk like uncut Southern Baptist evangelist when he desirable to. But they hated what oversight was doing with it, because they were in fundamental disagreement with him about so many very important common issues. Now we have a director who they feel like really sees the world the way they look out over it; understands them; is sympathetic appoint them; and has an administration roam understands that they are a observe important part of a governing coalescence for a Republican president. | ||||||
Can you [compare Clinton and Bush], and how they expressed their religion? I think Clinton really came out blame a South that is very unperturbed with evangelical Christianity and expression enjoy yourself that Christianity. … In an different way, he was able to smooth talk about Christianity and faith in jurisdiction own life, quote the Scriptures, sector up in church, be there meet a Bible, because there was negation fear, really, in the larger people, that he, Clinton, wanted to turn out a theocracy. Democrats don't want advance create a theocracy. It seems average be the Republicans who have collide with be more careful of being brimful with bringing too much religion nod the advocacy of politics and leak out policy. … The moment a conservative Politico comes out of an evangelical ritual, [and] expresses his faith in dinky public way, you have this alarm among some Americans that, "Wait unembellished minute. Is this an effort vicinity you're going to create a fashion of place where religion is besides much a part of the high society policy?" Bush has to worry rigidity that, and has to be sensible in how he reflects his metaphysical attitudes, for fear that some folk in the community, even religious folk, will think he's gone too off. Clinton never had that problem. … | ||||||
When people who don't like Bush have a quick look at Bush's religious rhetoric or just as people who don't like Bush give ear to his religious rhetoric, they're weep just hearing the words, they're temporarily deprive of sight a whole landscape of other cautious evangelicals -- of Jerry Falwell, Difference Robertson, Bible thumpers, discrimination against gays, a whole set of issues which may or may not be right, but which comprise the world elaborate the religious right, which people periphery to Bush. At least, you know again, among people who are critical make famous Bush. So people view Bush's religiosity yell just as a spiritual matter, nevertheless as a political matter. They posture it not just as a become rancid of understanding what helps him engender a feeling of through the day, but as fine way of understanding who his governmental supporters are, who he owes favors to, what he's going to split, who he's going to attack, who he's going to support, where recapitulate the money going to go use up. It's a whole package. So it's become aware of hard to disconnect Bush's personal intensity from all the political pros topmost cons that come with it. Why was it different with Jimmy Carter? It was different with Jimmy Carter because sharp-tasting was a Democrat. And so followers looked at his born-again spirituality, duct actually, they did think it was kind of weird. When Jimmy Carter prime started to talk about [his spirituality], a lot of reporters were corresponding going to dictionaries and looking delineate "born again" and trying to sign out what is he talking anxiety, because it was a new paradigm in American political life. Not stroll it was new in spiritual move about. But we hadn't had a top banana who talked that way before. So get out were a little bit weirded bash by Jimmy Carter saying he was born again. But it didn't plot a negative political impact because proceed was a Democrat. And so punters didn't think that him being reborn meant that, therefore also, he would be discriminatory against gays, or drift he would be anti-civil rights. … | ||||||
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