Who knew that Thomas Jefferson supported the conservative views of today's Tea Party! The former president appeared on Friday's Fox & Friends to help celebrate Founding Father's Fridays, an event celebrated only on Fox & Friends. It would appear that over the years ole TJeff's political views have evolved. It's also apparent that he has forgotten some of his past positions; but as he's over 200 years old, that's to be expected. But wait, this Jefferson is an imposter who is only playing a role. And when he's not channeling our third president, Stephen McDowell is president of the Providence Institute, a "Christian educational organization whose mission is to train and network leaders to transform their culture for Christ" and Biblical World View University. He co-authored books on Christian Nationalism and was a co-founder, with faux historian David Barton, of Wallbuilders, a group dedicated to "educating the nation concerning the Godly foundation of our country." The real Jefferson who, in his version of the bible, excised all Jesus' miracles, must be rolling in his grave!
McDowell, who stayed in character during the whole piece, delighted the gang on the curvy couch. It was obvious that his appearance was scripted to provide right wing talking points about small government. "Jefferson" bragged about having cut government debt during his administration. McDowell didn't mention that Jefferson funded the Louisiana Purchase with public debt; but this is Fox & Friends, a place where propaganda is more important than historical facts which McDowell's pal, David Barton, also ignores. Fox's Jefferson's message, that "We are not only being irresponsible but stealing from posterity" and that the "posterity that we paid a great price to purchase liberty for that it seems we're giving away," was straight out of the right wing, playbook used by those conservative, mostly white folks who dressed in colonial couture whilst raging against that evil African in the White House.
The real Jefferson would be appalled, I suspect, by McDowell's book, "America's Providential History" which began with this quote: "The goal of America's Providential History is to equip Christians to be able to introduce Biblical principles into the public affairs of America, and every nation in the world, and in so doing bring Godly change throughout the world. We will be learning how to establish a Biblical form (and power) of government in America and we will see how our present governmental structures must be changed." Jefferson, a Deist who said that "Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to God alone," would not, I think, agree with McDowell's belief that "The men who helped give birth to America... saw in the establishment of America, the first truly Christian nation in history" and that "The Christian religion, Christian Virtue, and a Biblical Worldview are the `Spirit of the Constitution'--the power behind our form of government."
While McDowell, like Jefferson, doesn't seem to have too much of a problem with slavery, his views on America as a Christian Nation most likely wouldn't be accepted by Jefferson. Wouldn't it have been great if the ghost of the real Thomas Jefferson made a surprise appearance? One wonders what he would think about Fox News which, unlike Jefferson, promotes a world view that isn't exactly based on enlightenment!
The key word, though, is ‘reading’. Foxophiles can’t (or won’t!) read anything that doesn’t either arrive in their email, or crawl across the screen of the Fox Channel.
And, gee, Priscilla, don’t let ‘Oliver/U mad/…ad nauseum get to you. It just can’t stay away.
Intolerance? The facts are that the Founders were not fundamentalist Christians inasmuch as David Barton (so not a historian) and his fellow Christian dominionist types want it to be so. And if anything is intolerant, it’s Christian dominionism which excludes all those who don’t believe in Jesus. Jefferson, along with the other Founders, had no patience with the kind of oppressive, totalitarian, and exclusive Christianity promoted by Barton and McDowell. Jefferson would be appalled at the America as Christian Nation espoused by today’s Christian right and Fox News!
NewsHounds Priscilla
Well, that’s no surprise — coming from a network that’s hosted a Barack Obama impersonator . . . four times:
http://reggiebrownobamaimpersonator.com/2013/01/30/reggie-brown-appears-on-fox-business-as-barack-obama/
It’s getting to the point where I have difficulty distinguishing between Fox & Friends and an SNL parody skit of Fox & Friends . . .
But wait, this Jefferson is an imposter who is only playing a role.
And not very well, I might add — he looks a bit shorter than the 6’ 2 1/2" Jefferson.
If the Fiends wanted to lend any credibility to this segment, they should have called Clay Jenkinson, noted humanities scholar and first-person historical interpretor of Jefferson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_S._Jenkinson
http://www.jeffersonhour.com/
Wait — did I say “credibility”? My bad; I keep forgetting how the Fiends aren’t interested in things like that . . .
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