religious right
GRITtv: Jeff Sharlet: Understanding the "Teavangelicals"
In the wake of the Republican election victories Tuesday night, Christian conservatives like Ralph Reed have been quick to declare victory for the "Teavangelicals," evangelical Christian politicians who embraced the Tea Party movement and claim to speak for it. Jeff Sharlet, author of C Street, notes that Jim DeMint and others are actually Washington insiders, not representatives of an insurgent new movement. Sharlet joins Laura via Skype to discuss the influence of the religious right on the current Republican party and trends within it, as well as its long-term influence on American politics.
Email this pageGRITtv: John Fugelsang: Stop Calling it Bullying
Due to the recent wave of kids -- especially gay teenagers -- who've been bullied to the point of taking their own lives, the U.S. media's begun talking about bullying & teen suicide. It's so horrible that Americans have finally begun to do what we do best - fight with each other over what to do and never accomplish anything.
Gay USA: Don't Ask Don't Tell, Gays Are Good for the Military, and Other Victories in Court
A vote is now scheduled for this coming week on Don't Ask Don't Tell in the senate and Lady Gaga had a lot to do with it. It is being determined that a ban on gays in the military is unconsitutional and harms unit cohesion! There was a legal challenge by the relgious right to the federal hate crimes law, and the judge dismissed it. A lesbian couple in Tennessee has been burned out of their home and Florida's law against gay adoptions is on trial again unless Governor Crist decides to cancel the case. In other news, an out lesbian has been picked for the Colorado supreme court and the cop who led the raid on the Stonewall Inn in 1969 has died at the age of 91. These stories and more.
GRITtv: Frank Schaeffer: Whose Pact with the Devil?
Frank Schaeffer grew up in the religious right and knew Pat Robertson well -- he tells the story in his books "Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back" and "Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don't Like Religion (or Atheism)," and appeared recently on our show to talk about it. When Robertson made headlines last week saying that an earthquake hit Haiti because of a "deal with the devil," Schaeffer was moved to respond in a blog post, and he joined us to offer his thoughts on who's really cursed.
GRITtv: Sarah Palin: Sex, Lies & Book Deals
Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue: An American Life" comes out Tuesday, and she doesn't appear likely to fade from public prominence anytime soon. Pundits and political observers wrote her off after the Republican ticket's loss in 2008 and again after her rather unconventional exist from the Alaska governorship, but Palin remains popular with the Republican base and has demonstrated her ability to drive the discourse, whether it's her Facebook post about "death panels" or jumping into the race in New York's 23rd district. Richard Kim, senior editor at The Nation, is co-editor of "Going Rouge: Sarah Palin, An American Nightmare," which collects essays from around the progressive media analyzing the mysterious appeal of Sarah Palin, Rebecca Traister of Salon, Max Blumenthal, Daily Beast contributor, and Shannyn Moore of Smart Radio in Alaska to talk about the books, the Right, and why Palin just won't go away.
GRITtv: Frank Schaeffer: Fears of Fundamentalism
Francis Schaeffer, one of the important figures in the anti-choice and religious right movements in the United States joins Laura on GRITtv for a fascinating interview about his own journey, and how people, religious or irreligious, are all looking for answers to the same questions.
