Bill Maher digs up [Senate candidate] O'Donnell 'witchcraft' clip

[Beau_Ouiville]

I think this a unprecedented for a senate candidate.

"WASHINGTON — Tea party favorite Christine O’Donnell, whose Republican primary upset in Delaware’s Senate race shocked the GOP, canceled appearances Sunday on two national news shows. Meanwhile, comedian Bill Maher dug up a clip of O’Donnell appearing on his “Politically Incorrect” show in 1999 in which she says she “dabbled in witchcraft.”

The context of what led to her comments is not clear, and O’Donnell is laughing while she talks. “I dabbled into witchcraft. I never joined a coven,” she said. " … I hung around people who were doing these things. I’m not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do," she said.

“… One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar, and I didn’t know it. I mean, there’s little blood there and stuff like that,” she said. “We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar.” Since O’Donnell’s upset of nine-term Rep. Mike Castle, opponents have unearthed unflattering age-old television clips. Her campaign didn’t immediately return a telephone message Saturday, but she has in the past dismissed her previous comments."

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9rv3pJ0e0ju_X-K2vMUfo7Mah-wD9IAMCMO1

 

[Mijoy2]

What’s the point? It was Saint Augustine, a doctor of the Church who came from a background of belief systems contrary to the Faith he finally embraced.

O’Donnell, from my brief experience of her, is a courageous, woman willing to counter normal trends and enthusiastically promote her own belief system. A person of courage!

We need more people like her in public office.

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

What’s the point? It was Saint Augustine, a doctor of the Church who came from a background of belief systems contrary to the Faith he finally embraced.

If there were no point here folks would not have talked about (or would not still be talking about!) the president’s short grammar school hiatus in Indonesia. Perhaps that was different.

 

[buffalo]

Here we go again - character assassination.

Like all the characters in Congress now are squeeky clean.

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

So???

What’s the point?

So she may have dabbled in witchcraft before she became a Christian. Or before she decided to commit to her faith. So??? She is now a Christian and devout.

May God forgive me, but I can’t stand that Sarcastic Smug Atheist Condescending So-And-So Maher.

Most probably the reason he “dug this up” was so the narrative of “This Is obviously a religious Fanatic and Nutcase and possibly a Hypocrite” could be planted in the public mind!

I guess one does what one has to do to advance the causes of the party and/or ideology one adheres to. Rahm Emanuel AND Karl Rove should be proud.

 

[gnjsdad]

She has cancelled 2 news show appearances she had scheduled for tomorrow: Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday.

 

[gnjsdad]

Here we go again - character assassination.

Where? It’s her own words.

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

If there were no point here folks would not have talked about (or would not still be talking about!) the president’s short grammar school hiatus in Indonesia. Perhaps that was different.

Actually, Beau, it WAS slightly different.

Like it or not,true or not, Obama has always had the accusation (and probably will ALWAYS have the accusation) that he is a “secret Muslim” or at least “overly sympathetic” to the religion of his youth dodging him since he decided to run for president and then win.

Whether that is true or not, it probably is not, but folks (again, like it or not) feel that certain behavior on his part and past history justify that suspicion. Again, the accusation is almost 99.9% false, but folks feel there is “enough there” to justify the 1% percent.

Therefore, whether he may have been schooled into Islamic Theology while he was with his stepfather in Indonesia IS relevant FROM THESE FOLKS’S POINT OF VIEW.

After all, they are not the ones who called the Call the Prayer from a Mosque “The Most Beautiful Sound In The World.” does not make him a Muslim, but you have to admit that IS strange.

O’Donell is not the Most Powerful Person in the World and she is not (however tenously) connected to a religion that many (including me) consider false, violent, and anti-Western.
Sorry, but I sort of see what these people are coming from. Sort of.
But is IS ultimately almost certainly untrue.

So, there IS a difference.

Also-------
Are you implying this was done to “make a point?”

Really?

So two wrongs make a right, right?

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

Where? It’s her own words.

Yeah, but it is the CONTEXT in which those words are put into that makes them character assasination. The IMPLICATION that it may elicit in people’s minds. Particularly from a person who has proven himself to have an “axe to grind” like Maher.

In a way, i understand. He (theoretically, probably) feels he needs to do this in order to get her off the race. It may also be that he just does not like her because she is religious and Christian. ironic since most folks are saying with almost certainty she had no chance to win. Or did she?

But, ultimately she has not shown that she is now a witch. On the contrary, she has mostly shown herself to be a woman of faith and morals standing up for what she feels is right. That is what makes this so wrong. The wrong image it is going to put in the public consciousness----just because people do not want her to win and disagree with her beliefs.

Also, that one’s past actions MUST affect and color’s one’s rest of their lives no matter what the change or regret.

 

[Christopher68]

Up until just recently (perhaps no more than a month ago) she wasn’t a serious candidate for the GOP Senate nomination. The she garnered the support of the “tea party” and she rode that support to the nomination. My guess is that since she wasn’t really viewed as a legitimate candidate, she wasn’t subject to the usual vetting process that other candidates are subjected to, hence no one uncovered this witchcraft story until after primary election. She wasn’t going to win the general election anyway.

 

[gamewell45]

Here we go again - character assassination.

Like all the characters in Congress now are squeeky clean.

Do you believe that those who serve in Congress should be squeaky clean?

 

[gamewell45]

So???

What’s the point?

So she may have dabbled in witchcraft before she became a Christian. Or before she decided to commit to her faith. So??? She is now a Christian and devout.

May God forgive me, but I can’t stand that Sarcastic Smug Atheist Condescending So-And-So Maher.

Most probably the reason he “dug this up” was so the narrative of “This Is obviously a religious Fanatic and Nutcase and possibly a Hypocrite” could be planted in the public mind!

I guess one does what one has to do to advance the causes of the party and/or ideology one adheres to. Rahm Emanuel AND Karl Rove should be proud.

I guess we can agree that politics is dirty business no matter what side of the fence we are on.

 

[MarianD]

When Americans start caring about policies instead of trivial matters such as what a candidate did when they were younger, where a candidate went to school, or whether or not they smoked pot, then that’s when we’ll start electing competent people to political office.

Until then, we have only ourselves to blame for our absolutely stupid Governors/Congressmen/Senators/Presidents.

 

[CMatt25]

Where? It’s her own words.

Yes but Christine’s own words can be very funny. I was watching some other clips of her in action this wk. Hillarious stuff.

In one she is questioned by a conservative host who asks why she claimed she had defeated Biden in 2 of 3 DE counties in one of her previous runs for office. She said she didn’t think she ever said such a thing.

Oops. Rewind the tape. The conservative host said let me play the tape back to you. And funny thing. There was Christine saying exactly that.

Then she quickly tried to say she had tied Biden. The host said, no Christine you didn’t tie him either and this was the easiest question I had for you.

So there ya go. I suppose when you can’t handle the easiest question , that makes one competent to be a US senator in 2010.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

Here we go again - character assassination.

Like all the characters in Congress now are squeeky clean.

They have to resort to this… because a conversation on the complete disaster of Dems in power would not bode well for any Dem.

From what I understand… she dated a guy who was into Wiccan and she was curious.
She wasnt mixing potions…

She changed her life and became a born again Christian… She has repeatedly said she looked at her life in her college years and didnt like what she saw.
Sounds normal to me.

Bill Mahr… the same guy who made that documentary about how stupid Christians are.

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

They have to resort to this… because a conversation on the complete disaster of Dems in power would not bode well for any Dem.

From what I understand… she dated a guy who was into Wiccan and she was curious.
She wasnt mixing potions…

She changed her life and became a born again Christian… She has repeatedly said she looked at her life in her college years and didnt like what she saw.
Sounds normal to me.

Bill Mahr… the same guy who made that documentary about how stupid Christians are.

Exactly.

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

Yes but Christine’s own words can be very funny. I was watching some other clips of her in action this wk. Hillarious stuff.

In one she is questioned by a conservative host who asks why she claimed she had defeated Biden in 2 of 3 DE counties in one of her previous runs for office. She said she didn’t think she ever said such a thing.

Oops. Rewind the tape. The conservative host said let me play the tape back to you. And funny thing. There was Christine saying exactly that.

Then she quickly tried to say she had tied Biden. The host said, no Christine you didn’t tie him either and this was the easiest question I had for you.

So there ya go. I suppose when you can’t handle the easiest question , that makes one competent to be a US senator in 2010.

ALL polticians have said stupid stuff at one point or another, CMatt25. Republicans AND Democrats.

Dan Quayle is a premier example. And yes, Palin. She was in some ways even MORE “troubled” in her statements than O’Donell. And ALL politicians claim stuff they did not do. Bush did. Clinton did. Barry has. And so on.

Biden on the other end of the aisle is another politician who has an out-of-whack mouth.

You’re missing the point here, CMatt25. A nakedly partisan talk show host has apparently unearthed this in an apparent attempt to discredit a potential Senatorial candidate.

One’s past actions that were made before one’s conversion to Christianity (or even before that person was totally committed to Christianity) should not resurrect themselves for the rest of one’s life, even after sincere change.

This goes for BOTH Republicans AND Democrats.

The probable reason Maher did this was to put forward the narrative of “This woman is a hypocrite and religious fanatic” to the general public. Which will put her up to ridicule and force to quit.
It’s funny she was widely dismissed by pundits as being “non-electable.” Then she won the standoff. Just a coincidence???

Do you think he reallt did this out of wanting to selflessly inform the public of a possible “dark matter” in her history?

Like Gamewell said, politics is a dirty business. Karl Rove AND Rahm Emanuel should be rpoud.

 

[ishii]

This whole thread is nothing more than a smear job on a good Catholic, pro-life candidate. Democrats first, catholics second.

Ishii

 

[seekerz]

Therefore, whether he may have been schooled into Islamic Theology while he was with his stepfather in Indonesia IS relevant FROM THESE FOLKS’S POINT OF VIEW.

After all, they are not the ones who called the Call the Prayer from a Mosque “The Most Beautiful Sound In The World.” does not make him a Muslim, but you have to admit that IS strange.

I have to interject that as a Catholic, who has lived among Muslims, and had the experience of waking to that Call of Prayer (or walking is the cool sunset to it) - I have also found it to be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. I believe I remember posting this experience on this forum at some point when Obama might not even have been a presidential candidate yet. There is something about the sound that is emotionally very moving (kind of like listening to the Church bells at Christmas) even though I do not share the faith or even have an in-depth familiarity with it. Nothing strange at all about it. I also find beauty in sunsets, towering waterfalls and the starry sky - none of which are an index of my faith or lack of it. Could it be that I am also strange and bear allegiance to the Islamic faith? I think not.

 

[gnjsdad]

You’re missing the point here, CMatt25. A nakedly partisan talk show host has apparently unearthed this in an apparent attempt to discredit a potential Senatorial candidate.

One’s past actions that were made before one’s conversion to Christianity (or even before that person was totally committed to Christianity) should not resurrect themselves for the rest of one’s life, even after sincere change.

This goes for BOTH Republicans AND Democrats.

The probable reason Maher did this was to put forward the narrative of “This woman is a hypocrite and religious fanatic” to the general public. Which will put her up to ridicule and force to quit.
It’s funny she was widely dismissed by pundits as being “non-electable.” Then she won the standoff. Just a coincidence???

Do you think he reallt did this out of wanting to selflessly inform the public of a possible “dark matter” in her history?

Like Gamewell said, politics is a dirty business. Karl Rove AND Rahm Emanuel should be rpoud.

Bill Maher isn’t the first, nor is he going to be the last, to do something like this. And, although you may be correct as to his motive, it really is beside the point.

Don’t you want to know as much as possible about a candidate before making an emotional investment in them?

I’ve read the coverage of O’Donnnell up to now and what they’ve described as her “crazy” beliefs regarding sexual morality actually correspond closely with what I believe. They made me wish I could vote for her. I don’t live in Delaware. Having said that, this latest revelation raises real character issues, at least for me. What has she really done since “dabbling in witchcraft” in 1999? I’m not at all saying she still does so, or that her conversion isn’t sincere. But I need to see more out of a candidate for such a high public office.

She was a total unknown until now. There’s a lot we still don’t know about her. Please don’t fall in love with the NARRATIVE she and her promoters are presenting.