Hillary Clinton and The Family

I'll state my current viewpoint up front, which hasn't substantially changed since my previous post on the subject. Hillary Clinton has at least a superficial association with a politically and theologically conservative group called The Family. She has even described its leader, Doug Coe, as her "a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God". This is a legitimate subject for inquiry by the media. Whether the Establishment press is capable of covering anything about the Clintons in a professional way is another question.

And while I find the group itself disturbing, I have yet to hear anything that makes me think there's anything sinister about Clinton's relationship to the group.

Marigolds2 has pointed me to several links touching on the topic of The Family, which is also known as The Fellowship, including: Take Two: Hillary's Choice by Joshua Green The Atlantic Nov 2006 and the entry on the group at Sourcewatch, which monitors rightwing groups from a small-d democratic perspective.

The group is the subject of a forthcoming book by Jeff Sharlet, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, scheduled for a May release. He reported on some of the findings of his investigation in Jesus plus nothing: Undercover among America's secret theocrats Harper's May 2003.

Other links on the group include: Meet 'The Family' by Anthony Lappé (an interview with Jeff Sharlet), Alternet/Guerrilla News Network 06/13/03; Showing Faith in Discretion by Lisa Getter Los Angeles Times 09/27/02; Audio Tapes Raise Questions On Hillary Clinton's Right-Wing Cult Associations by Bruce Wilson 03/21/08; and, Hillary's Prayer: Hillary Clinton's Religion and Politics Mother Jones 09/01/07 by Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet.

I'm always glad to see cults or potential cults get some critical press and public scrutiny. As Dave Neiwert recently reminded us at his Orcinus blog (The Republican right's Moonie problem 03/21/08), the Moonie cult has been a significant player supporting the Republican Party for decades now, a relationship that also deserves more press attention.

But aside from the overheated rhetoric in Bruce Wilson's article, the factual material in the articles just cited doesn't suggest that Clinton is a closet Christian Right sleeper agent, or anything remotely close. Whatever questionable activities the core members of the group may be connected with, they sponsor activities like the National Prayer Breakfast that are almost universally considered respectable. Devout atheists may find reason for rending of clothes and gnashing of teeth in the fact that many prominent politicians associate themselves with that event in some way. But it's scarcely the most pressing danger facing Constitutional government in the US.

According to Green's article, Clinton's association with the prayer group after entering the Senate helped her to establish a relationship with Christian Right stalwart San Brownback which included the two of them joining "to cosponsor one measure protecting refugees fleeing sexual abuse, and another to study the effects on children of violent video games and television shows".

Green presents a benign (and plausible) view of Clinton's participation in the Capitol Hill prayer group:

Today, on Capitol Hill, as the old avenues of bipartisanship have gradually been blocked off by hardening ideology, the prayer groups have become cherished sanctuaries for their members—providing respite, however brief, from the cacophony of political Washington. Speaking about a group is strongly discouraged, and what transpires at meetings is strictly off the record. As a result, the groups provide an intimate setting in which members can share their faith without fear of being judged. “Once you take off the cloak of politics and look into a person’s soul, you find that you can establish a relationship that is enduring and deep and doesn’t let politics get in the way,” one longtime participant explained to me. “If you’re going to be consistent with the teachings of Jesus, it’s about forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.” Many who come, he said, are surprised to wind up forming close friendships with colleagues who in any other setting would be considered political enemies.

None of this comes close to justifying the level of accusation and innuendo that Barbara Ehrenreich's article, Hillary's Nasty Pastorate The Nation Online 03/19/08 , which I discussed in my earlier post, heaps on Clinton because of her involvement with this prayer group. Hey, I'm willing to believe that Clinton may have made some bad compromises connected somehow with this group. But I'm not willing to believe it based on reporting done according to Clinton Rules, i.e., you can say anything you want to whether it's true or not, as long as you say it about the Clintons. I would need to see a lot more before I could join Ehrenreich in concluding that Clinton has been drawn "into the sinister heart of the international right".

Now, I do enjoy purple prose at times. But I don't see the facts to even come close to backing that one up!

Bob Somerby also comments on Ehrenreich's article in The Daily Howler 03/21/08, describing it as an "astounding, sad piece".

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