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The extreme voices of the religious right have become "the most dangerous force in America today," but Americans are "turning away" from them, political commentator Bill Press said at the WEAC Convention's Education Issues Breakfast.
Press, who studied for the priesthood and attended the seminary for 10 years and has a degree in theology, said it is not religion that is dangerous:
"It's just that their religion is so narrow and it's so mean and it's so ugly and it's so intolerant and it's so un-Christian.
"They don't practice what Christ preaches," Press said at the breakfast event October 30, 1998, at the Sheraton Hotel in Madison. Press represents the liberal voice on the CNN television show "Crossfire."
Press said it is ironic that the religious right has everything politically that it could ever hope for right now, yet is losing support.
"Figure it out. They own the Republican Party, they own Congress, they sold this idea that they are the people of values, and they got this 'sinner' in the White House. This is their moment. And they blow their trumpet and nobody follows. It proves how hollow they are."
Referring to the White House scandal, Press said Americans have been telling pollsters they don't like adultery, "but what we like even less is hypocrisy."
Predicting the gradual demise of the religious right's influence, Press said, "This is Halloween, and I sort of want to dance around and say, The wicked witch is dead!"
Press said independent counsel Ken Starr is a "religious prosecutorial zealot."
He said the American people believe that what Starr has done is far worse than what Bill Clinton did.
"Starr has destroyed our system of justice. He's destroyed our right to privacy, and he's on his way to destroying the presidency of the United States."
Press said he has always held to the belief that "it's performance in office that counts, not performance in bed. Reporters should not be asking about a person's private life and politicians and prosecutors should not be investigating a person's private life."
He said Starr's investigation should never have happened in the first place. It is the result of the fact that things are going so well in this country that Congress thinks it has nothing better to do.
Press said the impeachment process will end when it reaches the U.S. Senate because "in the Senate, at least, there are a few people with a sense of history. In the Senate, at least, there are a few people who can read. There is no way the Senate is going to convict the president on those charges."
Most depressing, Press said, is that Congress has done virtually nothing else for the past year other than conduct investigations. It has conducted more than 50 investigations in the last couple of years, he said, at a cost of $80 million.
"Do you think that is what Congress is all about? I don't."
He suggested a new variation on the popular vacation T-shirt theme, with this one saying, "My congressman went to Washington and all he brought back were these dumb impeachment hearings."
Press said the Republicans "are in disarray" as a result of their handling of the White House matter. A month ago, he said, they were predicting a "tidal wave" of victories on November 3 and now they have reduced their expectations to picking up a handful of seats.
"The Ken Starr rocket has fizzled," he said.
On other topics, Press said:
Posted October 30, 1998