| − | The '''Value Voters Debate''', held on September 17th, 2007, pit many of the socially [[conservative]] members of the [[Republican Party]] against each other in a contest to win the votes of one of America's most important voting blocs. [[Mike Huckabee]] won the debate, although all candidates stood up for strong [[Christian]] values, relative to [[Democrat]] candidates, who did not show. The debaters were, in order of votes received, | + | The '''Value Voters Debate''', held on September 17th, 2007, pitted many of the socially [[conservative]] members of the [[Republican Party]] against each other in a contest to win the votes of one of America's most important voting blocs. [[Mike Huckabee]] won the debate, although all candidates stood up for strong [[Christian]] values, relative to [[Democrat]] candidates, who did not show. The debaters were, in order of votes received, |
| − | The debate took the form of first a question and answer session, where prominent "panelists" would pose questions to candidates. Conservative luminary [[Phyllis Schlafly]] was among the panelists, and she received wide praise from the candidates. Also present was the [[Discovery Institute]]. | + | The first part of the debate took the form of a question-and-answer session, where prominent "panelists" would pose questions to candidates. Conservative luminary [[Phyllis Schlafly]] was among the panelists, and she received wide praise from the candidates. Also present were representatives of the [[Discovery Institute]]. |
| | This session was followed by a series of questions in which the candidates were invited to respond "yes" or "no" to politically charged questions. Almost all candidates voted together on major issues, with the exception of [[Ron Paul]]. | | This session was followed by a series of questions in which the candidates were invited to respond "yes" or "no" to politically charged questions. Almost all candidates voted together on major issues, with the exception of [[Ron Paul]]. |
| − | [[Radical]] [[leftist]] [[Chip Berlet]], reporting on the conference said, "it was disheartening to hear from a variety of conference speakers that ... I am apparently part of a vast liberal conspiracy that promotes Sin, Secularism, Subversion, and Satan....from what I heard, as a person who opposes the war in Iraq, I am apparently not a real Christian, nor a real American---and if I caught the drift…I'm not even a real man. Therefore (goes the subtext and full text) I must hate America and love Islamic terrorism. ...The sum total of this set of assumptions is that I am consciously or unconsciously working on behalf of Satan and the Whore of Babylon, who is obviously Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton."<ref>[http://pra-wire.blogspot.com/ Sinful, Secular, Subversive, Satanists], Chip Berlet, Wednesday, October 24, 2007. Retrieved from http://pra-wire.blogspot.com/ November 1, 2007.</ref> | + | [[Radical]] [[leftist]] [[Chip Berlet]], reporting on the conference, said, "[I]t was disheartening to hear from a variety of conference speakers that .... I am apparently part of a vast liberal conspiracy that promotes Sin, Secularism, Subversion, and Satan.... [F]rom what I heard, as a person who opposes the war in Iraq, I am apparently not a real Christian, nor a real American--and if I caught the drift--I'm not even a real man. Therefore (goes the subtext and full text) I must hate America and love Islamic terrorism. The sum total of this set of assumptions is that I am consciously or unconsciously working on behalf of Satan and the Whore of Babylon, who is obviously Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton."<ref>[http://pra-wire.blogspot.com/ Sinful, Secular, Subversive, Satanists], Chip Berlet, Wednesday, October 24, 2007. Retrieved from http://pra-wire.blogspot.com/ November 1, 2007.</ref> |