DNC Chairman Denies Obama Admin Requested Christ Symbol Cover-Up

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Is this the new politics Barack Obama promised to bring to Washington?  His hand-picked DNC Chairman just went on national TV and denied that the Obama administration requested Georgetown University to cover up the IHS monogram representing the name of Christ.  Confronted with a CNSNews.com article flatly reporting that such a request had indeed been made, Tim Kaine resorted to the hoary dodge of claiming he hadn't seen the story.  Adding insult to injury, Kaine even claimed to be ignorant of CNSNews.com itself, NewsBusters' sister organization.
 
Kaine made his credulity-busting claims during a Morning Joe appearance today.

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MIKA BRZEZINKI: During the president's speech at Georgetown, I guess the White House asked the university to cover the religious symbol that would be in the shot with him . . .

JOE SCARBOROUGH: The sign was actually the sign of Jesus.

BRZEZINSKI: What do you think, Governor Tim Kaine, about this, and how it helps or hurts the Democrats?  What do you make of this story?

TIM KAINE: Well, look, I'm a great Catholic like probably Joe and some others on this show. The way I heard this was the White House asked, in terms of doing the speech at Georgetown, that they wanted American flags as a backdrop. I don't know that they were choosy about what room it was in or what else was there, but they wanted American flags as a backdrop and so the university and the event organizers put up American flags. There wasn't a request specifically to cover up any religious symbols or statues, as I understand it. Now, I haven't followed this too closely [rig-h-h-h-t], but that was just kind of my understanding, it's kind of a standard backdrop for presidential speeches is American flags.

SCARBOROUGH: Wasn't there a black, there was a black triangle, wasn't there? [WaPo editorialist] Jonathan Capehart?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: A black plywood cover, which you can see over the president's shoulder there. Which was, they wanted to cover the organ pipes and also the IHS symbol of Jesus that was behind the president.

SCARBOROUGH: It sounds like from what we're seeing, from what Mika just handed me, that there was a White House request specifically to cover up the Jesus sign, and there's a black, a huge black triangle covering that sign up. Is that a mistake by the White House?

KAINE: Well, again, my understanding is that they wanted the American flags and that's the backdrop they want for speeches, and that was the request made of Georgetown. I haven't seen information from Georgetown complaining about it, so, I'm hearing it from you guys but as you know when the president gives speeches, American flags are the tradition backdrop used.

CAPEHART:  Governor Kaine, in the story that we're looking at, it says, quote: "the White House asked Georgetown to cover a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name at Gaston Hall, which Pres. Obama used for his speech."  This is according to CNSNews.com. Do you think this is unusual for the White House to call on an institution, a religious institution like Georgetown, even though it's a higher-education institution, to do something like this?

KAINE: Well, I'd have to check, I'd have to check who CNSNews.com is and check the source there. I didn't hear you mention any names, etc. So again, you know, you're running something by me from a news source I'm not familiar with. Again, my understanding of this from end of the day yesterday was just what I said: that the White House has a common tradition of using American flags as the backdrop to speeches.
Interesting that the Tim Kaine would purport to be unfamiliar with a news institution based in Virginia, the state of which he is governor.  When he gets around to reading the story, he'll find that CNS did identify a source by name [emphasis added]:
“In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday’s event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com."

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.


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Now, I haven't followed

Now, I haven't followed this too closely [rig-h-h-h-t], but that was just kind of my understanding,

That's a standard tactic so that when it blows up one can claim ignorance of what the fuss was all about.

You know what, Mr. Kaine?  I'm a Catholic too, and as far as I'm concerned, the real outrage isn't that the Obama administration requested, but that Georgetown complied!!

What kind of supposedly Catholic university consents to covering up the name of Jesus, with American flags, or for any other reason!

I am just furious at Georgetown!

They might say "Wow, that sucks!"  But at least they'll say "Wow!"  -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes

Like Obama's knowledge of

Like Obama's knowledge of the tea parties. 

"DumbAssity of Dope"

Georgetown

So many issues ... let me address just one.

I don't understand why it was so important to have that speech at Georgetown, and in that particular facility. If the whole purpose was to have the same old backdrop of flags, why bother? To make an extreme example, would you go to the Sistine Chapel and cover up the Last Judgment? If so, why go there in the first place?

Again, like the Notre Dame speech, what strikes me is the clumsiness of the whole thing.

  • In both cases, you would have thought that priests would have immediately grasped the significance of these small details, but that isn't really fair.
  • For one thing, I doubt any of this went through a thorough review. Somebody wanted to give the speech on Georgetown campus, their people called our people, and no one realized that any of these details would matter.
  • When the administrators agreed to having the speech on campus, I'll bet they didn't realize that this White House (unlike the previous ones) would demand that the religious symbols be covered up.
  • And when the request was made, especially since they weren't priests, no one at Georgetown stepped up to the plate to object. I'm sure they took the attitude that the speech wasn't being given in the church, and that the hall was a nice-looking venue but it wasn't a place of worship, so what's the big deal?

If I was president of Georgetown, I'd give my staff the weekend to prepare, and then Monday morning, we'd have an all-day meeting to go over this whole thing. Make it the most torturous meeting ever: bad coffee, breakout sessions, small groups, the works. Make the staff suffer! And never let this happen again.

Good one, KC

I was waiting for you to weigh in on this.

The Bamster's protocol staff need a little bit of your medicine (I laughed when I read that, thanks)...but they're liberals, you know, they are trying to get things right and not offend, but alas, yet another gaffe.

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

The Obama Side

Thanks, Blonde.

Two followup points to your comment:

  1. Georgetown is "owned" by Jesuits, but it isn't run by Jesuits anymore. The president of Georgetown isn't a Jesuit, and as far as I know, only the Campus Minister is a Jesuit - the rest are all lay people. The spirit of Jesuits past still "haunts" the administration, but that isn't the same as having flesh and blood Jesuits in the day to day running of the school.
    1. Maybe it's my own prejudice, but I suspect that the late Tim Healy, SJ and Leo O'Donovan, SJ (the two most recent Jesuit presidents) would have headed this kerfuffle off at the pass.
  2. The Obama staff seems to bumble into these situations, and they're not doing anything to take any pressure off the local Catholic institution. I can't blame them for the Notre Dame thing (they were invited), but in this Georgetown affair, they're pointing fingers at the school. In both cases, though, they're obviously taking the attitude that the Catholics should be grateful for Obama's premise, and they're arrogantly trampling on sensititivites. Other administrations have spoken at Georgetown without the need to exclude the school's Catholic identity - what makes these guys any different?

Just admit that you don't know

Here's a little tip for Tim Kaine.  The next time you don't know what you're talking about just shut the heck up.  Politicians are physically incapable of saying "I don't know."  They somehow think it's better to try and fake it despite how foolish it inevitably makes them look.

The typical politician/pundit answer.  Admit you don't have all the facts, then continue to spout off as if you do.

Liberal: remove all that's Right, and this is what's Left.

moltherbelt

I jus read your post and I agree completely with you!

I am ashamed of Notre Dame and Now I am just as "furious" with Georgetown!

How or why would the Bishop allow this to happen.

Maybe this is a different Catholic sect?

I am just ASHAMED

You know what, Mr. Kaine? 

You know what, Mr. Kaine?  I'm a Catholic too, and as far as I'm concerned, the real outrage isn't that the Obama administration requested, but that Georgetown complied!!

I'm a Protestant and I find the entire situation to be offensive as well! 

National Enquirer

This story is worthy of investigation by the Press...but since the mainstreamers will not touch it - as it doesnt fit the template of 'Obama is God and thou shalt not speak ill of His Greatness' - it is time for the group that broke a story the NYTimes, WaPo, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and others could not break...how old is John Edwards' love child now, didnt she celebrate her first birthday recently?  oh, and how is your wife's cancer, john?

It's sad, but the National Enquirer - with a budget 1/1000 of any of the above networks - does a better job of investigative reporting. 

Info for those of you who

Info for those of you who are not Catholic.

One can't be Catholic and dissent against Church teaching.  Pelosi, Biden, Kaine, Guiliani etc. aren't Catholic.

Unfortunately the Vatican II crowd (bishops, priests & laymen) think the Catholic Church (re)started in 1965 and they can do or say anything they want with no consequences. 

That is just beginning to change.  As the Vatican II crowd retires and dies off, it it slowly being replaced by traditional Catholics.  Look to see numerous cafeteria Catholics either get with the program or officially leave the Church (they've actually already left the Church because of their dissent from Church teaching).  As the traditional Latin Mass continues to grow and the new Mass continues to dwindle, watch the Catholic Church become the Church Militant once again.

 

ncstevem

I also agree with you that everything after Vatican II is sham.

Sort of like haveing an everchanging Constitution?

I really do hope we get back to our "roots" as they say. Who ever "they" are?

I miss following along using my Maryknoll Missal.

 

The moosaih shows up

And magically the religious symbols of faith that were fine during campaigning in chucrhes, hide from sight during the ONE's rein.

 

How cool is that? Jive talking, the magic of the one.

"When the president gives

"When the president gives speeches, American flags are the traditional backdrop used."

Incorrect, my good man. By now, everyone knows the standard Obama backdrop, venue permitting, is a carefully selected collection of seated Obamabots of all colors and ages, in various stages of rapture.

Also, I take issue with the use of the word "traditional" to describe something that is barely three months old.

selected collection of seated Obamabots of all colors

Not to include veiled women..., since  we don't want to draw attention to his Muslim roots

Wait a minute

You forgot the styrofoam columns.

LOL

and the pretend halo

Surprised?

I DO NOT understand why anyone is surprised by this or any of the other, Godless, Socialist tendencies of this administration AND all of the Socialist sleepers in the federal government whom have found new wings from this newly arrived Messiah of theirs.

He is MORE than what we warned everyone that he would be.

What these Marxist never count on is the "UNPARALELLED WILL" of a "FREE AMERICAN PEOPLE". THIS WILL NOT STAND!

The actions of the Tea Parties, the slow and steady rumblings of a "Re-awakening Silent Majority" are beginning.

Try this (somewhat modified) QUOTE on, Chairman Obama, Comrades Pelosi and Reid and all of the rest of you who think you have conquered the American People without firing a shot:

"We thought, with this election of Marxists, that we had dealt American Freedom a fatal blow, but I fear we have only awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve". 

When can we beleive them now?

At this point, we cannot believe anything Dems say. They are lying even when you have direct proof that they are. We cannot continue to have dishonorable leaders and survive as a Republic.

 

http://franklinslocke.blogspot.com/

We cannot believe them

Ever, common honesty has left DC. Please tell them you know it has as often as you can.

 

My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful

"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg

Well

It is apparent to me that if you schedule a speech in front of a symbol and then cover that symbol up, your main purpose in being there was not to give the speech, but to cover up the symbol.

Plastic IHS

Like Obama said during a 60 minutes interview, "I am muslim ..."

Georgetown has a pretty nice

Georgetown has a pretty nice gym - why couldn't they have used that instead? 

Then he wouldn't have had those embarrassing religious stained glass windows in the back AND he could have popped off some 3-pointers for the crowd. Probably would have sat a lot more adoring fans, too.

They don't want anyone

They don't want anyone upstaging the new messiah.....

What the Obamabots request,

What the Obamabots request, and the reasons for it,  is immaterial.

As I said above, the real outrage is that Georgetown complied!

Pat Buchanan has a great column at townhall about unfortunate road that too many so-called Catholic colleges and universities are going down these days.

Rendering Unto Caesar   (the first half of the column has examples of colleges which are supposedly Catholic, and what they tolerate.)

Most of them were founded as Catholic schools, but have long since stopped being Catholic.

Notre Dame is not far behind.  Apparently  the chant Notre Dame our Mother, pray for us!   is just another "kitschy" tradition with no meaning.

They have strayed totally from their original foundations.  

They might say "Wow, that sucks!"  But at least they'll say "Wow!"  -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes

They have strayed totally

They have strayed totally from their original foundations

The main reason a few years back all the Southern Baptist Seminaries had their staff sign statements of faith.  Some did and some left.  In the 80's the Southern Baptist Convention was straying from the faith statement and some of the leadership were becomming liberal in their theology.  We, the people, in order to form a more perfect Convention, took back leadership and now we are steering in the right direction.

The Catholic Church for years has been veering toward Paloosi ideology.  Not the head and not all the upper management but certainly in the churches themselves, at least in the USA.

Even though the churches stray, the Church does not aND CERTAINLY JESUS DOES NOT.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

Careful here

I need to be a little careful here but here goes.

Many of the "church" issues spoken of here are result of to much emphasis on "church" and not enough emphasis on Jesus Christ and the Bible. Most of this started in the protestant churches of the US in the early part of the last century but centuries before in the European Catholic church.

A blanket statement can be made that most ills of Christian churches, today, lay at the feet of clergy and church leadership in general because they have thrown the Bible on the front pew or still use it but have torn out all the pages that they find to be inconvenient.

Others have added their own laws to the Bible, so many more, along with non-Biblical rituals, that they are practicall returning to the Pharisee's version of religion;;; where Grace is now forgotten and works are only emphasized.

All of the preceeding eliminates the need for the most significant event in the history of the world which is Christ's death on the cross. What a disaster.

OK, I'm done.

OK, you're done and I'll

OK, you're done and I'll pick up....

What I think is that the pendulum swings....for years now, maybe as far back as Vatican II, the emphasis of the CC has been on social issues.  Catholics defining themselves by their care of the poor and the sick, etc.   I've seen a couple of articles in different places over the years by priests and bishops saying that the Church needed to get back to the spiritual.

And hopefully, the pendulum will start to swing in that direction again.

Did you see Buchanan's column about what some "Catholic" colleges and Universities are tolerating?  Even if you're not Catholic, it's disgusting that any Christian church would sponsor that garbage.

And it just provides ammunition against the Church, and what possible defense can the Church have?

One has to wonder what is going on in the administrative offices of these  so-called "Catholic" institutions and who is minding the store!

They might say "Wow, that sucks!"  But at least they'll say "Wow!"  -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes

The Church defitely needs

The Church defitely needs to stay on one subject, that of the great commision and propping up the saints.  We, the people are the saints not the CC Icon saints at least from my perspective.  But, the Church is in the business of saving souls and the social isssues are left to the people after they hear and understand teh teachings of God as stated in the Bible.  And one cannot understand some writings they have never seen, so crack open teh book, pray and read and pray.

But, the big problem with churches today is that they forget their mission to spread the gospel.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

I didn't leave my church

My church left me

huh, what "church"?

huh, what "church"?

Just a little more

motherbelt; I guess I'm not done.

If we hold out, the things of the world, the church and it's social activity, man and his walk in the world; it is very easy for us to be labeled and attacked and in most cases it can be justified.

Thats why we are in this world but we are not of this world; we are just aliens and visitors, passing through, but for a moment.

If we concentrate on the spiritual, on Jesus Christ, The Holy Bible (which has stood for 2000 years) we are untouchable or when touched we are unmoved.

THE CHURCH is but one. We are the replacement for;;; and now are "God's Chosen People", since our predecessors rejected him for the time being. We need to conduct ourselves as such.

Why, then, be active politically, including participation on Newsbusters? BECAUSE, modern days show that The United States of America is the last, great safe-haven of Christianity in the world.

 Last I heard, less than 1% of Europeans now consider themselves to be Christians. This nation was founded upon God, no matter how many secularists will lie about that fact. Up untill 1948, the United States had the largest Jewish population on earth. Up until a few years ago, almost 1/2 the citizens of Israel held dual citizenship as Americans. We have been and will remain Israel's defender and main supporter in the hostile world that they live in.

Those facts, my friends, and the failure of Obama and his supporters to either recognize them or agree with them, is the biggest reason that they will fail in their dreams to enslave America into Socialism, Marxism, Communism or some other position of veangeful retribution for why they hate America (see reverend Wright and the rest of Obama's comrades).

Now, I am done!!!!  

Well Said CVG!  Apostasy of

Well Said CVG!  Apostasy of the church is a major reason why we are about to fall off the cliff.  

rimsky

Thank you rimsky. God Bless The United States of America!!!!

Liberals

In reading some of the comments only bumbling, mumbling, moron liberals, could possibly make an excuse they can live with for a catholic college being required to cover up images of Jesus, so their misguided allegiance to the teleprompter president makes sense. 

Only those same idiots can possibly believe the democratic party did not request that being done. 

the right track

Mattie is on the right track, there is only room for one messiah on the planet and he's married to michelle.   Get used to it.

Somehow, I can picture

Somehow, I can picture Jesus slowly shakin' his head and singing that old Bill Withers song... "Use Me"   .... you just keep on usin' me....'til you use me up!

BeelzObama used HIM as a backdrop time and time again.... to lure and secure the votes up to the election..... now.... it's  "Talk to the black triangle"

What a political WHORE you are Barry Sotero !

 

"We retort..... you decide."

Pay no attention to God...

"Pay no attention to God...look at me instead.  I am the Obamessiah and you shall have no other Gods before you!"

This administration lies more than Clinton's, only they're not nearly as good at it.  

Learn about my daughter's Ugandan home for orphans with AIDS at
www.africaourownhome.org

Glad you're back, Mark

I linked to this yesterday on the DHS poll thread....it made me so angry I actually went off on quite a rant.

The emergent selective memory of the Obama administration (he wasn't aware of the Tea Parties, apparently), lies and equivocation (that wasn't a bow, for crying out loud! it was a two handed hand-shake to a shorter man, it was merely coincidence that BHO's head was beneath the King's head) is very telling.

The Empororer has no clothes.  And they know it, and they know we know they know.

Naturally, the MsM will stay five hundred miles away from the stories.  But we know.

 

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

What do you expect from a

What do you expect from a muslim apologist?  I'm 150% sure that if it had been at a mosque and there was a symbol of allah or something, it would be displayed prominently so as to not offend the sensitive muslims in the world.  

 

obama's notion of bi-partisanship is telling conservatives to shut up and do what he wants.

Messiah

They dont want the REAL Messiah upstaging the fake one.

"I dont need to read a newspaper to know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber."

Walter Brennan, The Colonel, Meet John Doe, 1941

why are so many establishments

rolling over for this man?  (I should say religious establishments)

I love to help the helpless but I'm not gonna help the clueless   ~Dennis Miller

And we all thought that

And we all thought that Trinity United, where the faithful Obama "worshipped for twenty years", was Christian.

Georgetown University Cover-Up

Everyone,

I am a "lapsed" Catholic (by which I mean I do not participate in Church, but still believe most of what I was taught).  When I read about this Georgetown incident yesterday, I was furious (and as I said, I am not even a practicing Catholic).

I agree with one sentiment, "what do you expect from this administration?"  But I do expect more from the university's upper-level staff.

So I got on Georgetown's web site, found the contact information for its president (president.georgetown.edu - Mr. John J. DeGoia) and mailed him a letter demanding an explanation for acquiescing to the White House's demand, as well as calling for his resignation for acquiescing.  Anyone who is as P.O.ed as I am over this should do the same thing.

And send it snail-mail, not email.  A few thousand letters on a secretary's desk has more impact than a few thousand emails that can be easily deleted. 

I have posted this info on several different sites.  Hopefully you guys will inundate this guy with your opinions.  I doubt he will resign, but it will do him good to see how many people he pissed off.

DNC Chairman Kaine

DNC Chairman Kaine is also the current governor of Virginia (my home state).

The best part of Kaine's term as governor of Virginia is:

By law, he can not succeed himself.  He has to sit out at least one term before he can run again.

Of course, now we have to look forward to either Brian Moran, brother of long-time U.S. Representative Jim Moron (oops, I meant Moran), or Terrible Terry McAuliffe.

When I first read about

When I first read about this yesterday my first response was sarcastic..."but I thought he was a Christian?"

What a joke...

Did anyone else get a little concerned when he kept mentioning the "five pillars" of his new plan the other night? What religion that Obama is "not" a member of has five pillars? Hmmmm?

Right, he

doesn't know CNS News????

I believe him.

NOT!

 

I am thinking SOBama

did not want to piss off muslims! For all we know the ONE asked them to cover the stained glass in the back ground?

Maybe Georgetown couldn't find a large enough American Flag?

Our president HATES AMERICA and the CONSTITUTION!

His first religous introduction was his Muslim father and his "church" experience was Rev Wright and "God Damn AMERICA" for 20 years.

How sad this all is.

Delsa... Right you

Delsa...

Right you are.

I heard about this news early this morning...I was once again furious.

When are people going to wake up to what an enemy this empty-suit is to this country?

Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart

for Mr. Obama's meditation...

"But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."  -- Matt. 10:33

I get the feeling that Obama and his crew are unusually

busy  trying to push the envelope.