Perry Should Renounce Jeffress – OpEd

In a piece by Wayne Barrett in the Daily Beast [click here], he follows up on my news release of October 12 criticizing the anti-Catholic remarks of Rev. Robert Jeffress. Barrett asked if I thought it was appropriate for Governor Rick Perry, who was introduced by Jeffress last week at the Values Voter Summit, to cut ties with the Dallas pastor. I said he should.

In the last presidential campaign, I criticized Senator John McCain for accepting the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee; the minister had made anti-Catholic comments in the past. Subsequently, McCain split with Hagee. That flap ended amicably when Hagee, due to the intervention of Catholic activist Deal Hudson, came to my office to express his regrets. The sincerity of his remarks put an end to our dispute. We are now friends.

Ergo, Perry should follow the lead of McCain and make an explicit statement renouncing any ties he has to Jeffress. Any man of the cloth who entertains the despicable views Jeffress does about Catholicism, as well as many other religions, should be shunned by candidates for the presidency.