Story Transcript
Sarah Palin: GOP Welcomes All Muslims
By Davin Hutchins & Lagan Sebert
REPORTER: If Sarah Palin or John McCain talked about trying to court, you know, Muslim voters more, do you think that’s not the direction you think the Republican Party should go right now?
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Well, they have to court everybody, but what’s news? I mean, Obama has—read, go online, look at The Obama Nation. You know, I mean, we’re not stupid. Listen to Sean Hannity.
~~~
RADIO SHOW HOST: So just know that everybody is praying for you. You know, you all are apparently still behind, and some say significantly. Does that discourage you?
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: —at the end of the day, putting this in God’s hands, that the right thing for America will be done at the end of the day on November 4.
~~~
REPORTER: We’re on the road in Pennsylvania and Ohio right now, going to political rallies to see what’s on voters’ minds in these crucial swing states. At the GOP rallies we’ve attended, one thing that keeps coming up is religion, specifically Republican attitudes towards Muslims and Islam in America.
~~~
Mulsim McCain Fans Confront Intolerance At Rally
By Davin Hutchins & Lagan Sebert
REPORTER: And you just said Obama is a socialist with—.
LEAFLETER: Socialist with Islamic background.
VOICEOVER: A few days ago, ANP filed a report on Daniel Zubairi, a Muslim McCain campaigner in Virginia who helped silence a man selling bumper stickers that insulted Islam.
DANIEL ZUBAIRI, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN CHAIR: I’m with the campaign, and we don’t endorse that behavior. So—.
REPORTER: You don’t endorse this man’s behavior?
ZUBAIRI: No.
REPORTER: The McCain campaign doesn’t endorse your behavior, sir.
~~~
VOICEOVER: CNN’s Rick Sanchez picked up on the story, inviting Zubairi on his show.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: —correct. He’s not being allowed to talk to us because the McCain camp won’t let him do so. Hopefully, he’ll change his mind and he’ll be able to come on and talk to us about what I think most people would view as heroic behavior on his part.
VOICEOVER: In a 2007 interview with Beliefnet, McCain said he would prefer a Christian president over a Muslim president. Since then, McCain has largely steered clear of the Muslim issue, but the Republican base has not.
Sarah Palin Rally – Troy, Ohio
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Well, I don’t think you should discriminate on the basis of religion, but don’t ask me too much about Muslims.
~~~
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Without question, this is a Christian nation that has fallen.
REPORTER: And you think that the Muslim theology and Christianity inherently contradict each other.
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Oh, without question. The Bible says there’s one way to Heaven: Jesus Christ. He’s the way of the truth and the life. That’s the way it is. And the Christian faith and the Muslim faith are 180 degrees opposite, without question.
~~~
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: They’re going to take our freedom of religion away, which is what they’re going to do, take our freedom of religion away if Obama gets in, because he’s a Muslim.
NBC’s Meet The Press – Colin Powell Endorses Obama
COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I’m also troubled by not what Senator McCain says but what members of the party say—and it is permitted to be said—such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.” Well, the correct answer is: he is not a Muslim; he’s a Christian; he’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That’s not America.
CNN’s Campbell Brown
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter? When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country?
~~~
VOICEOVER: So how does the McCain campaign really feel about Muslims? Well, the clearest answer is coming from a surprising source, the straight-talker herself.
REPORTER: Do you think the Republican Party should embrace the party’s Muslims?
PALIN: Our party’s what?
REPORTER: Muslims. Do you think the Republican Party should embrace its own Muslims?
PALIN: We’re not going to discriminate against a person’s religion at all. No, that is not appropriate and not acceptable, in my book, to discriminate.
~~~
VOICEOVER: Palin is now on record: religious discrimination is wrong, and Muslims are welcome in the Republican Party. How Palin’s conservative Christian base will interpret those remarks and whether there will be a backlash in the last days of the campaign is anyone’s guess.
REPORTER: What would you say to someone who says that the Republican Party should be courting Muslim voters?
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Maybe the dark-room strategists believe that you’ve got to do whatever you have to do to get elected. But “conservative” simply means Bible believer, and if you have to compromise your principles to get a vote, it’s not worth it.
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
Story Transcript
Sarah Palin: GOP Welcomes All Muslims
By Davin Hutchins & Lagan Sebert
REPORTER: If Sarah Palin or John McCain talked about trying to court, you know, Muslim voters more, do you think that’s not the direction you think the Republican Party should go right now?
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Well, they have to court everybody, but what’s news? I mean, Obama has—read, go online, look at The Obama Nation. You know, I mean, we’re not stupid. Listen to Sean Hannity.
~~~
RADIO SHOW HOST: So just know that everybody is praying for you. You know, you all are apparently still behind, and some say significantly. Does that discourage you?
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: —at the end of the day, putting this in God’s hands, that the right thing for America will be done at the end of the day on November 4.
~~~
REPORTER: We’re on the road in Pennsylvania and Ohio right now, going to political rallies to see what’s on voters’ minds in these crucial swing states. At the GOP rallies we’ve attended, one thing that keeps coming up is religion, specifically Republican attitudes towards Muslims and Islam in America.
~~~
Mulsim McCain Fans Confront Intolerance At Rally
By Davin Hutchins & Lagan Sebert
REPORTER: And you just said Obama is a socialist with—.
LEAFLETER: Socialist with Islamic background.
VOICEOVER: A few days ago, ANP filed a report on Daniel Zubairi, a Muslim McCain campaigner in Virginia who helped silence a man selling bumper stickers that insulted Islam.
DANIEL ZUBAIRI, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN CHAIR: I’m with the campaign, and we don’t endorse that behavior. So—.
REPORTER: You don’t endorse this man’s behavior?
ZUBAIRI: No.
REPORTER: The McCain campaign doesn’t endorse your behavior, sir.
~~~
VOICEOVER: CNN’s Rick Sanchez picked up on the story, inviting Zubairi on his show.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: —correct. He’s not being allowed to talk to us because the McCain camp won’t let him do so. Hopefully, he’ll change his mind and he’ll be able to come on and talk to us about what I think most people would view as heroic behavior on his part.
VOICEOVER: In a 2007 interview with Beliefnet, McCain said he would prefer a Christian president over a Muslim president. Since then, McCain has largely steered clear of the Muslim issue, but the Republican base has not.
Sarah Palin Rally – Troy, Ohio
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Well, I don’t think you should discriminate on the basis of religion, but don’t ask me too much about Muslims.
~~~
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Without question, this is a Christian nation that has fallen.
REPORTER: And you think that the Muslim theology and Christianity inherently contradict each other.
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Oh, without question. The Bible says there’s one way to Heaven: Jesus Christ. He’s the way of the truth and the life. That’s the way it is. And the Christian faith and the Muslim faith are 180 degrees opposite, without question.
~~~
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: They’re going to take our freedom of religion away, which is what they’re going to do, take our freedom of religion away if Obama gets in, because he’s a Muslim.
NBC’s Meet The Press – Colin Powell Endorses Obama
COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I’m also troubled by not what Senator McCain says but what members of the party say—and it is permitted to be said—such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.” Well, the correct answer is: he is not a Muslim; he’s a Christian; he’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That’s not America.
CNN’s Campbell Brown
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter? When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country?
~~~
VOICEOVER: So how does the McCain campaign really feel about Muslims? Well, the clearest answer is coming from a surprising source, the straight-talker herself.
REPORTER: Do you think the Republican Party should embrace the party’s Muslims?
PALIN: Our party’s what?
REPORTER: Muslims. Do you think the Republican Party should embrace its own Muslims?
PALIN: We’re not going to discriminate against a person’s religion at all. No, that is not appropriate and not acceptable, in my book, to discriminate.
~~~
VOICEOVER: Palin is now on record: religious discrimination is wrong, and Muslims are welcome in the Republican Party. How Palin’s conservative Christian base will interpret those remarks and whether there will be a backlash in the last days of the campaign is anyone’s guess.
REPORTER: What would you say to someone who says that the Republican Party should be courting Muslim voters?
MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Maybe the dark-room strategists believe that you’ve got to do whatever you have to do to get elected. But “conservative” simply means Bible believer, and if you have to compromise your principles to get a vote, it’s not worth it.
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
