John McCain on White, Male, Christian Power: How Privileged is John McCain?

You aren’t taking this in context. O’Reilly would have said it in a way to imply that the left is prejudiced against white males, not to state that there is a white male power cabal. McCain didn’t say anything about it because it was just O’Reilly attempting to be cleverly ironic but irrelevant to the actual issue being asked.

“Ramen”, Austin, for raising some much needed ‘consciouness’ regarding this extremely important topic.
I’m guessing, however, that your take on this subject will most likely go ‘relatively unrecognised’ by the general Christian, “Sheeple” public as we get closer to the election.
[Not to mention, of course, all the Corporate dominated and totally owned...media!]
As we atheists are so well aware of, nobody, especially THESE days, wants to hear from US regarding this, or for that matter, ANY significant subject. Since the current political race started, and the Dawkins, Hitchens et. al. chain rattling book campaigns have died down; it’s back, I think, to the old “Go back into the shadows where you belong, you godless heathens! Yeah…just sit down, and shut the F*ck up!”
I think the typical, mamby-bamby, “We Can’t handle the Truth!”, middle of the road, religious delusionals, just don’t (can’t?) “get it”; the fact that totally white dominated, and privileged Dominionism has been going

on…without a hitch, and right under their noses…AT LEAST from the 1970s onward.

Yeah…the 800 lb. Dominionist Fundie in the room…right next to the old male, white Elephant and 800 lb., ‘crotch manipulating’, male gorilla!

Now that an actual…REAL…threat to that traditionally and powerfuly advantaged status quo has arrived in the person of Obama…and even Clinton, as a woman…there’ll be an even more nasty all-out pushback by the Right Wingers; WAY beyond anything we’ve ever witnessed in previous elections.
In other words: “We ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”.
Just wait ’til the Fall, when the game REALLY heats up…the O’Reillys, Buchanons, Hagees, and Dobson types…eyes-a-bulging(?), fangs-a-dripping…will probably have metaphorical steam coming out of their tone deaf ears!
Should we atheists make some popcorn?
“Ummm…Pass the butter please!”

>What should also be clear, though, is that John McCain doesn’t dispute Bill O’Reilly’s characterization of America as being run controlled by a white, male, Christian power structure, he doesn’t dispute being part of that power structure, and he doesn’t criticize O’Reilly for using that phrase. This leaves open the very strong likelihood that he agrees with and accepts it, at least on some level.

I’m going to toss this out there just as a thought. Bill O’Reilly does live interviews.

The question was put like this:

>But do you understand what the New York Times wants, and the far-left want? They want to break down the white, Christian, male power structure, which you’re a part, and so am I, and they want to bring in millions of foreign nationals to basically break down the structure that we have. In that regard, Pat Buchanan is right. So I say you’ve got to cap it with a number.

In no way can I compare myself to anyone on national television running for president, who is probably as used to being in a live interview situation as chatting on the phone. But I’ve been humbled quite a lot since agreeing to be on the Atheist Experience. I sometimes go back and look at the video recordings, and I’m shocked to hear a caller asking something very different than what I thought I heard. I’m not saying that John McCain didn’t hear or understand O’Reilly’s question. But I will say that it’s REALLY possible in a live-interview format, when you’re confronted with a long question (which I think this is), to be focusing on the idea more than on how it is expressed. And also to focus more on the latter part than the initial part (the longer the question becomes).

It would have been good if McCain had noted that aspect of the question and added something about not holding to the idea that the WMP structure is necessarily a good model for a nation that is supposedly built on equal rights for everyone. But he really might have not noted that line with as much emphasis in his mind when the interview was happening as it stands out with when it’s read.

And just to say, I have no particular leanings toward McCain. I just know that if anyone went back and scrutinized my replies to questions on AE, and held me accountable for what the callers expressed on every/any point I didn’t directly dispute, I’m not sure I’d feel it’s fair considering the format…?

I do think it’s important to point out O’Reilly’s statement however. It’s pretty dispicable no matter what someone’s stance is on immigration. Being anti- or pro- anything simply to promote an elitists racist/sexist agenda is not something I would hope most people would feel good about lending their support to.

I find it odd that Bill O’Reilly is worried about immigrants breaking down the “Christian” part of the power structure he describes. If he’s talking about Latin American immigrants, they are overwhelmingly either a) Catholic, just like Bill O’Reilly, or b) Evangelical, just like much of the Republican base.