Pickering Affair Raises New Questions About ?Revolving Door? Of Secretive Fellowship Group
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on July 18th, 2009 4:33 am by HL
Pickering Affair Raises New Questions About ?Revolving Door? Of Secretive Fellowship Group
Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow reported the story that former Rep. Chip Pickering’s (R-MS) wife has filed a lawsuit against Pickering’s mistress Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd, exposing a long-running affair. Pickering, now a lobbyist for Capitol Resources LLC, campaigned on a platform of promising to bring family values to Washington. Pickering tried to force his […]
Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow reported the story that former Rep. Chip Pickering’s (R-MS) wife has filed a lawsuit against Pickering’s mistress Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd, exposing a long-running affair. Pickering, now a lobbyist for Capitol Resources LLC, campaigned on a platform of promising to bring family values to Washington. Pickering tried to force his own views on marriage upon the country by pushing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and using marriage as a cudgel to demand that President Bill Clinton resign:
– While engaged in the affair with Creekore Byrd, Pickering said of President Bill Clinton: “I think for the good of the country and the good of his own family it would be better for him to resign. When someone puts himself forward for public office, then his personal conduct does become relevant.” [Washington Times, 8/20/98]
– Pickering explained his support of a constitutional gay marriage ban, stating: “Marriage as an institution between one man and one woman promotes the best interest of the husband and wife, and the best interests of children.” [Mississippi Link, 7/20/06]
The suit filed by Pickering’s wife also alleges that Pickering pursued the affair while living in the “C Street Complex,” the boarding house for the secretive right-wing Christian group known as “the Fellowship.” Pickering’s former colleagues embroiled in similar scandals, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), were also members of the Fellowship.
Doug Coe, the group’s spiritual leader, once preached that the willingness to behead one’s own mother was a “covenant” tantamount to what “Jesus said.” The organization “Youth with a Mission” owns the C Street boarding house, which is registered tax-exempt as a church, advocates seizing the “mountain of government” as part of an evangelical crusade to advance the “kingdom of God.” Coe, who holds misogynist beliefs, once counseled a lawmaker that his wife — who complained of not being sexually satisfied — might be possessed by demons.
Speaking with Maddow about the influence of the Fellowship, author Jeff Sharlet noted that the complex operates as a “fundamentalist frat house” where “if you’re part of God’s chosen…morality, ethics, these things don’t apply to them.” He also noted Steve Largent, a former Oklahoma congressman and former resident of the C Street house, now president of a telecom trade group, arranged lobbyist-funded trips for other members in the group, including both Pickering and Ensign. Sharlet questioned the lawmaker-to-lobbyist “revolving door” that “seems to be facilitated by the family.” Watch it:
Steele Explains His ?Urban-Suburban Hip-Hop? Strategy: I?m Going To Create ?A Little Hip-Hop Storm?
Last February, RNC Chairman Michael Steele got widely mocked when he told the Washington Times that he wanted to apply the Republican Party’s principles “to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.” Guest hosting Bill Bennett’s radio show today, Steele explained to a caller exactly how he planned to reach out to those “settings.” “I’m working up a little game […]
Last February, RNC Chairman Michael Steele got widely mocked when he told the Washington Times that he wanted to apply the Republican Party’s principles “to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.” Guest hosting Bill Bennett’s radio show today, Steele explained to a caller exactly how he planned to reach out to those “settings.”
“I’m working up a little game plan for the fall that would allow me to spend some time on a number of BET channels as well as Radio One Cathy Hughes, her network,” said Steele. Steele added that he plans “to actually visit some of these colleges and universities and have a conversation.” Steele said he planned “a little hip-hop storm”:
STEELE: What it’s about right now is your health care, ability for you to run a small business and grow it to a major business. Defining wealth in America. What I like to call creating legacy wealth that is generational. Empowering you to put your kids in schools that actually educate them as opposed to dumb them down to go out and be, you know, not very productive members of society. So, you know, these are important conversations to have. I’ve just been struck by the fact that this president has not addressed those issues in a meaningful way, in the black community especially. So, I’m looking forward to doing that and causing a little hip-hop storm, if you will.
Listen here:
In March, while appearing on D.L. Hughley’s now defunct CNN show, Steele explained that when he talks about hip-hop, he’s “really not talking about specifically just hip-hop” but “an urban agenda.” “I’m not trying to play off of hip-hop. I’m not trying to use hip-hop,” he added.
Transcript:
STEELE: Joseph in Texas, what’s going on buddy?JOSEPH: Mr. Steele.
STEELE: Hey.
JOSEPH: Hey, I was was calling because I have two questions, if we can get to them. But the first question is, I attended an HBCU at Prairie View A and M University and I was wondering — because I’ve just got turned on to you, I guess, in the last couple months — I was wondering how come you aren’t on programs with like BET, doing interviews with like Cousin Jeff or like at hip hop summits with Russell Simmons and Puff Daddy and things like that. Or around the HBCU circuit because I think you have a very interesting message, even though it may be different than, you know, blacks are the minority
STEELE: Right.
JOSEPH: We’re getting from the Democrats. But, I, this is, you’re new to me and you’re new to our community.
STEELE: Well, no, I appreciate that and in fact we are. I’m working up a little game plan for the fall that would allow me to spend some time on a number of BET channels as well as Radio One Kathy Hughes, her network. And to actually visit some of these colleges and universities and have a conversation. I’m not afraid and I’m glad you, I’m glad you called Joseph and put that question up there, because I’m not afraid to go and have this conversation. I was at the NAACP this week and I thought that it went very well. People responded. They listened. And I wanted to engage in a different way and say, look, I don’t want to come here and start talking the same old platitudes that Republicans typically say and, “oh, I’ve got to remind you that Bull Connor was a Democrat, you know. That’s not what it’s about now. What it’s about right now is your health care, ability for you to run a small business and grow it to a major business. Defining wealth in America. What I like to call creating legacy wealth that is generational. Empowering you to put your kids in schools that actually educate them as opposed to dumb them down to go out and be, you know, not very productive members of society. So, you know, these are important conversations to have. I’ve just been struck by the fact that this president has not addressed those issues in a meaningful way, in the black community especially. So, I’m looking forward to doing that and causing a little hip hop storm, if you will. We’ll be back.
