Graham Whistles “Dixie” on Morning Joe

by ANTHEA BUTLER
Religion Dispatches

Franklin Graham’s Fat Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe came with his usual “dog whistle” to the Tea Party and Teavangelicals about Obama being a Muslim. Graham has done this before, back in April of 2011, when he discussed President Obama on This Week with Christiane Amanpour. Graham threw out all of the dog whistles he could, bringing up Jeremiah Wright, and pushing back on the panels’ direct question to him as to whether President Obama or not is a Christian, by saying that “you’d have to ask him.” Franklin Graham is playing a dangerous game for the RNC and his role as Dog Whistle Evangelist for whomever is the leading religious conservative candidate smacks of pandering in the worst way. Graham’s Dixie Whistle is both racially coded and religiously coded, and is designed to push white conservatives Rick Santorum’s way.

Franklin Graham has been shilling for conservative republicans relentlessly since the 2008 election, always managing to be in proximity to whomever is the strongest “values” candidate in the GOP field; back in 2008 it was rumored that Graham was one of a small number of those responsible for bringing Palin to the attention of the McCain Camp.

Graham’s M.O. is to show up on television every time a very conservative Christian candidate rises to the forefront of the current political cycle, attaching himself much like his father, Billy Graham, to the person of power. Unlike Billy however, who courted presidents, Franklin is crass enough to jump aboard even before the voting and vetting process is completed. Back in April 2011, When Donald Trump was squawking about running for president, Franklin threw Sarah Palin under the bus, and said Palin wouldn’t run (he was right). He promptly began promoting Donald Trump’s “Where’s the Birth Certificate” screed.
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