Tonight’s GOP Pre-Debate Rally Sponsored By Extremists: John Birch Society And The Oath Keepers
By Judd Legum on May 5th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
In Greenville, South Carolina tonight, five presidential contenders will meet for the first GOP presidential primary debate. According to the official program of the pre-debate “Freedom Rally,” is sponsored by several extremist groups, including the Oath Keepers militia group and the radical anti-communist John Birch Society. You can see a picture of the program here. Here’s the John Birch Society’s booth at the the pre-debate rally:
ABC News reports that The John Birch society, famous for its vocal opposition to the Civil Rights movement, represents “the far-right fringe of American politics.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has listed the John Birch Society as a group that “advocates or adheres to extreme antigovernment doctrines.” The group was so radical — calling President Eisenhower a communist infiltrator and claiming that the Soviets used fluoridated water to control Americans’ mind — that they were effectively exiled by conservatives until 2010. They even recently called Nelson Mandela “a communist terrorist thug.”
Here is the Oath Keepers booth at the rally:
As ThinkProgress reported on the Oath Keepers:
Are Tim Pawlenty and the other candidates at tonight’s debate aligning themselves with the extreme views of these groups?
Update This post has been updated to clarify the difference between the debate itself and the pre-debate rally.
Update South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) speaking at the rally in front of an Oath Keepers banner:
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