Pastor takes on incumbent, calls himself ‘full spectrum conservative’Date: 8/3/2018 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Scott Lively, the fundamentalist minister who has achieved a spot on the Republican primary ballot against incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker, was on the road campaigning when he talked recently with The Reminder about his campaign.
Lively, whose legal address is in Springfield where he has his Holy Grounds Coffeehouse ministry on State Street, is now living in an apartment in Worcester so he will be in a more central position from which to meet voters.
He has been busy with a grassroots campaign across the state and he believes that he may have a chance to win the nomination and face either Democrat Jay Gonzalez or Bob Massie in the fall.
The reason is, he asserted, there is widespread dissatisfaction with Baker among the Commonwealth’s conservative voters.
“It’s really quite remarkable,” he said of the support he has received so far. “I’m pleasantly surprised by the level of support,” he said.
This is his second run for the governorship. He ran as an independent in 2014. If voters are previously aware of Lively it may be due to attention he has received from his stances on abortion and gay rights. Today, though, his message focuses more on more conventional conservative populist positions.
He said the biggest misconception about him is “the suggestion I am a single issue candidate because of issues I’ve been involved in the past as a pastor and lawyer.”
While campaigning, Lively said he has been surprised by the “hostility” from voters toward Baker, who has been called the most popular governor in the country.
Lively calls himself a “full spectrum conservative” who compares himself to president Ronald Reagan and is a “strong supporter” of President Donald Trump.
In a state where Republicans are often called “William Weld Republicans” or “Charlie Baker Republicans” – denoting a combination of fiscal conservatism and social moderation – Lively contended, “I don’t think there is such a thing as a ‘Charlie Baker Republican.’”
That view stems from his viewpoint that Baker is neither a true Republican nor conservative and that he is alone in offering that ideology to voters in the gubernatorial race.
Lively quickly rejected the notion that Baker is the most popular governor in the country. “That’s a canard. The Democrats love Charlie Baker because he is one of their own.”
The candidate said he believes he will win the support of voters who are “pro-life, pro-guns, and pro-Trump.”
He explained, “They are going to vote for me because I’m not Charlie Baker.”
He believes he has a good chance because “primaries tend to draw the people most passionate about their ideology.”
Positions
Lively sends out frequent press releases that detail his opinions and campaign stances. For instance, he was enthusiastic about the recent summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
He wrote, “I can testify with confidence that of all the people groups I have encountered in the 58 countries to which I have traveled thus far, the Russians are by far the closest in temperament and ideology to American conservatives. In fact, I am convinced that the primary purpose for the relentless anti-Russian propaganda we have endured from both the leftist and neocon media since Obama relaunched the Cold War in 2013 is to prevent American conservatives from learning that truth and teaming up with the Russians against the global socialist elites...
“President Donald Trump is one of the few American leaders who know that truth and is acting upon it – against intense deep state opposition. American conservatives should trust Trump and distrust the media on this. (Duh!) …
“The Russian Federation is today far more anti-Marxist than America because the Russians greatly suffered under Soviet Communism and want it never to return, while we allow Cultural Marxists to dominate our public schools, colleges, media and much of our government.”
In another release, he took the highly unusual step of endorsing one of the two Democrats running their party’s nomination for governor. “I would like to suggest that the Progressives actually have two choices – one obvious but probably futile – and one radical but potentially game-changing.
“The first and obvious choice is Bob Massie, and of the two Democrats running I think he is by far the better choice for true Progressives. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with Bob Massie on a lot of things, but I recognize him as honest and principled. The other guy is just as much an establishment hack as Charlie Baker. Baker and [Jay] Gonzales are both career politicians: panderers willing to parrot any set of talking points the Purple Uniparty hands them.”
Lively went so far as to portray himself as someone Progressives could support. “However, Scott Lively represents a genuine principled alternative for Progressives who believe that caring for the poor and wresting control from the elites are higher priorities than the ‘polarization issues.’ The race progressives should be watching and joining in 2018 is really Baker v. Lively. The real choice is either an establishment 1-percenter who may throw a few bones to the left on abortion and guns (but never allow the ‘cash-cow’ bottom-strata of society to break free from elite control) or an honest grassroots conservative who will link arms with progressives to pull inner city families out of poverty permanently and empower them to own the real estate and businesses in their communities through entrepreneurialism.” The candidate has said that he is “best choice for Black voters.” In a recent release, explained, “Dr. Lively [was] with local pro-Trump voters at the Worcester Common. President Trump has much stronger support from the Black community than the media would like you to believe. On the issue of illegal immigration for example, African Americans are the most angered by the flood of illegal aliens into the inner cities of Massachusetts, and Dr. Lively gives voice to that anger on the campaign trail.” He has announced a slate of positions that he said would assist the senior citizens of the Commonwealth. They include no property tax on private homes; ending “Sanctuary Cities” in order to put more financial resources towards seniors’ needs’ enacting legislation that would put caps on how much money a casino could earn from a senior gambler; and creating a “Senior Corps” to help teachers by volunteering in schools.
Lively said he realizes the economic disparity between the western and the eastern parts of the state is a “huge, huge problem.” He has proposed an economic development package that would address those issues. A key part of that package is a dramatic shift in how much tax money a community keeps and administers itself.
He would change the tax structure in the state so that municipalities would collect all taxes. The communities would then send to the Commonwealth only the money to fund “what the state can do better,” such as maintaining infrastructure, operating prisons and running elections, for instance.
His proposed elimination of the property tax for residences would assist present homeowners and encourage a greater amount of home ownership, he said.
“There is no downside to this approach,” he said, added that property taxes mean someone never really owns his or her home. He compared it to “medieval feudalism.”
He said he would have a graduated property tax on income properties, depending upon the amount of income, generated staying in the community.
The funds retained by the communities would be used to operate schools and other municipal functions currently funded in whole or part by the state.
Lively believes this approach would offer “real transparency” and this approach wouldn’t be difficult to implement as municipalities are already set up for collecting taxes.
Background
Although in both this interview and in many of his press releases Lively emphasized the talking points of conservative populism, but in a blog posting dated Feb. 6 of this year, he wrote much more as a fundamentalist Christian, “As a proud member of that regiment, I issue a challenge to every Bible-believing pastor: ARISE BROTHERS! Enter the fray at this critical juncture! Run for political office wherever you are, but especially in places where the Godless Left has the tightest stranglehold. Run to win! But even where that end is unlikely, run sacrificially, willing to govern if God grants the victory, but forcing the adversary to expend resources defending ground they thought was secure. Shun political ‘norms’ and expectations, using your platform to boldly shine the light of the Gospel and Biblical truth into the darkness of the political realm. Bravely defy media mockery and intimidation to give hope and encouragement to every believer, seeker and conservative ally under the yoke of liberal oppression.”
After all, this is the pastor wrote in 2012 after the Scores strip club on Worthington Street was destroyed by a gas explosion – an explosion that damaged and demolished other buildings that affected people’s homes and businesses – “Yesterday the three story Scores strip club on Worthington Street was completely obliterated in a gas explosion, right down to the ground. I believe this was the hand of God at work in answer to our prayers. We are giving Him all the glory and praise for this occurrence, since it is only by His power that any of our prayers can have any effect. We also thank God that no one was seriously injured in this blast, though it was enormous. I am sending this email to ask you to join me in the following prayer for the further cleansing of Springfield.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center characterizes Lively as “A veteran of the anti-gay movement, Lively has been actively propagandizing against LGBT people since the early 1990s, but he’s perhaps best-known for co-writing the thoroughly discredited, Holocaust revisionist book ‘The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party (1995),’ which claims that the Nazi party was full of gay men who, because of their ‘savagery,’ were able to carry out the Holocaust.”
Lively said when he moved to Springfield in 2008 it was in part to re-establish his role as a pastor by operating a street-level mission and to try to distance himself from the notoriety he gained in the 1990s in some circles because of his positions on homosexuality.
In the interview, Lively seemed far more interested in presenting his ideas on applying conservative principles to Massachusetts and how they would help the average citizens than to speak about the issues that focused media attention on him in the past.
About his chances, Lively said, “I’m a pastor and a strong believer in Divine Providence that is beyond our control,” he said. Lively added, “I think I have a pretty good chance of winning based on issues raised already.”
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