The bully's pulpit: Albuquerque megapastor Steve Smothermon fumes over GOP Gov.'s appointment of gay man to Public Regulatory Commission; gets pushback from fed-up citizens

As antigay Albuquerque pastor Steve Smothermon's church has grown, so has his propensity to bully local politicians. Albuquerque's current mayor, Richard Berry, told the Albuquerque Journal that after his election, "...it became apparent that Pastor Smothermon wanted to have a significant influence over the mayor’s office, and I simply will not allow that.”

Now, ThinkProgress reports that Smothermon has been fulminating in front of his 20,000-member congregation in respect of an appointment of a gay man to the state's Public Regulatory Commission by New Mexico's GOP governor, Susana Martinez. The appointee, Doug Howe, is an energy industry expert, a former college professor and utility executive with "decades of experience" in utility ratemaking.
     Gay people, their straight friends and some supporters of the Governor are not amused and have taken to the sidewalk outside one of the megachurch's three Albuquerque venues.

On Sunday, Smothermon, speaking to his 20,000-member congregation, drew applause for saying he wouldn’t apologize for insisting on “our right to hold a biblical world view,” the newspaper reported.

     “Just like the mayor, if you campaign as a conservative, and you say you will govern as a conservative, I have an expectation when you say to me that you will do what you said, and hire and appoint people that are conservatives,” the Journal quoted Smothermon as saying. “I’m just a pastor of a church in this state that believes that people ought to keep their word,” he said.