The other day, Russell Moore gave a brief, texting interview with the online news startup, Semafor. Moore is former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and currently editor-in-chief of Christianity Today. He was promoting his new book that deals with the difficult struggles he and evangelical leaders have had over Donald Trump and his sexual abuse scandals. Moore describes Trump as a "a unique threat, both to American institutions and to the church's witness."
I admire knowing that a loyal acolyte of Trump is now cutting ties with him, What I'm not exactly sure about is where the struggles exist for him. After all, to me, once you consider someone to be a "unique threat" to both America and the church, that should pretty much eliminate any struggling. Make it close to a no-brainer. But that's me. Anyway, Moore talks about the weariness that evangelicals appear to be having comes from trying to reconcile what the Bible teaches with its support for Trump. A gap made all the wider, one would assume given Trump being found liable for sexual assault - which the judge has written meets the standard public meaning of rape - along with his two indictments, one for espionage, and two more indictments likely coming, for trying to overthrow democracy and the U.S. government. So, with a gap that wide, it would indeed seem very difficult to reconcile - assuming, of course, that for some reason you would want to reconcile it. "I wrote the book," Moore says, "because I'm hearing every day from evangelical Christians who are exhausted and almost in despair over the state of American Christianity. They know something has gone terribly wrong but they are losing hope that anything could be different. At the same time, I get asked by non-Christians, as a man said to me as recently as yesterday- "What the hell is wrong with you people." I believe at this point, the proper reaction is - the heart bleeds While I'm glad the find out that everyday evangelical Christians are finally seeing that maybe Trump isn't someone to put all their devotion into, I would suggest that if they are exhausted and almost in despair over the stage of American Christianity, it is their own blind, fervent support (emotionally, religiously and at the ballot box) of Donald Trump - a man who it has been abundantly clear has less interest in the tenets of Christianity than the dust of a crushed boulder - that has helped bring American Christianity to its current state so wearying to them. When Trump was running for president and asked his favorite Bible passage, and he couldn't even name it - his favorite! - hiding behind, "There are so many of them," it was near-impossible to miss that he was as empty as a vacuum tube when it came to religion. And yet the idolizing Christian evangelicals with stars blocking their eyes and minds devoutly threw themselves at Trump's bidding - in large part because he promised them far-right, religious judges who would help strip rights from the needy and because he spoke out so vociferously with hate in his heart against those who were different, All of which seems to be against the teachings of the Bible, not in support of it. But then, I'm not an evangelical Christian, so it's likely they have a different view on such things than I do. Moore also adds that "An evangelical America in crisis isn't good for anybody." No, that's wrong. An evangelical America in crisis isn't good for evangelicals. That's a very different concept from what he thinks. Perhaps conflating the two is one of the reasons evangelical Christians are so wearied, trying to reconcile adoration of Trump with the teachings of Jesus. Moore also notes that he remains even more committed to the gospel and to the Bible than he's ever been. "'Evangelical' as a word," he says "conjures up all kinds of politicized hackery and moral scandal. But I think it's too good a word to abandon it to authoritarians and demagogues." To be fair, the word "evangelical" was not abandoned to authoritarians and demagogues. The reason the world conjures up all kinds of politicized hackery and moral scandal is because evangelicals themselves have long been drawn to such people. Letting their fervent sense of personal religion cloud their view of the wider world around them. Moore himself, while finally, at last, seeing Trump - after years of adoration -- as a "unique threat" to America and religion, still struggles with the gap. That's on him. Not on political hacks and moral scandals. Again, as I said, I'm very glad when a Russell Moore - or anyone - who worshiped Trump with an adoration can now see him as a "unique threat" and speak out against him. However long it took. But even putting aside the appropriate question, "What took you so long from seeing the blatantly obvious?," when you're still struggling with how to deal with that, then you really aren't seeing the threat for what it is, because it seems there's a big part of you that likes the message Trump brought, just not the messenger.
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This is a really great article in the New York Times about composer John Kander who wrote Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, the scores to the movies All That Jazz and New York, New York, and so much more. And clearly such a deserving subject, at age 96, still working on Broadway. It will not shock you that my favorite line had nothing to do with the theater, but was the description by the reporter about Kander still -- "...making the bed, tight as a drum, as he was taught at Camp Nebagamon when he was 10." For the record, I started at Nebagamon at age 11 (though my friend, Los Angeles Times journalist Patrick Goldstein, who was in my cabin, was a mere kid of 10). And, yes, we did have to make our cots each day, because every cabin was graded by the Day "Push" (a lumberjack term, since the camp was in Wisconsin's North Woods, on the grounds of the original Weyerhaeuser lumber mills) on how clean it was. What the article doesn't note is that two other people at camp with John Kander at the time were brothers William Goldman and Jim Goldman. They all stayed lifelong friends, were roommates in New York, and even collaborated on a musical together, A Family Affair. Later, Kander went off to his legendary career, William Goldman went off to write Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Mean, and James Goldman went off to write the play A Lion in Winter and the musical, Follies, with Stephen Sondheim. My one quibble with the article is when the reporter says that Kander doesn't like the song "New York, New York." I've never heard him say that. All that I've heard him say is the same thing he says in the article. That he "doesn't get it." But not getting why something is SO popular is not even remotely the same as "not liking it." Anyway, how great that he's been getting all this attention -- finally -- at age 96. You can read the terrific article here even if you don't subscribe to the Times, because I've embedded it with a gift subscription link. This is one of the reasons why, honestly, I think the Republican Party will do badly in 2024 across the country. It is a RawStory headline that appeared on Sunday – “‘Barbie’ slammed by conservatives as ‘man-hating woke propaganda’ amid box office success." No to be clear, this isn’t “why” Republicans will do badly. But it’s part of the reason. Really. Let me explain. A couple weeks back, what initially caught my eye was not that the New York Times wrote a detailed article revealing Trump’s fascist plan to expand the White House with autocratic powers if elected. It’s that Trump did not slam the report as "fake news," nor did he say a word about it being untrue. But what struck me even more is that no elected Republican official slammed the fascist plan as being undemocratic. Or reprehensible. Or…anything. Silence. Crickets chirping. To be fair, I almost expected this, since it’s who Trump has been for years – not just embracing autocratic despots, but even publicly saying that he admired Chinese President Xi for having made himself president for life, to which Trump added, “I think it's great. Maybe we'll give that a shot some day.” And Republicans have been silent and enabling Trump’s fascism all along the way. Because it’s who today’s Republican Party have become. What I didn’t initially expect, though, is that Republicans in Congress would begin slamming the Barbie movie. One congressman even said it “endangered national security,” (if it did, they should campaign on that, and would be irresponsible if they didn’t), and several senators (including, of course, Ted Cruz) have called it Communist. And Republican outrage over a movie about a toy doll has only grown and caused a party meltdown since then. And no, that’s not hyperbole. After all, there was that aforementioned RawStory headline on Sunday: "‘Barbie’ slammed by conservatives as ‘man-hating woke propaganda’ amid box office success." But then I realized that not only should I have expected this, but the Barbie movie is spot-on indicative of why I think the GOP will do badly in the 2024 election nationally -- because it fits into a long pattern that today’s Republican Party has fallen into. This realization became more clear days later, after learning that Barbie endangered national security, when the official RNC Research account on Twitter posted an attempt that tried to ridicule President Biden with a video that showed him having ice cream with hardhat workers, the point of which RNC Research apparently believes demonstrated…honestly, sorry, no, I don’t have any idea what the ridiculing “outrage” was supposed to show. I’ve tried, but I’ve come up with nothing. And ultimately, it all fit together. It fit clearly, easily, like a completed jigsaw puzzle. It fit without even having to try to connect the dots. The dots were already as connected as a Georges Seurat masterpiece. Here’s the deal: During an election cycle, when Republicans control the U.S. House of Representatives and have in their hands the ability to pass all the bills they want in order to show the voting public that these are the programs they stand for, the Republican programs that will help Americans, setting the GOP Agenda in stone to explain to the country why you should vote for Republicans – this is the small-minded garbage they are doing -- They’re investigating Hunter Biden. Still. The son of a president, a private citizen who had an admitted drug problem and who (unlike grifters Jared Kushner with his $2 billion from Saudi Arabia and Ivanka Trump with her 34 trademarks from China) didn’t have a position working in the Administration. They want to expunge Trump’s two impeachments, something which (despite being repugnant to sentient beings) doesn’t exist in reality. They’re passing six-week bans on abortion, when polls show the vast majority of Americans strongly support the standards that had existed under Roe v. Wade, which were around 24 weeks. They want to impeach Joe Biden. And impeach Merrick Garland. And impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. And impeach fill-in-the blank. Indeed, they’re so out of control they’re trying to use Chinese foreign agents – who they can’t even find -- as their “witnesses. And then they brought in anti-vaxxer Robert Kennedy Jr. to rail against vaccines and (for some reason) non-existent censorship. Don’t worry, we’ll get to Barbie. I haven’t forgotten. It’s hard to forget Republicans willing to die on the hill over Barbie. But it’s even more than all that. After all, with control of the U.S. House, and the chance to show American voters what they stand for to help Americans, small-minded Republicans around the country – in the supposed name of “freeeeeedom!” -- are passing laws to ban books. Passing laws that ban the teaching of Black history. Passing laws to ban men who wear dresses from putting on public shows. (Women wearing suits is apparently okay.) Passing laws to ban trans children from actually getting health care. And… …and they’re passing school “standards” (sic) that require teaching “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Which everyone outside of Florida actually have long-since learned since grade school is insane. And hardly the sort of education most people who are not virulently racist want for their children. In fact, it’s likely that at least some people, if not many of those who actually are virulently racist still want their children to learn reality. And lest one think that some of these empty, divisive, racist, hurtful actions are limited to just a few specific states, no, because it speaks loudly that national Republicans have almost entirely kept silent on them all, not a word of criticism, tacitly enabling them all. This endorsement by silence is who the Republican Party is. Silent, too, when the North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, who is running for governor, said with his outdoor voice for everyone to hear that he endorsed people reading Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Castro and Pol Pot – and other “despots” (his word). And elected Republicans in Congress and around the country were silent about that. As silent as they all were when a fascist “Moms for Liberty” (sic) branch quoted Hitler in its literature – and after they sort of apologized, kind of, for making the mistake of using it (though not for endorsing what Hitler said) the national group’s head doubled down in support at the organization’s summit a couple weeks later. Small-minded Republicans have driven themselves into a mad frenzy over All Things “Woke” – yet you cannot get a united definition from Republicans of what “Woke” actually is. (Ron DeSantis, who you’d think could define it in his sleep – especially since “sleep” is the opposite of “Woke” – tried a month back, but you needed a law degree from an uncredited school in the Bahamas to figure out what he meant.) You can make a guess what Republicans might possibly think maybe it means, but a guess is not them telling you, because they can’t. And if some Republican does tell you – the next Republican will say something totally different. As will the next. (Personally, my own guess is that “Woke” means liberal…) All of which means that the one big thing central to what the Republican Party wants you to believe is terrible – Woke! -- is something even they can’t define. Which ultimately brings us to Barbie. And why this is part of why Republicans will do badly in 2024. Combined with all the above, but standing importantly on its own. Yes, Barbie. A very popular movie about a toy doll that Republicans are having an emotional breakdown over. Barbie. Republicans control the House, they can pass bills to show Americans what they care about to help lives (which I repeat again because it can’t be said enough)...and this – this is the kind of mindless garbage that elected Republican officials think is important!! It's a movie about a toy DOLL. And people across America love it! Republicans are trying desperately to make an issue that the movie Barbie has endangered national security. And was Communist. And is undermining the male psyche. Barbie!! (In fairness, it does sort of seem like this movie about a toy doll is, in fact, undermining the psyche of Republican males. Though in equal fairness, that doesn’t seem difficult these days.) And Republicans are trying to do this because – this is who Republicans are. They have nothing to seriously run. They control the House and can pass actual bills, and this is what they’re going after. A popular movie about a beloved toy doll. Barbie isn’t the start of explaining the problem – it’s the culmination of what has been going on with today’s small-minded Republicans for years. Before Republicans cried out against Barbie, it was Dr. Seuss they were “outraged” over. And Mr. Potato Head. And Goofy. And The Muppets. And The Little Mermaid. And M&Ms. And Disney. Barbie isn’t the exception, Barbie helps define the rule. These are the things that Republicans think matters. Barbie, Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head, Goofy, The Muppets, M&Ms, The Little Mermaid. All that, and "slavery had benefits for slaves." And how awful it is that Joe Biden is eating ice cream with workers. And how awful it is that Joe Biden was reading a book on the beach with his wife. And how awful it is that Jill Biden calls herself “Dr.,” because she has a doctorate. (But never mind that Trump is indicted for stealing classified documents. And was found liable for sexual assault – which the judge has said was actually the accepted definition of rape. And about to be indicted twice for trying to overturn democracy. But I digress…) And in a long political campaign upcoming, people will not only see it clearly, they won't be able to avoid seeing it. Because it's who Republicans are, and all they have to campaign on. Which is why they’re campaigning on it – rather than passing bills in the House that will actually help Americans. This, therefore, is part of why Republicans will do badly in 2024. When you don't stand for anything, when you spend years trying to destroy the private son of a president, when you use a foreign agent for China (who you can’t even find) as your witness of non-existent “crimes, when you continue to relentlessly ban things – in the name of “freeeedom!” – that the public repeatedly shows it hugely wants, when you think that "culture wars" is your winning ticket, when one of the core tenets of fascism is to undermine all other centers of power and popularity, when "culture wars" turns out in the end to be all you have in your empty sack, then taking on children's toys becomes your level of competition. That’s what these shrimps have become. For goodness sake. The Republican Party is outraged over -- Barbie. And to be very clear, this isn’t the Republican Party punching “down.” The GOP going after a toy doll is the party doing its best to punch up. And finishing second. It will come as no shock to people that I love the Chicago Cubs. And I particularly love the radio team, headed by Pat Hughes. In fact, when I watch Cubs games with my MLB.TV subscription, I use their "overlay" feature that syncs up the radio broadcast to the TV picture, rather than the TV play-by-play. It's not that I have anything against the TV team, they're pretty good. But I love listening to Pat Hughes, teamed up with analyst Ron Coomer. Pat Hughes is just warm and knowledgeable and funny and observant and wonderfully entertaining, just a really terrific broadcaster. And as I noted here a few months back, he was just elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving their Ford C. Frick Award. And the induction ceremony was over the weekend. By the way, Pat is wonderful partnered with Ron Coomer, but when he was previously teamed with another Ron, former Cub great Ron Santo (who was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame), the two were special -- in fact "unique" might be a better word. As an announcer, Ron Santo bordered on the good side of incompetent but was SO human (he once apologized for being late after an inning break because "I was in the bathroom" and another time brought the family's cleaning woman to the booth), SO funny (intentionally and otherwise), had such an other-worldly phenomenal rapport with Pat Hughes (who clearly protected his broadcasting limitations...) and loved the Cubs SO much that when the two did a broadcast, people in Chicago didn't say they were going to listen to the Cubs game, but rather "The Pat and Ron Show" (something Pat Hughes referenced in his induction speech). In fact, the station's email address for the radio broadcast was "@patandronshow.com".) Anyway, I can't let the day go without embedding Pat Hughes' acceptance speech. It's only 15 minutes, tells some good stories and some funny ones, and much of it is spent praising other people, rather than talking about his career -- which is just so Pat. If this isn't something everyone here wants to listen to, I understand. But hopefully you'll give it a couple of minutes, just to hear how warm and personable he is. For that matter, I think reporters should not only ask this same question to every GOP candidate running for the party's nomination, but they should also ask it to every elected Republican official, period. Because so far there is near total silence by Republicans, which enables the Florida position and gives it tacit approval. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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