It warms my heart to watch a Democratic Party presidential candidate take on the White Evangelical crowd for their hypocrisy in using the name of “God” to justify their complicity in acts of evil, like the White House’s directive to cruelly treat refugee children whose families have been seeking legal asylum at the US SW border. On the evening of the 27th of June 2019, at the Democratic Party’s 2nd debate for some of its candidates, it was Mayor Pete Buttigieg who took this project on, the questioning of how it is that White Evangelicals back President Trump in overwhelming numbers, without any hesitancy.
If you talk to anyone from this crowd, they will explain how God has sent President Trump to them to champion their causes. There’s even a movie, titled the “Trump Prophecy,” that’s a propaganda piece reinforcing this concept that God is behind President Trump.
Those in the republican President Donald Trump’s close orbit who would be receptive to this concept of him being God’s tool, are the VP Mike Pence, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Attorney General William Barr.
See: Is Mike Pompeo Meshing His Faith With Foreign Policy Goals?
Keep in mind that many of these so-called Christians helped spread the rumors about the former Democratic Party President Barack Obama,that he wasn’t an American citizen; that he was really was born in Kenya; that he’s not a Christian as he claimed, but a Muslim; that he hates this country; that he’s the Anti-Christ and that he’s an illegitimate president. There’s a definite strain of racism permeating through many of the hearts of these Evangelicals which has nothing to do with God.
Here’s the rest of this story…
On June 27, 2019, Emma Green of the Atlantic penned the following report, “Pete Buttigieg Takes Aim at Religious Hypocrisy”
Excerpts:
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, called out Republicans for what he described as moral hypocrisy during the second night of the first Democratic presidential debates, in Miami. The conversation had turned to the border, where Donald Trump’s administration has continued to separate families seeking asylum and is detaining children in facilities reportedly without soap or toothbrushes or showers. “For a party that associates itself with Christianity, to say that … God would smile on the division of families at the hands of federal agents, that God would condone putting children in cages,” Buttigieg said, “has lost all claim to ever use religious language again.”
Under Trump, conservative Christianity has come to be singularly associated with the president. White evangelical voters brought him to the White House and continue to give his administration high approval ratings. White Catholics were arguably the swing voters who gave Trump his 2016 victories in states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And Trump has leaned into this image as the ultimate president for religious voters.
On the debate stage, Buttigieg gave voice to a view that has become common among Democratic voters: Many of Trump’s policies, along with his conduct as president, do not reflect Christian values. “The Republican Party likes to cloak itself in the language of religion,” Buttigieg said. “We should call out hypocrisy when we see it.”
This has been a theme throughout Buttigieg’s campaign. The mayor has spoken openly about his religious faith and rallied religious rhetoric to his advantage: This spring, he called out Mike Pence for his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying, “Your quarrel, sir, it is with my creator.”
“This is a departure from the usual playbook for the Democratic Party. As Buttigieg himself pointed out, “Our party doesn’t talk about [religion] as much.” The reason for this, he said, is that Democrats are committed to the separation of Church and state, and that the party wants to stand for all people, regardless of their religion. But it may also be a reflection of the growing irreligiosity of the Democratic base: The party’s most politically engaged voters tend not to be affiliated with any particular faith. Buttigieg’s knack for speaking in the language of God makes him exceptional within his generation, but it may also be a strength in reaching the swing voters and voters of color whom Democrats so badly need. Of all the candidates onstage, he spoke most directly to the anger that many Americans seem to feel at the way religion has been co-opted by the Trump administration, at odds with the faith they deeply hold.”
Caitlin Flanagan: Christ in the camps
Read: Democrats have to decide whether faith is an asset
Gronda Morin 
I watched most of the debates and Mayor Pete has always been one of my favorites. He did well, I thought.
So did Harris, IMO.
I’d love to see Pete as a Vice President and to most if not all democrats, he’d be an asset for his decency alone.
I’d also love to see the Mike Pences and Franklin Grahams, of the US freak out! And all their so called Christian loving hypocritical base. These people are grossly perverted in all their hate, bigotry, homophobia, racism and science denial. They are a disgrace.
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Dear Mary,
I’m in agreement. Both Senator Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete performed well in 2nd night of debates. On the first debate, Senator Elizabeth Warren won the evening. I’m convinced that Senator Harris could make mince meat of President Trump on the debate stage and elsewhere.
I’m thinking that progressives will end up picking Senator Warren over Senator Sanders, as she’s touting many of the same ideas but she’s a more appealing messenger.
I’m looking for a substitute for VP Biden in case he tanks. I’m thinking that Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado might be a possibility.
I love Mayor Pete because he’s the mirror image of what President Trump’s exact opposite would act like and I’m impressed with his ability to point out the hypocritical stances of White Evangelicals who follow President Trump.
Hugs, Gronda
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Gronda, Mayor Pete has an uphill climb in our country. I can see the dog-whistle comments about his being gay the GOP funders will use against him. Yet, every time I see him he conducts himself well – he is informed, he is straightforward, he notes mea culpas when he could have done better. And, to be frank, he is far more of a man than the one in the White House who has been accused of sexual misconduct by so many women. A real man accepts responsibility and accountability, traits that seem foreign to this president. Keith
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Dear Keith,
Mayor Pete may very well have an uphill climb but I can’t help but look at him and see the antithesis of President Trump, As a matter of fact, I can see him holding his own on the debate stage with President Trump without resorting to bullying, name calling or any unbecoming behavior.
Frankly after putting up with President Trump, for me, Mayor Pete would be a breath of fresh air. I, too admire a man or woman who can admit, I failed at something but here’s what I’m doing now.
Hugs, Gronda
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Gronda, well said. People who admit their mistakes are ahead of the game and have a much greater degree of maturity. The president has been accountable to no one since his father passed away. And, his biographers noted the two pieces of advice he gleaned from attorney Roy Cohn – never admit you are wrong and sue everyone. This is Trump’s modus operandi. Keith
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Hello Gronda. I also an a Warren supporter. Hubby is a Buttigieg supporter. I wonder how a ticket of Warren / Buttigieg would do. She can easily carry the Presidential ticket and he can handle the Vice President side. I think it has a lot of potential. Hugs
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Dear Scottie,
I like both Senator Warren and Mayor Pete and they both performed well on the debate stage. But I’m thinking there should be a moderate Democrat on the ticket as well. The reality is, that not all Democrats are progressive and the ticket should represent the bigger tent. That said, no matter what, I’ll be voting for the Democratic presidential candidate, whomever wins the nomination.
I had been thinking that there wasn’t a candidate on the debate stage who I couldn’t vote for in 2020, except for one, but if truth be told, I would even vote for that one individual.
Hugs, Gronda
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Hello Gronda. I would point out that the Democrats have been putting forth moderates for years. The only moderate that won election was Obama, and most people did not see him as a moderate at the time. The fact is moderate is the equivalent of saying we will do almost the same as the Republican person just not as much. I call them republican lite. They are basically safe Democrats. They do not tend to inspire nor bring out the vote. They have been grand candidates, but they don’t win. When people are polled on issues and subjects they pick the more progressive side of an issue. It is only when you add the label progressive, or far left, or such that the polls drop. But take all of the progressive positions and they have polled well over 50% from all the population. That is born out by so many of the candidates doing well are progressive candidates. The 6 or so moderate ones are stuck at 1%. Well that is how I see it anyway. Time will tell if we are correct. I just hate it when Republicans say the Democrats need to be Republican to get their vote. Sort of defeats the purpose. Hugs
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Dear Scottie,
My one priority is to have a candidate who can crush President Trump. The moderate candidate is not just to pull in the moderate (mostly older democrats) but the Independent and the GOP “Never Trumpers” as well.
I’m not a good predictor on any of this. But because the GOP are thinking up lots of ways to cheat, all i know is that we need record voter turnout in 2020.
Hugs, Gronda
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Hello Gronda. I do understand. Yet we can not reach so far out to the Republicans that we lose the Democrats. This morning on the news shows every single Republican strategist kept repeating the line that the Democrats were too far left, they would lose because they have gone too far left. Maybe if they say it often enough people will believe it. One never tRumper guy wanted the Democratic candidates to come to his positions so he could vote for them. Basically he was saying “Hey be a Republican so I can vote for you”. One person on the panel told them he would rather not take the advice of a Republican on how a Democrat should run. The fact is there is about 40 % who will vote Republican no matter what. I think the Democrats should not change who or what we are, to try to appeal to a group who wont vote for us anyway. I remember when President Obama was trying to work with the Republicans on Healthcare. The Republicans kept saying to him “Just come a bit closer to the right and we will vote for it”. He would change the deal to be a little more restrictive and toward the right, and they would repeat what they said before. After he removed the public option to please them, after he took out many safe guards the left wanted, not one Republican voted for it. He almost lost the Democrats in congress to please a Republican party who wouldn’t vote for what he wanted. All they wanted was to drag him as far right as they could. I see all this center and moderate talk as the same trick. Talk later. Hugs
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